An opportunity for improving voice of the customer input using a customer satisfaction survey will be described. Care needs to be executed when obtaining voice of the customer input using a customer satisfaction survey. If caution is not exercised, confusion and distortion can result.
To illustrate this point, I will share a recent experience that I encountered.
Improving Voice of the Customer Input and Customer Satisfaction: Setting the Stage
A healthcare provider wanted me to get a non-standard blood test that was to be processed by a lab. My blood was to be drawn by a local phlebotomist where his/her company would then send the specimen to the test lab.
When I went on-line to the test lab’s website (will refer to as Lab C) per my instructions to pay online, I noted that the lab that was to draw my blood was different than the normal lab that I use. I will call the phlebotomist lab that I normally use Lab A and the new lab, Lab B.
I went to the Lab B website and noticed that the facility did not open until 8:00 AM. I was disappointed since I normally go to Lab A for the same service at 7:00 AM before work. When I called Lab B they said not to make an appointment, just stop by. The receptionist said that it should take ″only″ 45-60 minutes. I said that this is a very long time for only a blood-test draw! The receptionist gave no response.
When I went to Lab B, I discovered that the facility was a full service clinic, not a facility that focuses on phlebotomy. After much paperwork and walking back and forth to the desk, I was finally called in for the phlebotomy work. I then had to reposition the chair in the room so that the phlebotomist could stick the arm I selected; i.e., the room was not set up for conducting phlebotomy tests.
I became worried when the phlebotomist made a comment about my rolling veins. She then stuck her needle in me for the blood draw. Yep, she had no success. I am getting worried. She then left the room and after some time came back. She had success this time! Yeah! However, the suspense of how many stick that this could take was unsettling.
Improving Voice of the Customer Input and Customer Satisfaction: The Survey
Before leaving the room where my blood sample was taken, the phlebotomist asked if I was given an orange sheet of paper. I said yes, which I gave her.
She said this is good; your work has been completed in an hour. She sounded pleased. If you recall, I previously stated how I thought one hour was way too long for a blood test.
She then asked how I rated their service on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best. I then gave an evaluation score of 5. She seemed surprised. She said why? I said:
- You opened your office at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM. I had to make adjustments to my work schedule to address the time you want to open your office; i.e., unlike Lab A. She said I cannot do anything about that. I then responded that she asked for my opinion.
- You stuck me twice. Lab A always gets their samples on the first shot.
- The time I spent in your office was too long. An hour criterion for a phlebotomy test is way too long!
- Shouldn’t the customer fill out the customer satisfaction survey, even if there is only one question?
- I need to highlight that she entered my response on the evaluation sheet of paper that I had given her. I am not saying that she was guilty of this but one could have put any response that they wanted on the survey form. I would never have known. For example, do you think that she made a note about my dissatisfaction that I had to get two sticks by the needle in order to get the samples?
She made no comment as I left the room.
Improving Voice of the Customer Input and Customer Satisfaction: Importance of Alliances
LAB C who is to conduct the lab work apparently does not have a business relationship with Lab A, my previous phlebotomist lab. Lab A has many facilities throughout the city where I live. It is more set up to do this type of work than Lab C.
I know that Lab A does do specialist blood-test draws and sends them to the special processing lab. However, when I have done that in the past I had to pay Lab A’s processing fee, which was not very expensive.
Not sure why Lab A was not listed as an option for my phlebotomist-lab work. It would seem like Lab A should look into establishing these type of relationships, since this is an opportunity for more revenue.