Customer Non-Service
One of my jobs as a lab manager to is to send the orders for the CPAPs, BiPAPs and oxygen to the homecare companies. For the most part, this is an easy job. I call the patients to tell them what company is going to call them to set up their equipment and what the setting will be. If they have any questions about the test, I will answer them. I also tell them to make an appointment with the ordering physician for 45 to 60 days after set up.
So where is the issue with this? It actually falls with some of the homecare companies. The problem comes when I get a phone call like the ones I received today. The first one was from a patient who received a CPAP via mail and called me to ask, "What am I supposed to do now?" The patient does not even know who sent it because the box was not very well marked. It actually took her a couple of weeks to open it because she did not know it was important.
I knew who sent it but I also know that it would be easier to have the patient come in to the lab. I will teach her how to use the machine and help her to fit the mask. When she called, she said there were three masks in the box. This is a motivated patient who wants to feel better but I could hear the frustration in her voice.
The second patient was someone I called to do a follow up. He said he is using his machine however, his nose had a sore on it, his mouth was dried out and he was still tired all the time. This does not sound like a successful patient to me.
I called the company and when I spoke with the customer service rep, she informed me she did a follow up the previous week and the patient is wearing the machine 7 hours a night, so what was the problem. I explained that although the patient was wearing the machine--due to high motivation levels--if he continued to have these issues then he would stop using it and that was not the goal. After some more back and forth, she said she would arrange to have a tech go out and change masks but the other issues were not the company's problem.
This company wonders why it does not get more of my business. I say it is because I want my patients to continue to get the service we try to provide.
Customer service is an important part of our job. I have not met any sleep technician or respiratory therapist over the years who does not understand this fact. So I ask those who spend their day working with people, whether it is patients or professionals, how is your customer service looking today?