I sometimes wonder if there is something in the water or the air on Friday afternoons that turns normal, relatively sane people into mental zombies. Does everyone in the customer service industry go bonkers? Furthermore, are they all so dissatisfied with their jobs and life, that they feel they have an inherent license to be rude? I wonder?
Within the last year our office has been inundated with faxes received from various law offices, medical practices, individuals and other healthcare providers, requesting or delivering personal, sensitive and medical information. It is important to understandthat we have had our fax number for over 3 years and none of these sundry faxes have anything to do with our business. Apparently, someone in the medical arean had this number quite some time ago or it is close in numerical sequence to their phone number. Whatever the case, it would appear that any sound businees would consider 3 years ample time to get the word out.
Every time this type of fax occurs, if a contact number is available, we call to inform them that they have faxed to the wrong number and explain that they may want to make sure that the situation is corrected. I usually save these type of tasks to Friday afternoons when I tie up loose ends from the week. This situation is a breach of confidentiality and in most cases is in direct violation of HIPPA law. It is, by anyone’s standards, a serious issue. Oh so we thought!!!
On more than one occasion, we have been confronted with an extensive inquiry as to who we are and why we are calling. When we ask for a manager on duty or the person responsible for client security, we are met with extreme reluctance and an unwillingness to cooperate. And more times than I wish to recount, the offending office person has hung up the phone without delivering the perfunctory “thank you” or, “have a nice day” that is relatively automatic in this day and age.
Listen, folks, we are doing you a favor. . . not the other way around!
We didn’t have to call you. And only when I have said that maybe we will have to call the HIPPA office directly because they may have slipped up, then and only then, do we get action! Miraculously, a person of authority is found who listens. On only one occasion did the person warmly thank me and even wanted to send a courier to our office to retrieve the wayward fax. This woman clearly understood the legal AND moral ramifications and wanted to correct the situation.
So, the basic question I have for this Friday afternoon, is… what is CIME4 doing in our business environment that those other businesses are not doing? Why do we value excellence in all that we do? Why do we take the time to convey this message to all of our people, regardless of whether they are employees, temps, sub-contractors, collaborators or clients? How are we able to instill a sense of personal responsibility to do the right thing?
The answer is relatively simple. We lead by example and understand that this type of extra effort is pivotal to increasing our business. We don’t ask anyone tyo do what we wouldn’t do. Taking pride in one’s work and going the extra mile is essential. Clients feel the difference and return over and over. Other businesses respond to your extra efforts and promote your reputation. Ultimately, it may cost a little more or take a little longer, but the project or plan that is executed with excellence, shines. And it definitely shows. We may not be perfect (no one is) but we MUST all strive for excellence in everything that we do. Even on Fridays!
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