By Lisa Yackel, CVPM, PHR, SHRM-CP
Culture has become quite the buzzword these days. Certainly we hear it often from speakers, managers, and authors in the veterinary industry, but those outside the veterinary world are shouting it from the rooftops as well. As a manager and consultant, I have always focused on the role that a positive culture plays in employee retention and productivity. I certainly knew there was a positive impact on customer service as well, but did not realize how big an impact it made until I witnessed the following.
My Experience With Great Culture
A recent series of events broadened my thoughts on culture and how significant it is for providing an exceptional client experience. While serving as my sister’s Medical Advocate during a surgery, I was exposed to one of the best cultures I have ever witnessed. I have had more human hospital/doctor interactions than most over the years, and it is very rare that I witness stellar service; much less feel led to write about it.
Before
The hospital was part of the Novant Health system. We arrived at 5:00 am for surgery and everyone we encountered was bright and cheerful. There were no complaints about the earliness of the hour from the team and we were greeted by name by everyone we met. Each step of the procedure was explained and my sister’s questions were answered quickly and respectfully. This was true even after the affect of her anesthetic cocktail was apparent in the silliness of her questions and lack of comprehension.
During
While waiting for the surgery to be completed, I was offered coffee or water and was able to monitor how the surgery was going by a large monitor that, confidentially, kept me abreast of how the surgery was proceeding. As soon as it was finished, I was ushered into a private room to speak with the surgeon.
After
Over the next few hours, we continued to be walked through the process of recovery and what to expect. As a patient, my sister was kept physically at ease and out of pain. The team also was very cognizant of my needs and did everything they could to make me comfortable. I was amazed and thrilled at the pure joy they seemed to find in doing their jobs. The whole hospital, including our room, was spotless and tranquil. This was not like anything that I had encountered in previous hospital stays. I kept waiting for grumblings of being overworked, understaffed, computer issues, or inattentiveness. It never transpired.
Several hours later, with my sister comfortable and sleeping, I decided to walk down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. This was an enormous hospital and quite the maze. Whenever I thought I was lost and started staring at the directional signage, someone would stop and ask if I needed help. From the nametags on their uniforms, I could tell that this was common amongst the whole staff as nurses, doctors, and administrator types offered assistance.
What Culture Means to Them
It was then that I began to notice the posters and displays on the walls:
“ Service Standards-
Know Me,
Respect me,
Care about me,
Delight me……… “
Another poster had hearts all over it with the four pillars above and descriptors by patients on how this had been carried out on their stay. My consultant/manager persona began to be intrigued and, when I finally reached the cafeteria, there was one big display to catch my attention.
“#IamNovantHealth Did you know ……. Novant Health was named one of America’s top 100 best employers for diversity by Forbes in 2018.”
The awards and acknowledgements were numerous and in the same vein.
Culture Matters
What struck me then was how powerful the experience could be when a team works as a team and genuinely loves assisting their patients and helping their fellow teammates. What could have been an extremely miserable event became a pleasant one. I know I wasn’t the patient that was being treated, but my medical background as well as my training in customer service gave me a unique prospective. We felt like the team got to know us personally (Know me); they showed respect (Respect me) even when the requests seemed ridiculous (sometimes the drugs did not make for clear rationale thought process); they asked what they could do to make us comfortable (Care about me); and they did all the above with enthusiasm and a smile that exceeded our expectations (Delight me).
As a consultant, I envy a culture like the one Novant Health has. The employees there are happy because someone in a leadership role is taking care of their needs and utilizing the same core values that they are asking the employees to use when dealing with the patients. I certainly won’t be finding ways to make extra visits to this hospital. That being said, I wouldn’t even think of going to another hospital if I was in need nor would I think twice about telling of our wonderful experience to others. Who knows, I might even write a blog about it on Social Media.