Shaping exceptional service

Customer service is a key component in shaping a patient's care experience at the MGH, but many leaders may find that creating an exceptional service culture in their departments can be challenging.

On Sept. 26, the MGH/MGPO Service Improvement Department hosted the latest installment in its Service Learning Series, "Making Service Really Happen," with guest speaker Liz Jazwiec, a nationally recognized speaker specializing in improving customer and employee satisfaction.

Jazwiec has considerable expertise in the service field. When she was vice president of Patient Care and director of Emergency Services at Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago, patient satisfaction scores jumped from the 5th to 99th percentile, leading to a Fortune magazine Enterprise Award for Best Business Practices in 1996.

Jazwiec's presentation focused on the "how-to" of creating a service culture by changing behaviors, not attitudes; linking service to quality; emphasizing that changing perceptions is not difficult for staff, just different; and using scripts as an employee tool. At the heart of her discussion was the idea that consistently providing outstanding service makes employees' jobs more rewarding.

"Customer service is about making things easier for people, making them feel more comfortable and less anxious," said Jazwiec. "The point of health care is to make people feel better. If there is an industry that should teach people how to deliver a service with care and compassion, shouldn't it be health care?"

For more information about the Service Learning Series, contact Cindy Sprogis of the Service Improvement Department at csprogis@partners.org or (617) 726-1030.