ways to drive customer service scores?

[Muse600]

"customer service" survey scores in pharmacies are important to every district manager/regional manager/etc. Making them higher is a challenge for every pharmacist...but it seems like nothing new...every pharmacy has to do it.

so for you experienced pharmacists/techs/interns: what are the ways to make the scores higher, if your pharmacy is short staffed with a high script count?

I figure the obvious ways are already in play: be nice to people, ask more people to do the surveys, target the people that will give you a good score, etc.

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[genesis09]

our manager's favorite way it to have us keep the receipts with surveys which people don't pick up and do them ourselves. don't tell anyone.

 

[Muse600]

LOL! that's funny, but not quite what I was looking for...anyone else?

 

[nnguyenc]

kissing ass can get you far in life....true statement

 

[owlegrad]

our manager's favorite way it to have us keep the receipts with surveys which people don't pick up and do them ourselves. don't tell anyone.

Unless you can actually provide great service 100% of the time (and still people won't score you fairly) this is the only way to do it.

 

[Old Timer]

Have your staff let you know each time a receipt prints. Then you address the patient and plant the answers in their little brains:

Mr. Muse600, were you satisfied with our service today? Would you please take a few minutes to take a brief survey about our service? They will ask you if we addressed you by name, which I just did.

A. Waiting script: They will ask if the prescription was ready in 15 minutes, which it was.

OR

B. They will ask if the prescription was ready when promised, which it was.
​

They will ask if (name of your tech) was courteous and professional, which I hope she was. If they ask to rate us from one to five, please give is fives, that's all they count.

As an inducement, if you complete the survey, they enter you into a drawing to win $1,000.00. Thanks for helping us out. and thank you for shopping at (Insert Name of Store). Good luck with the contest. If I really know the person, I always throw in the you can take your pharmacist out to lunch with that kind of money....

The fact you came out to personally address them shows that it's important to you. You planted all of the answers in their head and if they are not satisfied you can can find out why and correct any shortcomings....

a

​

 

[PharmaTope]

omg walgreens and cvs BLOW

 

[confettiflyer]

our manager's favorite way it to have us keep the receipts with surveys which people don't pick up and do them ourselves. don't tell anyone.

+2 for this one. against company policy, but i don't work retail anymore, so it's not my behind on the line.

be sure to use a friend's phone, or skype.

 

[Sparda29]

Unless you can actually provide great service 100% of the time (and still people won't score you fairly) this is the only way to do it.

This pharmacist at my store told me to do that thing with the receipts and quite a few times, customers would be like, "what are you ripping from my receipt?"

 

[npage148]

I hear free lortab does wonders for scores

 

[owlegrad]

This pharmacist at my store told me to do that thing with the receipts and quite a few times, customers would be like, "what are you ripping from my receipt?"

It's funny you mention that, because I haven't had anyone ask me that yet. I have torn dozens if not hundreds of surveys at this point and no one ever says, "Hey what are you doing?".

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

LOL! that's funny, but not quite what I was looking for...anyone else?

Its funny but it is a well known secret that is the only way.

 

[Old Timer]

omg walgreens and cvs BLOW

Wow, the plumber weighs in.

 

[Muse600]

Wow! So mostly all the stores with good scores fill out the surveys themselves? That's not true...in the first store I trained in the rph was able to keep the scores high just by having more people filling the surveys.

I like the idea of having the rph come to the register when the surveys are administered and 'planting' the ideas in the customer's head to give credit when it's due...I'll have to try that, thanks!

Any other experienced people have some input?

 

[IWantTheGenetic]

Wow! So mostly all the stores with good scores fill out the surveys themselves?

Yes.

 

[owlegrad]

Wow! So mostly all the stores with good scores fill out the surveys themselves? That's not true...in the first store I trained in the rph was able to keep the scores high just by having more people filling the surveys.

So find out what he did then and do that.


I actually hate all the energy "we" spend getting around the corporate mandates/programs. That is energy better spent on patient care. But every store I know that gets any praise for meeting metrics does so by cheating. If I ever work at a store that actually simply follows the programs and meets all the metrics, I will transfer there in a heartbeat.

 

[Muse600]

I believe that store is able to because of familiarity...the script volume is low, so he can spend more time talking to a customer at the register, on the phone, or out in the aisles..plus he's also there 4-5 days/week so he sees the customers frequently enough to further gain that familiarity

I'm trying to figure it out for higher volume stores, where you don't have the time to spend with people...and I've noticed that each pharmacist approaches the surveys a little bit differently...

so I like the idea of bringing the pharmacist to the register, I like the idea of "planting" the idea in customer's head to properly identify if they received good service, but I noticed that not every person is using the same script, and they take too long

anyone have a short, effective dialogue of questions to "plant" the survey score ideas in the customer's mind? and short is key...I notice that after 15 seconds of dialogue, they're not going to bother filling it out at all!

 

[1ive2die]

Aren't you guys embarrassed about having to kowtow to corporate masters and customers. You are healthcare practitioners for crying out loud. This is just another example of how the profession is turning into a glorified salesperson/clerk job.

 

[farmadiazepine]

Aren't you guys embarrassed about having to kowtow to corporate masters and customers. You are healthcare practitioners for crying out loud. This is just another example of how the profession is turning into a glorified salesperson/clerk job.

Um, no, we aren't embarrassed. It's called working in the real world. You do what your boss tells you to do. The same way many doctors do what the patient's insurance plan tells them to do.

And at the end of the day, you are able to put food on the table and gas in your tank.

 

[Muse600]

Farmadiazepine hit it on the head: private companies invest in chain pharmacies because they're profitable. If you want that $100k+ salary working for a big chain, you have to believe it too. If you don't want that job, there are 100 people after you that are happy to have that job at all.

With that being said, the 'profession' is not completely a sell-out, go onto hospital jobs, government jobs, clinics, or an independent. If you haven't already done rotations you won't understand what opportunities the profession provides, and it's your choice where to stand.

But back on topic: that's not what this thread is about

If you could say 3 points in one sentence to drive scores, what would they be?

 

[atpsynthase]

I'm interested in this thread....

In my experience, the time to fill is excellent per the company benchmark, and the pharmacists and techs are reportedly very professional and friendly and are very effective in answering questions.... BUT... this somehow translates to a low score in "pharmacy team members are interested in your general healthcare".... how mysterious!

 

[Rxnupe]

Have your staff let you know each time a receipt prints. Then you address the patient and plant the answers in their little brains:

Mr. Muse600, were you satisfied with our service today? Would you please take a few minutes to take a brief survey about our service? They will ask you if we addressed you by name, which I just did.

A. Waiting script: They will ask if the prescription was ready in 15 minutes, which it was.

OR

B. They will ask if the prescription was ready when promised, which it was.
​

They will ask if (name of your tech) was courteous and professional, which I hope she was. If they ask to rate us from one to five, please give is fives, that's all they count.

As an inducement, if you complete the survey, they enter you into a drawing to win $1,000.00. Thanks for helping us out. and thank you for shopping at (Insert Name of Store). Good luck with the contest. If I really know the person, I always throw in the you can take your pharmacist out to lunch with that kind of money....

The fact you came out to personally address them shows that it's important to you. You planted all of the answers in their head and if they are not satisfied you can can find out why and correct any shortcomings....

a

​

Old Timer with all due respect this is not true in all cases- remember the receipts print out randomly- someone in corporate told me it's every 25th transaction- not sure if that's true- but remember a person who was told to come back in a couple of hours or a person whose medication you had to order could really be the person getting those receipts.