HLT37215

Certificate III in Pathology Collection

BSBCUS201:
Deliver a service to customers
 What makes good customer service?

 The key to good customer service is building good

relationships with your customers
 Thanking the customer and promoting a positive, helpful
and friendly environment will ensure they leave with a
great impression
 A happy customer will return and, by word of mouth,
promote the company

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 Be the best!

To ensure you provide the best customer service:

 know what your customers consider to be good
customer service
 take the time to find out customers' expectations

 follow up on both positive and negative feedback you

receive
 ensure that you consider customer service in all aspects
of your business
 continuously look for ways to improve the level of
customer service you deliver
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 Internal customers

 A customer who is directly connected to an

organisation, and is usually (but not necessarily) internal
to the organisation
 Internal customers are usually stakeholders, employees,
or shareholders
 Why would we need to be aware of, and meet, the
needs of our internal customers?

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 Internal customers

 In helping others at work, you help your company

succeed
 Superior internal customer service improves
morale, productivity, employee retention, external
customer service and, ultimately, profitability

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 External customers

 An external customer is a customer who purchases a

company’s products or services but is not an employee
or part of the organisation
 For example, a person who goes to a retail store and
buys merchandise is an external customer. Businesses
spend most of their time meeting the needs of external
customers to ensure satisfaction

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 Who are our customers

 In the Pathology Industry we have both Internal and

External customers, both as integral to the success of
the company as each other.
 Who are our internal customers?
 Who are our external customers?

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 External Customers

 Patients

 Family, support people

 The experience must be positive for all involved

 Referring doctors

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 What are some of the needs of our
customers?

 To be treated with respect

 To enter a clean and safe environment
 To be attended to by friendly and knowledgeable staff,
who are well presented
 To be treated by educated staff
 That any special needs will be treated with respect and
dignity

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 Special needs of customers

 Mobility
 Disabilities
 Hearing impaired
 Vision impaired
 Obesity
 Palliative

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 How to determine a customers needs

 Have good observation skills

 Ask questions (open ended to gather more information)
 Read referrals/clinical notes
 Be mindful of age, culture, time of day, past experiences

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 Accommodation of needs

 Determine individual needs

 Act immediately to accommodate
 Eg: Patient with poor mobility- ensure safe access to
collection room, ensure chair is suitable for collection
and patient ability, ensure patient comfort

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 This will lead to patient feeling safe, happy and
comfortable with the service they received, they will
feel trust with the collector and in turn the company as
a whole.
 This positive experience will lead to long term success of
the business by return business of the patient and word
of mouth

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 Legislations which affect our customer service
delivery

 The Nurses Act 2010 (Vic)

 Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Vic)
 Equal Employment Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic)
 Medical Treatment Act 1998 (Vic) Amended Act No. 45/2006
 Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991 (Vic) Amended 2004
 Aged Care Act 1997 (Amended 2011)
 Health Records Act 2001 (Amended 2011)
 Freedom of Information Act 1982(Vic) Amended NOV. 2011
 Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 Amended 2003

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 Dress code

 Do you think the way we dress/present to our

customers will have an effect on the way they perceive
the company?

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Which image is better for customer service?

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 Dress code policies

 A dress code is a written policy of all Pathology

Companies and must be adhered to in order to secure
and keep employment
 This policy ensures all staff are looking professional at all
times
 It makes staff identifiable
 It is for our protection
 WHS

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 Organisation within a company

 As a Pathology collector it is important to be familiar

with the organisation chart within the company you are
employed

 How do you think this would impact on customer

service?

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 When a customer asks a question that may be out of
your scope to answer, or you are unsure about, you
MUST know how to find the answer, or who to direct
them to regarding their query.
 Example customer query: “I have received an account, I
thought I was going to be bulk billed.”
 How will you handle this?

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 Lines of authority

 As a Pathology collector, we would refer this patient

query to the accounts department of the company
 We could call them directly, or provide the patient with
the contact details
 If I did not know who to refer the patient to, I would call
the lab switchboard and find out, then pass the
information onto the patient in a timely manner

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 Timely manner?

How quickly do you think patient queries should be

responded to?
 Example: patient query is around fasting instructions….

 Patient would like to make a complaint…

 Patient would like to know the nearest centre open on a

weekend…

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 Good rapport means happy customer

 What is a good rapport?

 How can we build a good rapport with our
customers/patients?

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 Rapport

oxforddictionaries.com states that rapport is:

 “A close and harmonious relationship in which the
people or groups concerned understand each other’s
feelings or ideas and communicate well”.

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 How to build a good rapport

 Be friendly
 Greet with a smile
 Be happy
 Be knowledgeable
 Ask appropriate open ended questions
 Engage in conversation
 Develop trust/respect
 Show a genuine interest in your patients needs

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 Patient rights

 It is a customer/ patient right to be able to make

comment on the service they have received
 What ways have you made comment/given feedback in
the past?
 What forms of feedback might be offered in a Pathology
environment?

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 Collection of feedback

 How would the collection of feedback help to improve

customer satisfaction?

 Has your feedback been listened to?

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 Collection of data

 Feedback is a useful tool in helping to improve a product

or service
 It is a way to measure customer satisfaction
 It provides actionable insight to create a better
customer experience
 It can help improve customer loyalty
 It delivers tangible data that can be used to make better
business decisions
 It focuses on the type/frequency and demographics of
the complaint to improve services
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 Implications of poor customer service

 Word of mouth- news spreads quickly

 Dissatisfied customers
 Lack of return business
 Long term effect on financial success
 Innappropriate social media chat

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 Identify your own limitations

 As a Pathology collector, it important to always have

awareness of your own areas in need of improvement
 Identify areas in need of training and make suggestions
to your supervisor
 Attend your annual appraisal and make improvements
on areas discussed
 Continually keep up your professional development

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