Who Signs Your Paycheck? Mary A. Carbone BA, RN, SDAD

Who are the hidden signers of your paycheck?

WHAT IS A CUSTOMER? The word derives from “custom” meaning “habit” A customer was someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase the goods or services offered at that facility rather than somewhere else The shopkeeper had to maintain the relationships to keep business, in other words, they had to maintain the buyers “custom” of coming there

Who do you interact with, through the course of your job, on a daily basis?

INTERNAL CUSTOMERS Boss Co-workers Other departments within the company

INTERNAL CUSTOMER SERVICE Begin with a wide angle perspective View interruptions as opportunities to serve Exceed your internal customer’s expectations Express your appreciation html

EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS Injured Worker Employers Doctors and their staff Attorneys and their staff Vendors Insurance Adjusters and Billing personnel

KEYS FOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS The customer is not an interruption Greet every customer with a smile Smile when talking on the phone if appropriate Remember, YOU are the company, to whomever you are interacting with Source: “The Customer Signs Your Paycheck” by Frank Cooper

KEYS FOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS Never argue with customers Steer conversations away from controversy Avoid saying “I don’t know”, reframe to “I can find that out for you” Courtesy, always. “Please”, “Thank You”, “I’m Sorry” Source: “The Customer Signs Your Paycheck” by Frank Cooper

ETIQUETTE Begin each with a greeting unless using a template or report form Reply to s within a 24 hour period Proofread before filling in the “To” address box Avoid jokes, sarcasm, humor, emotocons and sending an when angry Source: and careerplanning.about.com/od/communicationwww. replies.com

ETIQUETTE Remember: s have a life of their own and may be read by others Use proper abbreviations, and sentence structure Maintain the message thread: use “Reply” Use disclaimers on every sent from work to help protect company liability Source: and careerplanning.about.com/od/communicationwww. replies.com

INTENTIONAL JOB OWNERSHIP Find the problems and commit to fix them Have a CEO mindset when decisions need to be made Nourish a gratitude attitude Source: “Who signs Your Paycheck?” by Frank Cooper Consistent loyalty builds integrity Be aware of your enthusiasm barometer Go the extra mile independent of expected outcomes

THOUGHTS TO PONDER Customers have memories, and they will remember you whether or not you remember them Customer trust can be destroyed instantly by a major service problem, or undermined one day at a time with a thousand small demonstrations of incompetence Source: “Rules to Break and Laws to Follow” by Don Peppers & Martha Rodgers, Phd.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER Envision yourself asking the customer to sign your paycheck, and you will develop an accurate picture of their place in your own life Customers are judging and grading the service they receive during every transaction at your place of business, and at the same time, they are deciding whether or not to return Source: “The Customer Signs Your Paycheck”, By Frank Cooper

THOUGHTS TO PONDER The distance between the customer’s expectation and what they receive is the amount of frustration they will have when we fail to meet their expectations Helping customers set realistic expectations is a service to the customer Source: Paul Carbone, Director of Marketing, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health Plan