Do you want your customers to sue you? Of course not. Well, it’s been said that satisfied customers don’t sue. The best way to keep them satisfied is by meeting and exceeding their expectations. How do you do this when running an assisted living facility? First, you identify what your customers’ expectations are. Then you determine whether they are realistic or unrealistic expectations. Having a clear and complete understanding of these expectations is the only way to keep your customers satisfied so as to mitigate your organization’s risk.
Insurance Benefits of Managing Customer Expectations
Addressing realistic and unrealistic expectations not only helps you satisfy your customers, it also helps reduce the likelihood of legal claims being filed. This will help improve your insurance loss history, and when this happens your premiums go down. Simply put, you win on multiple levels. Your customers are happy, you spend less time in court and your expenses are lower. If you need help getting started or are just looking for ways to improve your facility, reach out to your insurance broker for support and guidance.
What are realistic expectations for customers of my facility?
Realistic expectations are those pertaining to your organization’s environment and customer service. Your work environment needs to be clean and attractive, inside and out. Existing and potential customers want to know that their loved ones are being taken care of in a well-kept and inviting facility. You wouldn’t want to go to a doctor’s office that has dead plants in the lobby, would you? Then make sure your interior work environment is just as inviting as the outside.
As for your staff, they must exude professionalism and warmth. This includes everyone, not just your marketing person. Staff members should be well-groomed and in uniform or well-dressed. They must also be able to maintain eye contact and shake visitors’ hands. Your customers want to know that caring, attentive people work at your facility. Making sure your facility is known for this will help build and strengthen trust.
How to deal with unrealistic expectations
In an assisted living facility, you’re bound to encounter unrealistic expectations. Most of them will deal with life stage issues or a lack of understanding. The best way to address these unrealistic expectations is to be prepared for them.
When it comes to life stage issues, make sure to ask customers about previous experiences, and ask questions to determine if any family conflict issues exist. You should also ask how the family is dealing with the transition and how you can help them continue their relationship with their loved one, given the changes that are taking place.
Anticipating needs is essential. From the outset you should get contact information from your customers and provide them with details regarding what to expect from the admission meeting. Also, assign them a liaison (not from marketing or sales) who will be their point of contact after the move-in.
Your facility should also have a formal orientation program for families after the move in, making sure open lines of communication are in place if and/or when needs aren’t met. Make it clear that your organization is committed to quality improvement and regularly obtain customer feedback to implement meaningful change.
For unrealistic expectations pertaining to lack of understanding, make sure you ask open-ended questions, listen completely to the answers you receive, respond accordingly, and document everything. You should also thoroughly examine customer applications to make sure there isn’t any missing data. If there’s anything that customers don’t fully understand, make it a point to educate them. It’s inevitable that residents’ health will eventually decline, so address this fact now. Whether it’s walking your customers through educational materials pertaining to chronic diseases or teaching them about future risks, such as falling or elopement, doing so will be to both your benefit and theirs.
