Have I ever experienced difficulty communicating with a business? Does a one legged duck swim in circles?! Of course, I have had many experiences where I got frustrated communicating with a business. I would say that 9 times out of 10 it has something to do with insurance. This is typically related to the insane hold times on the phone and applies specifically to companies that only will communicate with you via the telephone. Yes, Blue Cross Blue Shield, I am talking to you! I have been on hold for 15 to 20 minutes and then hung up on accidentally by the representative when they finally answered on several occasions. I don't even like to go to the doctor because I don't want to set an appointment. It is just too much of an ordeal.
However, there are some healthcare companies who do things differently and are following suit with other businesses that use the internet to communicate. Kaiser is a perfect example of this. Kaiser has developed their own type of user interface that resembles LinkedIn or Facebook. The doctors have profiles, you can actually email them, you can see your test results and order prescriptions, you can even submit reviews and complaints. This seems to have changed the way their customer service responds as they are being held accountable for their response times and demeanor.
At the end of the day, responding to your clients in a timely and effective manner and treating them with the utmost importance is the quickest and easiest way to build a good reputation. Public responses to complaints that show a resolution to the issue and respect for the person complaining is respected by most of those viewing it and will actually end up helping your company rather than hindering it. Written communication also leaves a paper trail so that you can track the progress that you have made with feedback and issue resolutions.
In the examples above, you can see my opinion of the difference in communication styles between two healthcare companies. The interesting thing is that I really like the doctors with Blue Cross Blue Shield and would probably prefer to visit them. However, if given the choice between the two companies at this point, I would choose Kaiser because I am more likely to actually go to the doctor and understand my test results and communicate effectively if I have a good user interface and social network to use.
I would have to agree with your perspective. I've had to deal with a situation dealing with an auto insurance company for sometime now , and it seems like their only goal is to give us the run around with ignoring message and constantly transferring calls which is a waste of time. The companies that go the extra mile to please their customers are always the ones worth noting and reviewing.
ReplyDelete