Lean Principle #5 is Customer Satisfaction. There are a number of questions that could be asked about customer satisfaction; What is customer satisfaction? How do we measure it? How do we improve it? and etc. All of the other Lean Principles serve the principle (and goal) of Customer Satisfaction. We define the various dimensions of customer satisfaction as in the following table:
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Dimension |
Examples |
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1. Tangibles |
Is the office clean? Are the doctor and staff neatly dressed? Is the office well designed? Is the office attractive? Is the office comfortable? |
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2. Convenience |
Is office conveniently located? Are the office hours convenient? Do you have time to work someone into your schedule? |
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3. Reliability |
Was the problem fixed? Was the procedure done correctly? Did the patient have problems later? |
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4. Responsiveness |
Are the doctor and staff willing and able to answer questions? Are the doctor and/or staff available after hours? |
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5. Time |
How long did the patient wait? Waiting room, chair, to pay, and etc. How long did the entire procedure take? |
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6. Assurance |
Did the doctor and staff seem knowledgeable about the procedure? Did they seem confident about their work and recommendations? |
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7. Courtesy |
Were the doctor and staff friendly and courteous? |
What are your goals for the patient experience? How do those goals translate into measureable outcomes for your practice? Should you have a set of standard practices for… greeting patients? …for seating patients? …for taking payment? …for taking x-rays? … for answering the phone? and etc.