A Missed Process Improvement Opportunity, or Two

I volunteer at a local hospital in the area, working a four-hour shift each week. I work in Guest Services, which means I'm behind the counter at one of the two hospital entrances, greeting guests and patients. Essentially, we deliver flowers to patients, push certain patients and guests in wheelchairs, and direct or walk visitors to the right areas.

From my perspective, it’s only four hours per week, but if you do it for several years, you get a good idea of how the organization functions.

From what I’ve heard and read, this hospital appears very interested in improving its reputation in the community. At least from how they promote the good grades that the hospital receives from independent ranking organizations.

While in Guest Services, I work alongside employees who, indeed, care about the hospital’s reputation. In GS, one must realize that we provide an initial contact with the patient or guest. First impressions are critical.

When you become a volunteer in this department, you essentially learn on the job. When someone asks about the catheterization lab, you need to know where it’s located. The same applies to medical records, infusion, radiology, and labor and delivery. Do they enter the main area or the area in the western part of the hospital? Which entrance should they use to reach this area conveniently? If they’re coming for an ultrasound, that same principle applies.  

Over the last few months, we’ve had issues with our automatic exit doors functioning properly in the west entrance. In this situation, you were able to enter this entrance but were unable to exit. Is it a sensor or the exit doors just malfunctioning? The second-hand information I received suggests that the sensor may need to be replaced. Regardless of which door is malfunctioning, Building Services requires a special online form to be completed. Depending on who's working in GS, this can take several minutes, if not more than five. In other words, not every volunteer or employee can quickly determine the form needed. Once BS arrives, they'll attempt to fix, but if outside their level of expertise, a third party gets involved.

When the issue with the doors can’t be resolved promptly, guess what happens? Guests or patients who want to leave can’t use this exit and may have to walk five minutes to reach an alternative exit. Some get very angry and complain emphatically to Guest Services staff. Even though we follow procedures and do everything we can to resolve the problem, employees and volunteers in our position bear the brunt of the criticism.

This is a critical touchpoint for maintaining or improving the hospital's reputation or score. Given the urgency here, I reached out to our Guest Services Manager for assistance. I emphatically tell her that in this type of situation, Building Services should be called and respond immediately to address the issue. Forms that may take an extra five minutes should be waived and done after the issue is addressed. She agrees that the hospital needs to address this issue, but gives me no timeframe.

Another issue that occurred recently involved the valet at the West Tower entrance. It was a very cold Friday (minus five degrees Fahrenheit), and our regular valet didn't show, perhaps due to the cold? In fact, several visitors asked if we had valet service today (on one of the coldest days), and we apologized that he wasn't at work. The people I spoke with were understanding, but that certainly doesn't win the hospital any favors, especially in bitterly cold weather.

From my experience, if this process with the malfunctioning door is not streamlined and improved, when this problem reoccurs, we will have a new group of guests or patients who will complain directly to us to resolve it. After it occurs a second time, it’s incumbent on someone within GS to reach out to management again. If you don’t address the issue initially, then why not address it when it occurs a second or third time?

One more thing, when we first volunteer, we’re not given a roadmap on where the different departments are located throughout the hospital. Each volunteer needs to figure things out on their own, reinventing the wheel every time a new volunteer joins Guest Services. With two entrances, each volunteer or worker needs a roadmap to help visitors find their way. Why shouldn’t an employee or manager of Guest Services create such a map to improve the efficiency of the onboarding process? I’ve made such a list and have given it to other new volunteers as an aid, but why should this responsibility rely on a volunteer? Shouldn’t someone else create a one- or two-page guideline that would definitely empower new workers in Guest Services?

As I mentioned earlier, the hospital is eager to improve its user experience among guests and patients. Still, these examples show that even though their reputation is essential, somehow, some processes within the hospital are not improved or streamlined by those empowered to do so. In addition, why wouldn't management pay close attention to the front-line employees and volunteers who see and experience improvements that could be made? In other words, those who work in GS are the first to notice a process that could be improved, but management needs to be serious about improving the customer service experience.

Finally, I have worked in Guest Services for two and a half years, and I have never seen or heard a manager, director, or physician, nurse ask any of the employees or volunteers how this department can be improved to enhance the guest and patient experience. Are they overworked so they have no time to improve the process? Are they interested in the improvements? Is there a disconnect somewhere between wanting to improve its reputation and doing the work internally to see the reputation improve?

A Missed Process Improvement Opportunity, or Two.