Has Technology Removed Our Reason to Care?
by Kate Nasser | 18 Comments »
Is technology killing customer service in healthcare? Has technology removed our reason to care for others?
Technology has contributed countless life changing advances to healthcare yet I see two distrubing customer care trends.
Has Technology Removed Our Reason to Care?
Our Reason to Care
As I see technicians and nurses working with me and friends/family, their behavior alarms me in two ways. Some let technology remove their sense of reason and logic and others have lost the human reason to care.
Story #1
A dear friend who is a large size person knows from experience that automatic blood pressure machines frequently report false results because of her large size arm. The nurse insisted on using that device and the machine reported very low blood pressure. My friend with a history of blood pressure issues, questioned the result. The nurse replied, “But that’s what the machine is reporting.”
My friend urged the nurse to use a traditional blood pressure device with a large cuff. This time the result was much higher than usual. The nurse, seemingly stumped, said: “Which result do you want me to note on your chart?”
Don’t Let Technology Remove Good Reason
- Technology alone does not provide complete care. If you are getting two very different results, good judgment would guide you to question and perhaps test again.
- Relying completely on technology assumes that technology cannot make a mistake. Yet good reason would suggest that variations or mistakes in input or use of the technology can cause faulty results.
Story #2
I was undergoing a medical test conducted by a technician. As the technician vigorously moved the wand around inside of my body, she never once asked how I was doing. I told her I was in pain and her response was “I can’t get good pictures of what’s going on” as she continued on with this painful test. I finally said “enough!”. She then said, “Oh, well if you would go empty your bladder again it might make it easier.”
Her demeanor spoke volumes about her focus. Her reason for being there was purely technological not human and diagnostic customer care.
Result: I never went back to that radiology center and told many how poorly the technician treated me. The next time I needed a test, I found another company which I now recommend to all my friends and family.
Technology is a wonderful adjunct to the human brain. Let’s not allow technology to remove our good judgment or reason to care!
Curiously yours,
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™
©2011 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. If you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™, delivers consulting, training, DVDs, and keynotes for customer service and teamwork — that turn interaction obstacles into professional success especially in tough times of change. See this site for workshops outlines and customer results.
Hi Kate, Great questions!
Your second story has me cringing here and thankful I don’t have any medical appointments scheduled right now. Many people become robotic in their jobs and technology often makes that worse. This type of numbers rule everything approach has also damaged many contact centers who lose the focus on Empathy and soft skills. Thanks for sharing your stories to remind us of what is important in our customer (and patient customer) interactions.
Hi Melissa,
I have a feeling if we ever meet for lunch, the servers will have to be in top form. I (and I think you as well) have little tolerance for poor people skills. Put us in a medical office together and I think we would transform it!
Warmest thanks for your insight here. Have a great weekend.
Kate
I’m reminded of a saying that went something like “The computer has simply allowed us to make more mistakes faster.” Similarly, technology of whatever stripe does not, I think, change us as much as it gives us another avenue to express what’s really us.
So, the same technology that allows someone to be dismissive and belittling also empowers us to actually remember birthdays and send notes of appreciation. It’s just us, writ large.
It’s what we do with it and how we do it that matters Gene — I do agree. The interesting debate on this blog is whether people make this choice on their own or are driven by org. to act this way.
Hmm….
Thanks!
Kate
Dear Kate,
thank you for the nice article. It is true that our reliance on technology is eroding some of the thinking process such as the application of the fundamental concepts, and the application of thoughts and empathy for others. Unfortunately, this is a trend that is becoming more common in all fields.
However, in the medical as well in other fields, you can’t blame the personnel for that. For the medical field, I believe people are genuinely in that field because they truly care. Unfortunately, nowadays many are trained to behave in such ways by the system (again, something that is becoming more common in all fields).
Funnily enough I watched the talk by Prof. Abraham Verghese recently. I though it was somewhat pertinent to your article. (http://www.ted.com/talks/abraham_verghese_a_doctor_s_touch.html) recently,.
Dear Shigeaki,
I watched the TED talk that you noted and it is very pertinent to this discussion. I will tweet that link with thanks to your sharing.
As for who is responsible for how I am treated, I do respectfully disagree that in the end it is the person who must be accountable for their own behavior. I do think training is abandoning them as you say — we just disagree on the point of responsibility.
So thankful for your “add” on this post and hope you will share you insight on any post of interest here at Smart SenseAbilities.
Best regards,
Kate
Great post Kate!
I think few health professionals pay attention to, devote thought to, or take pride in providing good customer service. Of course, that means that those who do so tend to stand out.
We also know that providing customer service and conveying caring lowers malpractice law-suits as patients who feel their doctor/nurse cares about them and respects them are FAR less likely to sue for malpractice should something go wrong.
Lastly, I think where customer service is lacking most is in the education of health professionals. I can assure you that as a clinical psychologist who has taught in numerous hospitals over the years, I never heard the words ‘customer service’ spoken aloud to residents or staff–ever.
I wrote a blog post about some specific issues titled: Customer Service at the Doctor’s Office your readers might find interesting: http://bit.ly/mPDEqk
I also wrote about the problem of ‘Waiting Room Blues’ and how one shoud go about complaining to doctors in my book The Squeaky Wheel (Chapter 8).
Lastly, my only suggestion: As customer service professionals we should try to educate our own doctors and nurses when we encounter a need for it–pay it forward and hope it spreads. But perhaps wait till they put the needle down before we bring it up…
Guy
Excellent points Guy. I read in the NY Times that medical schools are starting to consider people-skills as critical skill set even for selection. Oddly enough the debate ensued over whether we will still get the best doctors? As if requiring people-skills would mean we would sacrifice intelligence and technical ability LOL.
As for educating our own doctors and nurses on people-skills, I would add one more thing besides wait ’til the needle is down — make sure they are open to hearing suggestion/correction from a patient/customer. People only learn when they are open to it.
Many thanks for your inside insight!
Best-
Kate
Kate, allow me first to say how sorry I am for your experience at the radiology center. I know you didn’t need more pain in your life, because none of us does.
But I don’t think technology is to blame for any ills in any industry. I think if you and the technician had been in a clan group on the African savannah 100,000 years ago, and she was digging out a thorn, she would have been rougher than necessary. Technology may make people feel freer to unleash their demons, but those demons are already there. A rude person may become ruder by e-mail, and average people may indulge their dark side more often, but nice people don’t become rude because of it (just as rude people don’t suddenly become nice). My dentist in the low-tech 1970s was such a jerk, I demanded my mother change dentists. The examples in the post stand out because other nurses and techs use tech mindfully.
We each are already cut off from others by far more persistent demands for attention than our devices. Our own thoughts, needs, and interests are more important to us than those of other people. They have to be, if we are to remain mentally and physically healthy. Becoming aware of how to fulfill those without harming others is the primary lesson of childhood. It is a lesson some people learn incompletely, if at all. Without incentives and guidance few workplaces provide, these sad individuals will not catch up.
The only weapon against it that I know of is to show them the compassion they seem unable to show others. I wish I were better at it.
Great article Kate! I think your on to something here.
I would like to poke a bit deeper if I could…
There are a lot of things that come to mind here but let me share with you something that I have been wrestling with. Despite the world becoming “flatter” as a result of globalization and the advances in travel, communication, technology, etc., the United States has become a large and lonely country of people. This country is vast, stretching from coast to coast, but we find ourselves living in independent and self-consuming pods. Our modern culture seems to be moving us in a trajectory away from each other; families, communities, neighbors, etc., towards the fractured and disconnected.
Ok, so here are my questions……
Is the expanding universe of this space called “social networking” or the technology revolution a fad or is there something lurking behind all of this as an unconscious (or conscience) desire to somehow be connected?
Have you ever noticed that through social networking and technology we are more connected than ever, but through the lens of real, true and authentic relationships…we are more disconnected than ever?
I am not saying that all this is necessarily bad, but I am wondering if there is a question behind the question. Technology enables us to stay connected despite geography, but what are we really looking for?
Aren’t we are all relational at the core?
Just one guys random commentary 😉
Fractured is a great word for it Tim. We’ve gone broad and sacrificed deep. It doesn’t have to be that way. Technology can help in many ways while we carry on great real life relationships. I think the human spirit in most cases wants connection. The form and depth vary by personality type, situation, background etc… Yet there are few true hermits.
As for neighborhood and community, I still remark at how the littlest exception, brings people together. The more severe, the more we seek connection. When the recent hurricane caused damage and power outage in my area, we all ended up outside talking to each other. No online connection ever feels that good to me!
So pleased to read your thoughts and grateful for your participation in this discussion.
With deepest regard for your connection here,
Kate
Fractured is a great word for it Tim. We’ve gone broad and sacrificed deep. It doesn’t have to be that way. Technology can help in many ways while we carry on great real life relationships. I think the human spirit in most cases wants connection. The form and depth vary by personality type, situation, background etc… Yet there are few true hermits.
As for neighborhood and community, I still remark at how the littlest exception, brings people together. The more severe, the more we seek connection. When the recent hurricane caused damage and power outage in my area, we all ended up outside talking to each other. No online connection ever feels that good to me!
So pleased to read your thoughts and grateful for your participation in this discussion.
With deepest regard for your connection here,
Kate
Hi Kate,
I have a passion for technology to be an “enabler” in Healthcare – making things easier and simpler for the people who use it.
Having come from an IT background, excellence in Customer Service is something that I’ve worked hard to provide personally and encourage in others.
Rather than dealing with bits and bytes I’ve come to appreciate that there is a very high degree of human interaction.
This requires not only professionalism but empathy, compassion and discretion as well.
I’ve taught others along the way that they still need to think when using technology and to have some healthy skepticism because the computer is not always right.
Australia Has developed the “Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights” (see http://bit.ly/qZrsx1) which provides some guiding principles and let’s patients know what they can expect while they are being treated.
Respect, dignity and consideration are basic rights – after all, we’re all human.
We share very similar views Ed in that I too have an IT background and see that technology has great value — when it is combined with “healthy skepticism” abou the computer output and great people-skills.
So pleased to have the link about Australia and grateful that you ahve shared that as well as your philosophy.
Warmest wishes,
Kate
whats the other expression…to err is human, to really screw up requires a computer! I’ve had more then my share of medical tests/procedures in the past few years and I’ve learned (painfully) to not trust medical “technology” nor its operator at face value.
wonder if the same applies to technology in todays world, not just the medical field?. How about the everyday cashier? When was the last time you saw a cashier make change without the register? Or the last time you enjoyed a book not a kindle? or GASP, an ACTUAL newspaper?
mabe we all need to unplug more?
now if you excuse me, my newspaper awaits 🙂
Touche Skip. It’s not limited to the medical field — I’ve seen people believe a calculator when it was clear to me the output was wrong.
I vote with you — let’s never cede our minds to the computer!
Many thanks for your perspective and enjoy your newspaper 🙂
Kate
Hi, Kate
Interesting article and two fascinating stories.
However, I don’t think technology is to blame.
When a person tries to create and send a text message while driving an automobile, we rightfully put the blame for the outcome of such poor judgment on the judgee:)
The first story seems to illustrate the lack of initiative that is sometimes trained into workers who do not understand how to function outside the lines. When a situation occurs which has not been specifically covered in their preparation, they are not equipped to make decisions on their own about what to do. This sometimes is corrected with age and experience, but we should not have to wait for those organic teaching processes to occur.
The second story relates to what other commenters have already noted – this is a customer service issue, not a technology issue. The person was not displaying emotional intelligence, specifically empathy, since she seemed unaware or oblivious to you and your concerns. Unfortunately, not uncommon in healthcare, although that field is where this competency is probably most needed.
Technology may be the tool through which these deficiencies in critical thinking and emotional intelligence skills show up, but it’s not the cause, just the weapon:)
John