Top 10 Customer Service Hacks for Medical Schools & Physicians
In my May 2025 OCOM Dean’s Blog, I discussed the importance of customer service for both physicians and medical students. In this blog, I share my Top 10 Customer Service Hacks for Medical Schools & Physicians.
A friend of mine, Jeff Noel, is a former Disney executive who has trained over 1 million people on customer service “the Disney Way.” I love his TED Talk about Going the Extra Inch, which talks about how going the extra mile is a flawed concept and is exhausting, and not a sustainable approach. This top 10 list goes over some things that are extremely easy to implement today, are not exhausting, and can instantly transform relationships and your professional joy:
1. Responding with an Authentic “My Pleasure”
Going through the day, I receive a ton of thank you expressions. I genuinely appreciate that someone took the time to show their gratitude for a job that I have great joy in doing (and we should work towards having joy in our professional lives). One quick phrase that can express your gratitude is responding with, “My pleasure.” It is a positive phrase that shows your gratitude for being able to do something good for others and that you genuinely enjoy what you do.
2. Handwritten Notes
In the digital age, it is becoming more rare to receive handwritten notes. Handwritten notes are such a personal thing that takes a small extra effort to do, but resonates authenticity. I will admit that I have been a huge fan of Starbucks since they brought back handwritten notes. I have gotten all sorts of great notes on my Starbucks cups since they initiated it - “You are Going to Crush It”, “Thank You”, “Happy Monday”, etc. I think it has helped to bring back the human connection that I have with my local Starbucks. When I walk around OCOM, I will commonly see the handwritten appreciation notes that I gave employees upon the launch of OCOM or after an amazing inaugural year - by keeping them around, I know that it meant something to them. When I used to round in the hospital, I would take advantage of the whiteboards in the patients’ rooms and try to write an encouraging note for all of the patients on them when I was leaving. The patients loved it. My best compliment was from one patient who told me that it was a visual reminder all day long that their physician really cared for them. I estimated that it took about 10 minutes/day to do this, but the dividends it returned in terms of joy (for both the patients and me) made it well worth it.
3. 10/5 Rule
We are incredibly social creatures. When we encounter folks, it is important to acknowledge and be acknowledged. Many hospitals and healthcare systems have hardwired the “10/5 Rule” - when you are within 10 feet of someone, visually acknowledge them (e.g., wave, nod, etc.), and when you are within 5 feet of someone, verbally acknowledge them (e.g., say hi, etc.). This simple act takes very little time or energy, but can instantly transform a culture. We have never implemented this at OCOM, as everyone does it already - a sign of an incredibly caring and friendly culture.
4. Being Responsive in a Timely Manner
One thing that I get positively reinforced with all the time is timely responsiveness. I do my best to respond to texts, emails, and requests in a timely fashion. Don’t get me wrong - I have super busy days and the occasional email that gets lost, but I think I am about 99% good on this one. I have found that I have to do the work either way, and a quick response (even if it is about adding the task to my to-do list) makes the other person feel heard and that they are important.
5. Know & Use People’s Names
One of my favorite books is Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Carnegie talks about the sweetest words that people can hear are their own name. Knowing and using names demonstrates that you care about them and is a pretty small lift. As we learn more about neuroplasticity, we are learning that exercises like this (actively trying to remember names) actually improve how your brain functions and help you. It also creates a more humanistic environment wherever you are.
6. Manage Expectations
As my friends and co-workers know, I am a big fan of Disney, and I am an Annual Passholder for Disney World (I live 10 minutes away). One thing that Disney does extremely well is manage expectations. For example, I was recently there and rode Haunted Mansion, one of my favorite rides. The reported wait time was 30 minutes. The actual wait time was 15 minutes, and I was very happy. If they had promised 5 minutes and made me wait 15 minutes, I would not have been as happy. This is an area that many of us could learn from. I recently was at an appointment for a follow-up with one of my physicians, and the medical assistant said, “The doctor will be right in.” It took about 15 minutes for my physician to walk in. As a physician, I totally understood the dynamics, and I wasn’t unhappy, but it is an opportunity for that practice to improve management of expectations. The OCOM Med Ed Ops team messages to try to get back exams the “same week” for a Monday exam, and the students are happy to get their exam results about much earlier (usually in 24 or 48 hours).
7. Servant Leadership Approach to Requests
One area that I have seen so many folks do over the years is to make it difficult for people to request things from them. I dealt with a construction CEO who would instantly respond to any request, “Please send me an email,” when he was right there in front of his computer, cell phone, and a pen/paper where it would have been incredibly easy for him to take notes or add to his “to-do” list. I have seen folks say “fill out a ticket” when it would be incredibly easy for them to fill out the ticket. In fact, I think it is easier as you can clarify in real time what the request is, and it can also prevent scope creep with the requests and actually save time or future communication burdens (e.g., clarification questions can be done in real time).
8. Positive Language
There is a ton of evidence that positive language improves situations. This is true of in-person meetings, where you can use inspirational wording and avoid defensiveness through inquisitiveness, and it can dramatically improve human interactions and the workplace culture. Emails are a great place where we can use AI to rewrite emails in a more positive tone and change how they are interpreted.
9. Giving Directions by Walking them to Where they are Going
Occasionally, I will get asked where a particular faculty member’s office is or where something is located. I have found that actually walking them to where they want to go (when feasible) is usually easier, can create a friend/learning opportunity, and dramatically improves the perception of the quality of the customer service.
10. Responding Empathetically
One extremely important area of customer service is to respond empathetically when folks are upset or they are going through a lot. One of the most powerful and evidence-based tools that I have found in patient care that adapts well and helps to empathetically respond in many areas of difficult conversations is the NURSE mnemonic:
NURSE: naming, understanding, respect, supporting, and exploring.
To employ the next time that you encounter an upset individual, it is easy to use. For example, you can Name the emotion (e.g., “It sounds like you are upset”). You can then Understand them (e.g., “I bet this must not have felt good”). You can demonstrate Respect (e.g., “I appreciate you taking the time to share this issue with me”). Then you can Support them (e.g., “I will work with you to come up with a solution that everyone can be reasonably satisfied with”). You can then Explore next steps (e.g., “How were you hoping to proceed on this?”). While this sounds like an oversimplified solution, I have personally found this to be one of my most powerful tools in my communication toolbox, and I have dramatically improved the way that I respond empathically in these difficult situations.
I hope these tools may be of some help or be a reminder. Service is a fundamental aspect of human interaction that we are all on both sides of these conversations all the time. If we can all contribute to making these better, we can hope to make the human experience a better one.
