“What would you say to a patient who yelled at you because he had to wait a long time?”
Ask the applicant to speak to you as he or she would to the patient. Watch for a patronizing tone, or a “don’t blame me, I just work here” approach.

“Tell me about a time when you went out of your way to give great service to a patient?”
Ideally, the applicant will have more than one story to tell you.

“Give me an example of when you solved a tough problem for a patient.”
Look for ownership of the problem. If resolution of the problem meant referring it to someone else, did the applicant check to make sure that the patient was satisfied with the result?

“Can you tell about a process or system that you improved so that patients could be more satisfied?”
Look for a prompt answer and for the applicant’s pride in having accomplished the improvement. You might follow with, “Why was it important for you to do that?”

“Describe a situation in which you had a difficult patient. How did you solve it?”
How comparable is the described situation to your difficult patients and how you would like them to be treated.

“Tell me about a situation in which you ‘blew it’ with a patient. How did you resolve it?”
Check to see if the applicant takes responsibility for the situation and whether or not she resolved the problem as soon as she became aware of it.

“What do you say when you answer the telephone at your present position?”
Look for a time of day greeting, the name of the department/organization, the person’s name and ‘How may I help you?’

Source: Susan Keane Baker, susan@susanbaker.com

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Service-industry employers can get a good read on potential hires by asking these questions suggested by Florida-based staffing firm Spherion Corp.:

• Do you consider how your actions at work affect your coworkers? (A “yes” indicates the applicant values cooperation.)

• Is it OK to argue with a customer if you know you are right? (A “no” suggests good customer-service instincts.)

• Have you ever left a job without giving notice? (A “no” signals dependability.”)

• Can you handle changes in job assignments during the workday? (Flexible folks answer “yes.”)

• Are there times when it’s acceptable to bend company rules? (Although there are customer-service situations when good employee judgment should override a rigid policy, a “no” answer scores points for integrity.)

• Should a good employee who steals $5 be given a second chance? (A “no” indicates high integrity.)

• Can you deal effectively with people who have different personalities? (A “yes” indicates few problems dealing with a diverse customer base.)

Adapted from “Are You Being Served?” by Karen-Janine Cohen, in the Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

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Community Hospital created a program to recruit and retain high-quality employees in an effort to reduce turnover and prevent future workforce shortages. The hospital created a position to focus strictly on enhancing customer service between departments, with patients and their family members, and with visitors to the hospital. Hospital officials talked directly with employees to discover why they like working at Community Hospital and the reasons that they stayed. In addition, the hospital developed hospital videos, brochures, a Web site, and CD Rom. These programs have helped to reduce turnover from 31 percent in 1999 to 13 percent in 2003.

Contact Name: Kevin Kalinowski
Title: Human Resources Director
Email address: kevinkalinowski@borgess.com
Telephone: (269) 463-3111, ext. 451
Fax: (269) 463- 3177

Source: American Hospital Association, Workforce Ideas in Action, Jan. 2005

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Customer service was a little lax in Dickinson Theatres, a 200-screen Kansas-based chain-until managers adopted this three-pronged strategy:

• Ask, don’t tell. When employees ask how to handle problems, managers empower them by bouncing the questions back: What do you think we should do?

• Ask, don’t yell. When workers need something from coworkers, they ask politely rather than shouting demands.

• Ask, don’t sell. When customers are upset, workers don’t dictate resolutions. Instead, they ask
  customers how they’d like the situation to be handled.

After the program was implemented, Dickinson’s turnover dropped well below the industry average and satisfied customers began singing their praise.

Adapted from 301 Great Customer Service Ideas: From America’s Most Innovative Small Companies, edited by Nancy Artz (Inc.

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Professional Search Services

• Large national candidate pool
• Internet recruiting at www.mhaservicecorp.com
• Background checking service
• Low contingency fee

When you need a healthcare management recruiter, call Steve O’Connor at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association in Lansing, MI at (517) 663-5755. He’s the search consultant who produces this monthly newsletter and has hundreds of management candidates currently registered with his service. Most are open to relocation. You are also invited to browse his web site for more information on Professional Search Services at www.mhaservicecorp.com.

Available positions may include:

CEO/COO/VP • Dietitians • Finance • Food Service • Fund Development • Health Information Management • Home Health Care • Human Resources • Information Systems • Managed Care • Management Engineering • Marketing/Public Relations • Materials Management • Nursing Administration • Pharmacy • Physician Practice Administrators • Planning • Plant Operations • Quality Improvement • Rehabilitation Management • Risk Management • Social Work • Training and Development • Utilization Review

For more information contact:

Stephen O’Connor, SPHR, Senior Director
MHA Service Corporation
Professional Search Service

Corporate Office:
6215 West St. Joseph Hwy.
Lansing, MI 48917
(517) 663-5755
Fax: (517) 663-5897
E-mail Address: soconnor@mha.org

Regional Office:
24725 W. Twelve Mile Rd.
Southfield, MI 48034
(248) 356-7950
Fax: (248) 356-8543

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