Have you ever had the experience of calling into a company, getting a robot and being asked what feels like a million questions to get to where you really want to go? Sometimes that robot gives you unsolicited information that is a total waste of time before you can even move forward.
Then, after all that, you get connected but it is to another robot that asks you some of the same questions. Push this # for such and such department, push that # for a different department.
Finally, you get to a human being and still have to answer more questions in order to get the information you need. Or, one of my very “favorites” is when you have answered all the questions and finally get a person who has NONE of the information you just gave out. A couple of times (oh maybe more, if I am being honest), I have yelled at that robot! A few minute phone call is now a 30 minute or longer ordeal. So frustrating to say the least!
This is such a common occurrence in every industry – medical included. When Fidelity On Call started in 1994 (well before all the modern technology), we were concerned with the personal aspect of the business. We made sure our phones were always answered by a person – no automated computer for us and we counted the number of times it rang before we picked the phone up. More than three – that was upsetting!
Even after hours, we had a service that answered our lines. Yes, I know now we are more automated, but we pride ourselves on the fact that you can still instantly get to someone in an emergency.
With the advent of social media, websites, cell phones and the messages we receive from that direction, we also set standards for ourselves when it came to response time. We want our customers and team members, plus applicants, to know that we value their time and our relationship with them.
New technology has made information sharing and networking so much quicker and easier. However, it has brought on some very unwanted changes and one of those is customer service.
Does that have to be sacrificed to go forward?
We say “NO!”
It is easy to hide behind e-mail, voice mail, text messages and every other way of contacting someone. It is especially interesting when someone you are trying to reach will not pick up the phone, but will only text you. No personal conversations for them.
Sometimes, people text you something that would have been better served by just picking up a phone and personally talking. Is it becoming a lost art to personally talk with friends and family? Or, to go out and network to meet people and form additional friendships (vs. finding them on social media)?
We work hard to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of hiding behind e-mail or text messages.
We value speaking with our team members and our customers personally.
It is always good to move forward and we truly love all the new technology we work with. However, we will work to continually insure that, as we move forward, we never leave our service standards behind.
