East Liverpool City Hospital
is kicking off an initiative for its employees that focuses on customer service
and involves input from patients.
With the theme of “Caring
for our community, one member at a time,” the hospital is using ping-pong balls
as a visual gauge for its level of good customer service.
Through November,
individuals who receive care through an outpatient department (such as the ER, Radiology
or the Lab), will each receive a ping-pong ball. Each patient is to drop the
ball into the appropriate container when leaving the hospital to indicate if
the service was “good” or “poor.” Containers are located near the doors of the
main lobby, emergency room lobby and at the Therapy
Center in Calcutta.
Likewise, patients
treated on one of the nursing floors each receive a ping-pong ball upon
discharge and are asked to drop it in a container as
they leave the hospital.
The containers
feature clear tubes that hold the ping-pong balls, allowing employees and
visitors to gauge the level of customer service at a glance. The ping-pong
balls are collected, counted and cleaned throughout the week.
The 2010
initiative also includes a mechanism for tracking revenues, as well as
satisfaction levels, and a reward system for employees.
“Local residents
may remember that a similar program was used several years ago and, based on
its success, we decided to try it again,” explained Tina
Smith, hospital spokesperson. “Each ping-pong ball represents
a member of our community who received care at East Liverpool City
Hospital. Our mission is
to make certain that every person treated here receives the highest level of
care and service possible. We’re counting on our patients to let us know how
well we do.”
