The Patient Experience is a Verbal Experience

If it were a snake, it would have bit you is a commonly used adage in the South meaning the very thing you were so earnestly searching for was right in front of you the entire time. Such is the case with understanding and mastering The Patient Experience (PX).

The common narrative in the healthcare call center field is The Patient Experience is a complex mystery yet to be fully understood, but the truth is the riddle has long been solved. Call centers must simply focus on what is right in front of them.

When a patient interacts with a call center, what most dictates the quality of their experience is the verbal interaction they have with the call center agent. The Patient Experience is a verbal experience, and it is dictated by the three primary elements of all verbal interaction: Grammar, Manners and Tone. By mastering these elements, any agent is ensured to offer a consistently excellent Patient Experience. Conversely and perhaps more importantly, any negative Patient Experience is typically the direct result of failing to properly execute one or more of these verbal elements.

Want to know how to handle a frustrated or angry patient? There is a verbal solution. Want to know how to tell a patient something you know they do not want to hear? There is a verbal solution. Want to know how to avoid using scripts, because we all know they sound robotic and insincere? There is a verbal solution. Want to know how to manage a difficult agent's tone? There is a verbal solution. Want to know how to handle most every situation a healthcare call center agent can possibly encounter? There is a proven verbal solution for each one.

And want to know how to create a dissatisfied or upset patient? Making verbal mistakes by using unprofessional grammar, displaying unprofessional manners or conveying an unprofessional tone is the most common cause. One simple verbal mistake can easily cause a patient much frustration, while delivering nuanced verbal excellence is the most effective and direct way to manage and please a patient.

The simple answer to The Patient Experience conundrum is mastering verbal interaction, and the good news is professional verbal interaction is clearly defined by a well established set of verbal rules easy for agents to learn and master.

The not so good news is the unavoidable process of making sure agents follow the rules, typically referred to as daily monitoring, is highly meticulous and labor intensive, it cannot be done with software, scripts or checklists, and it requires a unique level of knowledge and expertise.

Rather than present an ambiguous challenge, the words agents use and the way they use them provides the clear and absolute answer to The Patient Experience riddle.

BCI not only understands each of the many verbal rules that create PX excellence, we conduct the daily monitoring process required to ensure agents execute them, producing a uniquely dynamic training solution that is remarkably effortless for our clients.

For organizations serious about achieving consistent Patient Experience excellence, the BCI Training and Performance Management program offers a clear and risk free solution. Let us show you what the future of healthcare call center performance looks like.