How Front-Line
Staff Show Courtesy Even When Under
Pressure by Susan Keane Baker
Sandy Jackson, Central Registration Manager
of Chesapeake General Hospital in Virginia
describes the situation perfectly: “Staff
is pushed to be fast and efficient which
often holds them under the gun when they
are trying to balance friendly customer
service with helping 10,000 – 12,000
patients a month through registration. The
challenge is not to appear short or abrupt
with patients during the busiest periods.”
What techniques do front-line staff use
to stay calm under that kind of pressure?
Donna J. Ladd is Patient Relations Coordinator
at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Donna says “If an employee just takes
a “pause” for a couple of seconds
to acknowledge a person even if there is
a line behind them, I think it lets people
relax a little. Watching someone scurrying
around at top speed makes me tense. If they
pause, offer a smile of reassurance that
they know you are waiting, it will take
a little of the pressure off.”
When every call light is buzzing, a nurse
at one Midwestern hospital takes a deep
breath before entering the patient’s
room, smiles and says cheerfully, “I’m
here! What are your other two wishes?”
The billers at a large group practice,
whose only contact with patients is by telephone,
have signs at their desks reading: “The
worse people act, the more they need our
help.”
Ann Callahan, Admissions Coordinator at
Greenwich Woods Nursing Home in Connecticut
thinks of a book she read, Simple Courtesies:
How to Be A Kind Person in a Rude World.
“Just remembering the title reminds
me that in pressured situations, those simple
courtesies make all the difference in how
people perceive me, and how I will feel
at the end of the day.”
Self-talk, such as “Think…
calm… thoughts….” or “I
enjoy feeling calm” is helpful for
some. When extremely busy, Dr. Paula Hall
of Indianapolis repeats softly to herself:
“My middle name is patience.”
Appreciating what staff members accomplish
during too-busy periods also goes a long
way in helping them stay at their best despite
the challenges. Dr. Hall says, “If
someone is really belligerent, then I or
a manager needs to handle that person. Front
line staff does not get paid enough to take
excessive abuse. I think the fact that they
know they can pass a really “bad actor”
off to someone else gives them more patience
and also makes them feel as if someone understands
and appreciates their daily frustrations.”
Sandy Jackson says that the formation of
a customer service team has resulted in
increased patient satisfaction as well as
engaged staff. “The customer service
team provides games, flyers, celebrations,
and information that can be posted on each
computer as a reminder. The team had a Bingo
game last year with customer service behaviors
in each square and had to be signed off
by a supervisor, co-worker or patient when
exhibiting that particular behavior. When
100% participation of BINGOs was achieved
in a department, the entire department received
a luncheon celebration.”
Even in the most hectic situations, listening
to your breath can have an effect that is
similar to listening to the ocean through
a seashell. Breathe slowly and listen to
your breath as you breathe in through your
nostrils and breathe out through your mouth.
This technique can be used in those few
seconds between patients to create a much-needed
mini-break.
Interviewing your front-line staff members
on how they show courtesy even when under
pressure will yield some of the best practices
proven to work in your own organization.
Recognizing staff members for those best
practices is an effective way to teach others
who are more challenged in stressful situations.
Advocates for techniques such as smiling
into a mirror before answering a call, or
taking control of a potentially difficult
situation by reassuring the person first,
can be very convincing in demonstrating
the value of courtesy in all kinds of pressured
situations.
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