The Email I Sent
From: I________
Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2022 10:03 AM
To: Z____
Subject: Thank you and Sharing Feedback
Dear Dr. _____,
I am writing for two
reasons. One is to thank you for your Physical Therapy assistance during
my visits to your practice. I appreciated your warmth and engaging
energy, as well as your program for my physical rehabilitation/ pain
management.
I’m also writing to provide
feedback regarding the only other interactions I have had at the practice.
In my experience, the front
desk staff are the first people to interact with clients or potential clients;
the way they choose to engage can really assist in setting a business’ desired
tone. Every time I’ve visited, no member of the attending
front desk staff has ever initiated a hello or a goodbye. Apart from
that, all other in-person interactions with them have been
ok. The exception was on 6/7/22.
I arrived and signed
in. There were two ladies behind the desk. Not one looked up
at me or verbally acknowledged someone had come into the practice.
After signing in, I said I had
a question. One of the ladies looked up and engaged with me.
She wears glasses and has a soft-spoken quality to her voice. The
other lady was focused on her computer screen— had been since I walked
in. I addressed my question to the soft-spoken lady. It was my
final insurance approved visit; I wanted to know the protocol moving forward.
Would the practice be reaching out to the insurance company to request more
dates?
She looked over to her
co-worker at the same time the latter stated, without looking up from her
screen, that I needed to come in for another appointment before she could put a
request through to insurance.
Crossing over to stand in front
of her station, I repeated the information to make sure I heard her
correctly. Eyes still on her screen, hands still typing, she confirmed
everything I said. Surprised, I asked why I needed to come back in-order
for the request to be put through. Still typing, still not looking up,
she stated that if I didn’t come in, they couldn’t put the request
through.
At this point, I communicated
to her that I was surprised because the last PT Practice I had been, reached
out to insurance after my last approved visit; I didn’t come in again until
insurance acknowledged approving more visits. I explained that I
didn’t know different practices would go about that process differently.
Still not looking up from her
screen, she made a face I interpreted as, “I don’t know anything about
that. I’ve never encountered that before.” Then she said she could
only move forward with reaching out to insurance after I came in again.
Sitting in the waiting area
after the interaction, I was upset. Perhaps if I had experienced some
empathy or felt she endeavored to understand where I was coming from, it
wouldn’t have affected me as much. But there was none of that in her tone
and the act of no eye-contact/ not pausing in her typing to interact with the
person in front of her, added to the feeling of disconnect.
Things happen, everyone is
dealing with things others have no inkling of, and people are sometimes not
conscious of how their words/ actions/ energy is affecting
others. Perhaps my perception of the exchange was not her conscious
intent. But the fact of the matter is, by the end of it, I was
upset.
Please know I genuinely don’t
bring this up to “get her into trouble.” If you do bring it up to her or
any of the other front desk staff, what I hope they’ll take from it is an awareness
of how their actions and energy can, potentially, contribute a healing
difference. It’s true that conscious collaboration is a joint effort—
each party being responsible for the energy they bring to the
interaction. But as the first members of your team to interact with the
public, it’s even more critical that the front desk staff be conscious of the
tone they’re setting from the beginning and throughout the interaction to
follow.
I did have a few wonderful
interactions over the phone when I set up the first appointment in early April
to come to your practice. The lady who made that appointment for me
and confirmed one or two other appointments later, was stellar.
I wish I knew her name. She took her time with me and
even on the phone, her energy communicated presence and respect and a desire to
make certain she had all the necessary info. I don’t know if she’s
still a part of your team as she hasn’t been the one to call to confirm future
appointments with me. But over the phone, she stood out in a really
wonderful way.
Regarding the practice policy
for submitting to insurance when initially approved visits have been completed,
I reached out to insurance. I was advised not to book an appointment
before they’ve confirmed covering another round of visits as there’s a chance
they may not cover it and I would have to pay out of pocket.
Thank you again for your time
spent on my program and for your time spent reading this email.
All the genuine best to you and
the practice.
Sincerely,
I_______
When I sent the above email, I
wasn’t sure how it would be received. I
had hopes, but it was unsolicited feedback; the Dr. could respond differently or
send no reply.
I have additional reasons for
sending the email. 1) I couldn’t let go
of the experience and took that as a sign to give voice to it. 2) The front desk staff looked young, and once
upon a time, I too was younger 😉. In
those days, I would have told anyone listening, without factoring in the
possibility and the necessity for more to come, that I was “grown." 😉 I’ve
since learned, if one is open to it, that life experiences, sometimes helped
along by communication and observation, can potentially continue to strengthen
one’s growth game.
When I was younger, I was fired
from a job. The evening of that first
day away on vacation, I opened up my email to the termination notice.
First, I was surprised. I really thought that I had been doing all
aspects of my job. Next, I remember
thinking I wished the manager, also a friend, had clearly communicated the
things mentioned in the email and given me a chance to take the notes. I wrote that in my reply. Years later, I would become a supervisor and
learn what I couldn’t factor in before.
Before being a supervisor, I
did my job to the best of my understanding.
I honestly didn't consider how anyone else was doing their job unless it
directly affected mine. This was the
disconnect with my former manager. He
had expectations that I didn’t meet because, at the time, I didn’t understand
them to be part of my job.
But when I became a supervisor,
I started seeing and thinking about how those under my supervision played their
part. This widening of my perspective, added
to my growth game.
I also want to mention that the manager who fired me was also responsible for later connecting me to a position in the company where I eventually became the aforementioned supervisor.
His Reply to the Email I
Sent
From: Z____
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2022 10:51 AM
To: I_______
Subject: Re: Thank you and Sharing Feedback
Hey I_______,
Thank you for bringing
this to my attention, I sincerely apologize on their behalf. It is not the
first time hearing of the front desk's mannerism, or lack thereof
unfortunately. I have relayed your feedback to the manager to see if there
are any solutions. I agree that it's completely unacceptable for the front
desk, as the first point of contact, to treat patients with such negligence. Do
you have any suggestions? The girl you spoke to without glasses, she is
actually genuinely rude and I'm not sure how to change that.
As for the insurance, it is to my understanding that the patient comes in first
for the visit so that we can submit the documentation for that visit for
authorization. I was informed that the first visit of a new authorization gets
approved by default, but the front desk handles that directly so they should be
able to answer your questions more accurately.
Best,
Z__________
I’m going to reply to him. I’m going to take my time with it and have a reply in a few days. Perhaps he'll forward it to the hiring manager. But it's not just about proffering potential solutions. I want to ask questions to help prompt problem solving on their end. What are their expectations of the front desk staff? Are these expectations communicated during the hiring and training process? Does the staff feel valued? Treated as assets to the company? Important questions that the practice needs to answer for themselves.
My Reply
From: I___
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 8:48 AM
To: Z___
Subject: Re: Thank you and Sharing Feedback
Hi Z____,
In your last email, you wrote, “Do you have any suggestions?”
Not knowing how that position is advertised, hired, and then trained, what follows are suggestions that could help — if not with the current hires, then with future ones. If the following is already being implemented, then revisiting it with all parties concerned would be beneficial.
How is the position advertised; customer service or administrative, or both? If posted in job listings as Receptionist or Front Desk staff, does the hiring manager consider the position customer service or administrative or both? If one role is emphasized over the other, that might be part of the issue.
Does your current front desk staff consider it to be one over the other or both? If both, what percentage would they allocate to each? Invite them into the conversation. They are the ones doing the job, and their insights can help shape how to move forward.
Also, ask what duties they consider part of their job? What do they believe they’re responsible for? Any disconnect between their answers and actual expectations needs to be addressed in a healthy, kind, and professional way to get everyone on the same page.
After getting clear on what is expected of the front desk, spell it out to future potential candidates. Again, having everyone on the same page regarding expectations is imperative.
Next, with those expectations in mind, ask questions during the interview to get a sense of energy and openness to meeting those expectations.
Potential interview questions to add: 1) When you’ve been on the receiving end of good or great customer service, what made it stand out? 2) When you’ve been on the receiving end of a not-so-great customer service experience, what made it stand out?
Next, training. Are they trained by peers? If so, any peer training should be by someone observed as caring about the work that they do and their effect on others.
Is there a Training manual? Or a few pages of a mini-welcome packet? Something like, “Dear Front Desk Staff, Welcome to S______ PT." Communication that invites them to the practice and, in a kind and professional tone, stresses their importance (i.e., the first point of contact) and includes expectations for all aspects of the job?
If not, create one and include humor in the document. For example, "we know this is a job; you might, initially, be here just for the paycheck 🙃 But you’ll be spending x amount of your valuable time here. We encourage you to learn not just the administrative side of the position but to also strengthen your customer service skills. Engage by welcoming clients when they arrive. Ask if they have an appointment time. If so, direct them to sign in, then direct them to the waiting area. Point out the restroom. If they don't have an appointment time, follow protocol for what information is needed. Later, as the client leaves the practice, say something personable: “Bye for now” or “Take care.”
At this time, maybe have a one-on-one conversation with the current front desk staff, followed by a meeting with everyone. If the latter is not possible, follow the one-on-one with an official email so everyone is on the same page moving forward. A one-on-one allows opportunity for human connection/ making personable contact (akin to how you want them to connect with clients or visitors) before being followed by a summary email.
Consider the following before a conversation with the front desk staff. Does the staff feel valued? Are they treated as assets to the company? If the answer is no, figure out how to communicate this via words and actions, so it isn't just lip service. Many people can feel when something isn't genuine.
Get clients involved. Maybe after a client has their last session, email a survey asking for feedback-- 3 or 4 questions about what you want to know about the engagement from the front desk staff. For example, "Did the front desk staff say Hello and Goodbye?" "The level of customer service engagement was (choose one), so-so, ok, good, great, excellent," etc.
If you implement the above, let the front desk staff know. The knowledge that their work is being evaluated by clients might make a difference. And the survey helps the practice obtain more insights.
The young lady. Has anyone taken her aside to communicate how her actions are coming across? I stress her “actions” as opposed to “her” because they’re not the same thing. She might not know how what she does/ the way she chooses (consciously or unconsciously) to do what she does, is perceived.
Also, after reading your experience, it occurred to me that perhaps how she interacts might be born out of neurodiversity instead of deliberate disinterest. I don’t know. But in my one experience with her, my main feeling throughout the entire exchange was a disconnect (no eye contact, not much of a variation in what she was communicating to me, no sense that she understood where I was coming from feeling-wise). The possibility of neurodivergence being at play does soften my perception of that particular interaction. Again, not saying she is or isn’t. But it’s something to reflect upon before engaging her in conversation.
Ultimately, unless someone points out how her actions come across-- points them out in a manner that extends grace and gives her the benefit of the doubt, she might not know.
Z______, at the end of the day, you, the hiring manager, or the necessary party, can ask people to care, but you can't make them care. You can explain why caring is imperative to the position, the practice, and to their growth as human beings living among other human beings. Still, you can't make them care. So, have the necessary conversations, implement the changes that can be controlled (advertising, hiring, training, communication, client feedback), and observe how things unfold. Also, offer genuine praise and gratitude for any good work they do or any positive changes implemented.
Good luck,
I_______
As I write this, I haven’t heard back from him. As it’s been about a week since I sent the above, I don’t think I will. While it's disappointing not to receive even a confirmation of receipt, I don’t believe I have any regrets. He asked for suggestions; I proffered some. It’s likely much, MUCH more than he expected, but those were the thoughts that came to mind. I hope that it ends up being helpful. I wish them well.