Why customer service skills must be taught

For more than 100 years, Akron General has been in the business of providing excellent care to patients.
I would argue every hospital in our region is expected to, and does provide, that level of care. But to remain viable and competitive in the health care arena, we must also excel in customer service. And to excel at customer service, customer service skills must be taught to employees.  We not only treat patients in our hospital, we also serve customers — customers who have a choice of care among several different competent hospitals.
Consider the following examples:
Patient No. 1
In one room, a patient was lying prone in his bed, unconscious and hooked up to machines, tubes and monitors. He had been rushed to the hospital with a massive heart attack late the previous evening and underwent emergency surgery.
He had no ability to participate in the decisions made about his care, but rather he was totally dependent on the expertise of our medical personnel. In cases like his, it’s expected that the doctors at Akron General will do their jobs — keep him alive, fix what’s broke and help him recover.
It’s clear that this person lying on the hospital bed is an Akron General patient.
Patient No. 2
Down the hall, a patient was in her room recovering from surgery. She also had a sudden heart attack and was recuperating from a double bypass. Sitting up, dressed and ready to go to physical therapy, she said, “The wallpaper is peeling and the TV has been on the fritz all day. Also, I just Googled my procedure and what to expect, and I think by tomorrow I should be able to go home.”
Of course she, like Patient No. 1, is a patient under the medical care of Akron General. But if she was not happy with her care, room or amenities, she could shop elsewhere for the remainder of her medical care. This person, I would argue, could be considered more of an Akron General customer.
Train for excellence
It is essential for caregivers to recognize that each person who enters a medical facility is both a patient and a customer, and must be treated as such. Caregivers must always provide excellent care, ensure the surroundings are comfortable, clean and well maintained, and be polite, kind and considerate.
These rules apply universally, no matter what business you are in. Each and every encounter matters. At Akron General, we pay particular attention to the special needs of our patients, along with the differing but equally important needs of our customers. We are taught that the customer experience is just as important as the quality of service. In every interaction, we try to see things through the eyes of both patient and customer.
Service excellence requires skills training. If you have not trained your employees in service excellence, you are missing your chance to greatly advance your company. 
Thomas L. “Tim” Stover, M.D., MBA, is president and CEO of Akron General Health System, which is trying to keep people out of the hospital.