4, Jan, 34

"It’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right." – Mark Hunter

This past week, I went for my annual medical check-up. Yes … this is the one you schedule something like 12 months in advance, hoping you will remember when the date arrives.

In the past couple of years, I have observed it getting more and more difficult to schedule a primary care physician.

I usually hear the following: “He is only seeing current patients on Thursday afternoons. However, we might be able to get you in with the nurse practitioner. Will that work?”

I’m okay with the nurse practitioner, but there is something amiss here, and it’s impacting the overall quality of care.

4, Jan, 34

As I sat in the waiting room for my name to be called, I observed an elderly gentleman come through the sliding doors. He was right on time for his 8 a.m. appointment, dressed well with a black jacket and a big Texas cowboy hat.

The conversation with the front desk attendant went something like this:

Attendant: “Sir, which doctor are you here to see?”

Man: “Sorry … I can’t hear that well.”

Attendant: “What is your date of birth?”

Man: “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Attendant: [Raising her voice this time.] “What is your date of birth?”

Man: “Oh … it’s 4, Jan, 34.”

At this point, the gentleman’s daughter arrived after parking the vehicle.

Attendant: “I see here that you had two appointments, and they were both canceled.”

Daughter: “That can’t be … We called to confirm.”

Attendant: “Let me check with the doctor.”

My Take

My perspective on this scenario is that the attendant should have been a bit more “attentive” and understanding.

If you do the math, the gentleman is 91-years-old, and I think he deserves a higher level of respect.

How about this response …

“Sir, we are happy you came. Let’s find out which doctor you are here to see, and we’ll make sure to take care of you today.”

Even if the gentleman was there on the wrong date, I’m 100% sure they can find a doctor who can examine him. This is the one case where an exception can be made.

Employee Fatigue

Over the past few months, I’ve become aware of employee fatigue. This situation took place on a Friday, and I could tell some of the employees were feeling the impact of a long week.

To be fair, it was an early morning appointment, and perhaps a cup of coffee might have helped ramp up customer service.

My key point here pertains to how customers are treated. As a leader of any organization, from healthcare to retail, we should be excited when a customer comes through our doors.

We know the days are numbered when our customers are no longer paying a visit.

See you next week, my friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Closing Quotes

“Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back.” – Shep Hyken

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Homework Inquiry

During the next week, here’s your homework inquiry: What blessings come to mind during this Thanksgiving Week?

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I use this opportunity to share with you a unique story and a couple inspiring quotes. Oh ... as a professor at heart, you guessed it, I have a homework inquiry for you. This is a powerful question that might just trigger you to take action on something that really matters in your life. If you feel the Catalyst Newsletter brings benefit to you.