People Business I

The Prepared Professional

This module will detail specific ways to determine a positive employee attitude and it will also prepare today's long-term care professionals for appropriate handling of customer service opportunities. In addition, this module will discuss specific elements that prepare a professional for the day's work. This includes how they dress, how they prepare for the day and how they seize opportunities from potential tough situations. This session will provide the following material:

1. The appropriate professional preparation including looking professional (how to dress for success in the long-term care setting).
2. Takeoffs are everything. Whether you're talking about airplanes or life, how you handle the initial start of the day, the shift, the meeting, the one-on-one relationship sets the tone for the rest of that particular situation.
3. A positive employee attitude includes being solution-oriented (negativity is defined as people who bring up problems but do not also suggest solutions).
4. The importance of a No Excuse Policy to our customers and each other.
5. A customer service model that eliminates the need for excuses (5-Step Customer Satisfaction Process).
6. Methods for involving a team in successful approaches to handling different individual customer satisfaction situations.

Handling a Customer Opportunity

This hospitality module provides the information needed to successfully handle customer inquiries and how to work with potential sale opportunities. Starting with the initial phone call, viewers are led through the entire customer involvement cycle concluding with the admission process. This session will provide material so the learner will be able to:

1. Develop successful ways to handle phone inquiries, including:
• Initial phone answering and how to pick up the phone skills
• The basics of phone courtesy
• How to effectively transfer phone calls to other people
• How long to allow customers to wait for their party to answer the transferred call
• Ways to be effective when taking a phone message
• Effective ways to return phone calls
2. Developing successful methods to handle live inquiries, including:
• The initial reception and welcome into the building
• How to gather the needed information for leading an effective tour
• Developing a scientific tour process that will be tailored to meet the inquirer's specific needs
• Preparing the entire staff to participate in the inquiry handling process and touring phase
• Preparation of appropriate materials to meet the needs identified in the initial interview prior to leading the tour
• How to return visitors to the interview location for further conversation
• Methods to effectively close the relationship opportunity (also known as "make the sale")
• Preparation for new admissions including a "Welcome Wagon" approach to the customer's arrival in the building
• Methods for helping patients or residents handle the adjustments required and trauma that occurs when health care or living needs change. Staff are also given ways to help patients/residents, interested outside individuals or family members with the changes taking place
• How to send adjustment reports appropriately describing the patient’s/resident's first settling-in period

The Customer and Healthcare

This module will focus on the expectations of today's customers in long-term care and what a customer truly believes is important for their relationship with a long-term care provider. This session will provide the material so the learner will be able to:

1. Understand the different customers present in a long-term care environment.
2. Develop an understanding of a customer's need for "perceived satisfaction".
3. Realize the difference between customers in long-term care and customers in other business types.
4. Discover the critical elements of core customer satisfaction in long-term care. These include:
• Location
• Environment
• Food
• Housekeeping and maintenance
• Price and billing proficiency
• Care plan outcomes
• Courtesy
• Responsiveness
• Activities and socialization
• Healthcare knowledge
5. Utilization of family guardian or outside interested parties.
6. Development of a customer service philosophy for each individual working in a long-term care setting.

Following the Script

This module looks at the method for ensuring that our professional actions are appropriate, not only within the health care organization, but outside of our daily work efforts. This module concentrates on appropriate responses in the community, to our patients or residents, to our visitors and other guests. It details how important employee's actions, attitudes and words reflect on the organization in their customer service efforts and overall marketing capabilities. This session will provide the material so the learner will be able to understand:

1. Why Disney has become successful in on-stage efforts.
2. How to handle a tough community questions concerning health care issues, long-term care in general and/or your specific questions related to your organization.
3. Methods for dealing with information interchange so they don't affect patients or residents, visitors or family members.
4. How all employees are marketing representatives for the organization in the community; including not only census building and maintenance activities, but also attracting potential staff. These tapes will help staff improve their marketing skills.
5. How to handle difficult inquiries or questions, which can be potentially damaging to the organization or might be of a confidential nature.
6. How to develop an "on-stage" attitude similar to the attitudes displayed in other service industries.