In almost every healthcare facility (big or small) you and I can find platitudes all over their marketing and promotional materials that say, ‘patient first.’ But are they really? Sure, it’s on most web sites, social media pages and postcards. But if you or I went to one of these places, more often than not, the patient experience is abysmal.

By Editor, Concierge Medicine Today/Host, the Concierge Medicine Forum

Did you know: the hotel industry typically spends between $1,200 and $6,000 per employee on customer service and hospitality training annually, with hourly roles averaging around $1,200 and management positions reaching up to $6,000 depending on their level of responsibility. [1]

The lack of formal and consistent customer service training tools and proven hospitality resources in healthcare provided to administrative and healthcare personnel are practically nowhere to be found. Leadership isn’t’ sending teams to proven non-healthcare marketing and customer training seminars or conference and therefore, improving the patient experience and trying new things to raise a Yelp! score (or whatever you use) is practically nonexistent in most medical offices.

According to available data from Business.com, small medical offices typically spend between $200 and $500 per employee on customer service training, with the cost largely depending on the training format (online vs. in-person), the length of the program, and the specific provider chosen; however, this range can vary significantly based on the office size and location.

The patient experience is the story that shapes perceptions about your brand in your community. A recent interview with a Physician adept in navigating his practice’s brand reinforced an astute observation: “… outside of healthcare settings, patients assume diverse roles as parents, busy individuals, and discerning consumers.”

This broader perspective is pivotal in tailoring effective patient engagement strategies. Meaning, patients are busy people, and those people are your customers and your patients!

But they’re not your patient except when they’re interacting with your practice. You see these people have busy lives outside of your purview. They’re constantly being pulled in different directions.

And when it comes time to think about their annual physical or whatever, they’re going to typically look for a healthcare experience that is convenient, unique and different. If your concierge medicine practice can do that, wonderful! If it can’t, you need fresh ideas.

Notably, a 2019 study by Modern Healthcare revealed a paltry investment of less than $1,296 annually per employee on customer service training for administrative personnel.

For further perspective, outside of healthcare, according to Deel.com, small offices often budget a percentage of their payroll towards employee training, with a typical range being 1-3%.

This all may sound like a lot of money, and it is potentially for your practice but let’s look at what other customer-facing industries spend on the same topic. Here are some recent figures about the average customer service training costs from Business.com.[2]

• The purchase of customer service training materials:Spend as little as $100 or as much as $1,000.
• An online course with on-demand video:You may spend as little as $10 per employee.
• Customer service software:Costs may be as low as $80 for general customer service training software or as high as $1,000 for highly specialized training.
• Virtual training with a live instructor:Your costs can range from $1,500 (for up to six people) to $2,250 for up to 24 people.
• A full day of onsite in-person training:You’ll spend between $500 and $1,500 per employee and may incur business travel.

As you can see, the lack of formal customer service training for healthcare staff is concerning, especially since patients evaluate their experience based on initial interactions with your staff and other administrative personnel. Current practice norms limit physician-patient interactions to brief intervals, often leading to a depersonalized experience and quick referrals that leave patients feeling neglected and alone.

Hopefully you can now see the need for redirecting some time, money and resources toward more formal and comprehensive customer service and hospitality training for you and your practice and will allocate certain parts of your budget to invest in yourself, your practice, your brand and your team.

Citation

1. SOURCE: https://www.opus.so/blog/hospitality-training-360-report-2024#:~:text=Across%20All%20Roles-,Training%20Budgets%20Top%20$1%2C000%20Across%20All%20Roles,and%20$6%2C000%20(general%20managers).
2. SOURCE: https://www.business.com/articles/pricing-and-costs-of-customer-service-education-and-training/