Customer Feedback: Quick, Easy, Painless

Photo By Dawn Grimes | NRMTC Guantanamo Bay Cuba launches quick and easy QR code system for USNH GB patients and customers to provide their feedback and input about the care they've received. The NRMTC GB program is being used as the foundation for developing news best practice by the Department Health Agency Survey Work Group that manages Joint Outpatient Experience Survey. Each clinic has it's own customer service representative and QR code posted in waiting and check out areas.  

CUBA

10.23.2020

Story by Dawn Grimes 

U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Guantanamo Bay

“What isn’t measured can’t be managed” is a fundamental American business principle and a big reason you’ll find customer feedback surveys almost everywhere you go. In theory, by asking questions, you get feedback gain insight and can fix problems, except, if any stage is lacking you’re back to: what isn’t measured, can’t be managed.
That’s what led what led Tina Parr, Customer Relations Officer, Navy Medicine and Readiness Command (NMRTC) at U. S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, (USNH GB) to develop an idea that’s now being recognized as best practice by the Department Health Agency Survey Work Group that manages Joint Outpatient Experience Survey (JOES).
“I was doing an inventory of Inspector General inspectable areas and realized we weren’t capturing as much feedback as we could and that we might be able to improve that by making it easier for our patients to give feedback,” Parr explains.
Parr put together a two-fold plan: make it easy for customers and patients to share thoughts about their experience; make it personal with a renewed emphasis on patient involvement in the customer service process.
The first stage involved generating a Quick Response or QR code that gives patients a means for accessing survey questions and direct delivery feedback. A QR code consists of black squares and dots that represent information. When scanned through a smartphone camera the squares and dots link users to whatever the QR code provider wants to share. At the Guantanamo Bay Hospital, the code links patients directly to an Interactive Customer Evaluation System (ICE) comment card at the ICE website for the specific department or clinic they’ve visited.
“In a matter of seconds people can give us the information we need to make sure we’re delivering quality customer care to our patients.”
Parr shared credit for the project with the one of the hospital’s Pharmacists, LT Ayoyinko Aluko, who suggested putting QR codes directly on the flyers provided in pharmacy bags. “Our pharmacy is very customer–centric and in the past they’d always put little notes into the bags and asked our customers how we’re doing. So it started out as flyer but blossomed into something that we’re doing all over our hospital.”
LCDR Carl Powell Department Head for the Pharmacy said the program has gotten off to a great start since it fully implemented this summer, “It really helps us stay engaged with the base population that we serve and it’s really improved how much feedback we’re getting, before we hardly ever got ICE comments, now we’re getting at least one comment a day”
As another important piece of the project, USNH GB has added placed framed signs in all clinics to feature not only showcase the QR code but also the name, face and number of each clinic’s customer relations representative.
Parr explained, “We realized that this is something that a lot of places are not doing, it seems kind of simple but being able to actually see the name of the person who you can reach out to with questions or concerns or feedback, personalizes the service and makes a difference.”
This week the Emergency Department received the hospital’s first quarterly “Best of the Best for Customer Service Award” Eligibility for the award requires the department receives a minimum of 25 comments over one quarter. The cards are scores are tallied in each category and the final decision is based on a qualitative assessment of the additional written comments given to the highest scoring departments.
The really great thing about capturing feedback with the QR code is not only is it easy for the customer, to provide all of their thoughts immediately in real time and completely on the app, it’s also easy for our teams to receive the feedback,” explained Parr.
LCDR Carl Powell USNH GB Pharmacy Department Head explains, “We’re getting mostly positive feedback but we really value all of the feedback we get. We acknowledge our team during weekly muster with the good comments and any negative feedback or criticism we review and discuss what we need to do to address and improve.”
LCDR Powell is hoping that as more people take advantage of the QR Code’s ease and efficiency that they’ll provide more feedback in their own words in the additional comments area. “It really does mean a lot to us to hear from our customers and to hear in their own voice how we’re doing. Either positive or constructive criticism helps us deliver the service they expect and deserve.”

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• Date Taken: 10.23.2020
• Date Posted: 10.27.2020 16:55
• Story ID: 381861
• Location: CU