Customer Service

During any economic period customer service should always matter. Customer service is what keeps our accounts coming back year after year. To the account, cost may be a major deciding factor in the choice of who they will use to service their healthcare needs. However, it is the members that we deal with on a daily basis, this is our opportunity to shine, the time to build that bond and personal relationship that keeps them with Health Care Service Corporation. In a consumer Affairs article, Gilly and Gelb (1982) “reported a positive relationship between repeat purchases and consumer satisfaction with an organization's response to a prior complaint” (Martin & Smart, 1989). In IT, I hear many times how either we are able or not to accommodate a request that the customer needs and a competitor will. This is the customer service that the account sees, but I think the more vital area is in the day to day interactions in how we can handle each members claim. As a father, I have been out of town and my child has gotten sick. I would not be concerned with cost if I was standing at an emergency room or pharmacy as I was being told they could not verify coverage even though I had health card in hand. This is the customer service members expect each and every time they present their ID card. If we are not there as we should be in this time of need, they report it to their HR, who reports back to us, and back to the IT department to find out what went wrong. This type of service will destroy any business no matter their cost. How much of an impact can this bad experience have on our company, according to a report from the White House Office of Consumer Affairs:

96% of dissatisfied customers do not complain directly.

90% will not return.

One unhappy customer will tell nine others.

13% will tell at least 20 other people.

A good articles concerning customer service and creating a culture Creating Customer Service Culture

Sure cost are important, but being...