Comments on: Customer Service Rants and Raves http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/ legal nurse consulting Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:12:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Kaye Miller http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-96 Kaye Miller Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:25:26 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-96 I feel I must present another perspective. Human nature would never allow me to treat my patients in the ways that have been expressed. However, let me state the following: I get so tired of patients and family members calling everyone in scrubs a "nurse". Family and visitors thinking that because I work in the facility, I know every patient, wherever they may be, their condition, and where to find them. " How do you get back to the lobby?" "FOLLOW THE BIG RED EXIT SIGN" " Pull the car around, I will bring your family member to the car in a wheelchair." Response; "Is that where I came in?" (How the heck do I know where you came in?) Stretchers and wheelchairs have the right-of-way. If you and the generations of family members who are blocking the hall would please move aside. And, please let us exit the elevator before you pile on. Speaking of the multitudes of family who feel they must be there when Aunt Bertha is having her gallbladder removed....STAY HOME. The hospital is no place for a family reunion. We only need a couple of you present. Everyone has a cell phone in order to update the genuinely concerned family and friends. The newest addition to the family, who is only two weeks old, has no business "visiting" the sick. Get a clue people. This actually prompted a "CODE PINK" (infant abduction) at my facility. I could go on but I think you get the gist. I feel I must present another perspective. Human nature would never allow me to treat my patients in the ways that have been expressed. However, let me state the following:

I get so tired of patients and family members calling everyone in scrubs a “nurse”.

Family and visitors thinking that because I work in the facility, I know every patient, wherever they may be, their condition, and where to find them.

” How do you get back to the lobby?” “FOLLOW THE BIG RED EXIT SIGN”

” Pull the car around, I will bring your family member to the car in a wheelchair.” Response; “Is that where I came in?” (How the heck do I know where you came in?)

Stretchers and wheelchairs have the right-of-way. If you and the generations of family members who are blocking the hall would please move aside. And, please let us exit the elevator before you pile on.

Speaking of the multitudes of family who feel they must be there when Aunt Bertha is having her gallbladder removed….STAY HOME. The hospital is no place for a family reunion. We only need a couple of you present. Everyone has a cell phone in order to update the genuinely concerned family and friends.

The newest addition to the family, who is only two weeks old, has no business “visiting” the sick. Get a clue people. This actually prompted a “CODE PINK” (infant abduction) at my facility.

I could go on but I think you get the gist.

]]> By: Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-83 Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:30:03 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-83 Ellen, Your mention of "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" brings back great memories. I was teaching a seminar in New York City during the '80s (It's true what Liza says - "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere."). I was out wandering the unusually warm October streets with a friend the day before the seminar. We found ourselves mixing it up with a bunch of people in winter coats. It turned out that they were extras for street scenes for just that movie! Being the shy person that I am (Alright Tom, stop laughing), and in the wrong clothing, the Assistant Director saw right through me and had me dragged off the set. I lost my first acting role in a major motion picture and decided to stick with legal nurse consulting. Ellen,
Your mention of “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” brings back great memories. I was teaching a seminar in New York City during the ’80s (It’s true what Liza says - “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”). I was out wandering the unusually warm October streets with a friend the day before the seminar. We found ourselves mixing it up with a bunch of people in winter coats. It turned out that they were extras for street scenes for just that movie! Being the shy person that I am (Alright Tom, stop laughing), and in the wrong clothing, the Assistant Director saw right through me and had me dragged off the set. I lost my first acting role in a major motion picture and decided to stick with legal nurse consulting.

]]> By: Ellen E. Bell, RN, CLNC http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-80 Ellen E. Bell, RN, CLNC Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:30:43 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-80 Happy New Year to you also, Vickie!! My husband and I are both nurses and we frequently exchange thoughts on the service we have recieved. We have also walked out of stores, restaurants etc., when our presence has not been acknowledged within a short time. Do you remember the movie " Planes, Trains and Automobiles"? Remember the scene in which Steve Martin is trying to get a rental car at the airport, and the customer service rep is on the phone and it's obvious it's a personal phone call? Unfortunately, that seems to be the norm. The customer is a nuisance, a pest, an interruption in their day. The clerk looks many times like they need a 3H enema. Nevermind that the customer is helping to sign their paycheck. This is the culture we live in now. How many times as nurses have our lunches been interrupted by ringing call bells? (That of course is assuming you had five minutes to actually put food in your mouth). Nurses are a different breed. We answer that call bell while our lunch petrifies and we do it with a smile. But, we are not responsible for their actions. We are however responsible for our reactions. Here in Elkton, MD the servers at Denny's are always smiling ! Good job Vickie and Denny's!! Happy New Year to you also, Vickie!! My husband and I are both nurses and we frequently exchange thoughts on the service we have recieved. We have also walked out of stores, restaurants etc., when our presence has not been acknowledged within a short time. Do you remember the movie ” Planes, Trains and Automobiles”? Remember the scene in which Steve Martin is trying to get a rental car at the airport, and the customer service rep is on the phone and it’s obvious it’s a personal phone call? Unfortunately, that seems to be the norm. The customer is a nuisance, a pest, an interruption in their day. The clerk looks many times like they need a 3H enema. Nevermind that the customer is helping to sign their paycheck. This is the culture we live in now. How many times as nurses have our lunches been interrupted by ringing call bells? (That of course is assuming you had five minutes to actually put food in your mouth). Nurses are a different breed. We answer that call bell while our lunch petrifies and we do it with a smile. But, we are not responsible for their actions. We are however responsible for our reactions. Here in Elkton, MD the servers at Denny’s are always smiling ! Good job Vickie and Denny’s!!

]]> By: Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-77 Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:23:16 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-77 I loved all the comments from my “Customer Service Rants and Raves” post - what a hoot! I never knew blogging can be so much fun. As CLNC consultants, it helps to keep an eye on the businesses that treat you right and know how to market their product because it gives us a higher standard to follow. For instance, we can all learn from the detail Apple puts into its packaging mentioned in Commode Commando Claire’s comment. I loved all the comments from my “Customer Service Rants and Raves” post - what a hoot! I never knew blogging can be so much fun. As CLNC consultants, it helps to keep an eye on the businesses that treat you right and know how to market their product because it gives us a higher standard to follow. For instance, we can all learn from the detail Apple puts into its packaging mentioned in Commode Commando Claire’s comment.

]]> By: Jodi Roberts http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-73 Jodi Roberts Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:38:58 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-73 Great article. Could not have summarized it any better myself. On a recent flight from Las Vegas to Denver my plane was delayed for mechanical reasons. I knew I was going to miss my connection in Denver (last flight out that night) and so did the airline staff. I tried to be proactive and spend another night in Vegas and take the AM flight out. The airlines would not do this without a change fee to my tickets. Even knowing they were dumping on Denver as connections would be missed didn’t’ matter. As projected I ended up spending the night in a hotel in Denver that they paid for. Again, I thought customer service was trying to be proactive. The airlines business model is definitely broken and before long they with be in line with GM and Ford with their hands out asking why they are going broke. Great article. Could not have summarized it any better myself. On a recent flight from Las Vegas to Denver my plane was delayed for mechanical reasons. I knew I was going to miss my connection in Denver (last flight out that night) and so did the airline staff. I tried to be proactive and spend another night in Vegas and take the AM flight out. The airlines would not do this without a change fee to my tickets. Even knowing they were dumping on Denver as connections would be missed didn’t’ matter. As projected I ended up spending the night in a hotel in Denver that they paid for. Again, I thought customer service was trying to be proactive. The airlines business model is definitely broken and before long they with be in line with GM and Ford with their hands out asking why they are going broke.

]]> By: Connie S. Chappelle, RN, MN, CLNC http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-71 Connie S. Chappelle, RN, MN, CLNC Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:44:07 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-71 I agree with Vickie in her last paragraph about giving the attorney-client what he wants even though s/he may be off base. I started working with an attorney on a case where he needed an expert in TJC standards and Medicare CoPs. Before too long, he was asking me to develop the complaint that he wanted to send to the state re: how this hospital was not meeting the standards. He continues to ask me to do work that gives me an opportunity to expand my thinking and experience. I learned a long time ago that in the CLNC<sup>®</sup> business, one can never go wrong by giving the client what he wants. I agree with Vickie in her last paragraph about giving the attorney-client what he wants even though s/he may be off base. I started working with an attorney on a case where he needed an expert in TJC standards and Medicare CoPs. Before too long, he was asking me to develop the complaint that he wanted to send to the state re: how this hospital was not meeting the standards. He continues to ask me to do work that gives me an opportunity to expand my thinking and experience. I learned a long time ago that in the CLNC® business, one can never go wrong by giving the client what he wants.

]]> By: Claire Hull http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-70 Claire Hull Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:15:01 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-70 Oh Vickie! How human can you be? This is so right! What a hoot! I love these stories. They remind me that we are all human. There is something about a nurse. We do things with a smile that others can't be paid to do. If people only knew. But it is our world and I don't think it's shared by outsiders. Which is why we are unique even to each other. I agree with the Apple comment (sorry Tom) you know what I like best? The gifts! They come packaged looking as neat and tidy as Mr. Jobs himself in his black turtle neck== "Oh, Steve, you shouldn't have". None of this "throw it in the bag Microsoft stuff". Silver packages with bows all neatly tied. Personal engraving if you wish...like you spent a million dollars on the gift. Class act. The airlines took advantage of the raise in oil prices. It took them right out of the red they- surcharged so much for that second bag (perhaps it was your luggage!). Now, if they could only learn what hospitals had to learn long ago, to keep that money out of the legal system, you need dedicated employees who don't ask you to sit on the commode without a seat belt! (Like if it would have had a seat belt, it would have been less offensive! LOLOLOlolololol...you gotta laugh). I like this new blog. It's good to know you have holiday struggles like the rest of us. Oh Vickie! How human can you be? This is so right! What a hoot! I love these stories. They remind me that we are all human.
There is something about a nurse. We do things with a smile that others can’t be paid to do. If people only knew. But it is our world and I don’t think it’s shared by outsiders. Which is why we are unique even to each other.
I agree with the Apple comment (sorry Tom) you know what I like best? The gifts! They come packaged looking as neat and tidy as Mr. Jobs himself in his black turtle neck== “Oh, Steve, you shouldn’t have”. None of this “throw it in the bag Microsoft stuff”. Silver packages with bows all neatly tied. Personal engraving if you wish…like you spent a million dollars on the gift. Class act.
The airlines took advantage of the raise in oil prices. It took them right out of the red they- surcharged so much for that second bag (perhaps it was your luggage!). Now, if they could only learn what hospitals had to learn long ago, to keep that money out of the legal system, you need dedicated employees who don’t ask you to sit on the commode without a seat belt! (Like if it would have had a seat belt, it would have been less offensive! LOLOLOlolololol…you gotta laugh).

I like this new blog. It’s good to know you have holiday struggles like the rest of us.

]]> By: Melissa Gelineau http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-68 Melissa Gelineau Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:05:36 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-68 Vickie, Can't wait to see you in March so you can tell it like it is! You're so refreshing and so funny! You go girl! Vickie,
Can’t wait to see you in March so you can tell it like it is! You’re so refreshing and so funny!
You go girl!

]]> By: Vanessa Heckman http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-65 Vanessa Heckman Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:48:31 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-65 Vickie, Sadly, most of America is in need of customer service training for every aspect of their lives. Many people are just plain unhappy with life and project their unhappiness unto others. It has been a LONG 4 days from your last blog. I am hooked already on your blog. You had me rolling on the floor with your comments. It has made a tedious Monday more delightful. Many Blessing! Vickie,

Sadly, most of America is in need of customer service training for every aspect of their lives. Many people are just plain unhappy with life and project their unhappiness unto others. It has been a LONG 4 days from your last blog. I am hooked already on your blog. You had me rolling on the floor with your comments. It has made a tedious Monday more delightful.

Many Blessing!

]]> By: Tammie Clark-Heller, RN, CLNC http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/2009/01/customer-service-rants-and-raves/#comment-63 Tammie Clark-Heller, RN, CLNC Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:16:36 +0000 http://www.legalnurse.com/vickiesblog/?p=586#comment-63 Vickie - as usual you are 100% on. I ended up this Christmas Season walking out of several stores of course with my smile and integrity, refusing to spend my hard-earned cash in stores that lack customer service by being blatently rude and disrespectful. Perhaps you need to write a book titled "Inside Every Business: Customer Service for Dummies." I have found the more family-oriented businesses to be the best in customer service and so I shopped there and enjoyed many social occasions among friends who own such businesses. Happy New Year to you and Tom! Next time in PA, give me a buzz. Wishing you Health, Happiness and Much Success in 2009! Vickie - as usual you are 100% on. I ended up this Christmas Season walking out of several stores of course with my smile and integrity, refusing to spend my hard-earned cash in stores that lack customer service by being blatently rude and disrespectful. Perhaps you need to write a book titled “Inside Every Business: Customer Service for Dummies.” I have found the more family-oriented businesses to be the best in customer service and so I shopped there and enjoyed many social occasions among friends who own such businesses. Happy New Year to you and Tom! Next time in PA, give me a buzz.

Wishing you Health, Happiness and Much Success in 2009!

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