Customer Experience in Urgent Care Settings: What healthcare clinics can learn from retailers

I have spent more than two decades studying, evaluating, and documenting brand experiences for patient customers.

So, I appreciate the in-depth amount of research conducted by the London Business School (1) which outlines four clusters of customer emotions that can impair value -- or if addressed correctly can actually add value.

• First, let’s look at the customer feel that can be destructive. These emotions are evoked in customers typically because their experience is “inside out” which means the business focuses more on what is good for it and less on the experience of the customer.? The customers will describe feeling stressed, neglected, frustrated, disappointed, hurried, or irritated.
• Second, as you improve service, you can start by simply engaging customers’ attention.? The research shows that you can encourage customers to explore your offerings – and boost their short-term spending – by doing things that make them feel stimulated, creative, energetic, and indulgent.
• Third, moving up to the next level, customers will recommend your business if they feel valued, cared for, and trusted. That you focus on them more. Consider your personal experience; something nice that someone did for you at home, at your child’s school, or at a place you volunteer. What did the person do and why did you feel valued? It’s probably because you know they spent time thinking about you, listening to you, understanding you, and personalizing a note or gift for you. Flip this to the experience in your business, and think about what you could do for your best customers.
• Fourth, at the top of the pyramid are happy customers who become advocates. ? These are customers who feel happy, pleased, and thrilled with their experiences and they are the most loyal to proactively telling people about your business.

1. Colin Shaw, The DNA of Customer Experience: How Emotions Drive Value. Shaw is the author of two best-selling books 'Building Great Customer Experiences” and 'Revolutionise your Customer Experience. He is the Founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy.

In my training workshops, we benchmark several successful brands that are designing customer experiences we can aspire to.? I recently asked a teenager about three retailers whose experience they appreciated. These include:

Fanatics – a place to find any jersey, banner, helmet, or ball to help you feel you've joined your favorite sports team's fan section. It's fast and fun, and there’s always a deal going on.?

Coke Store – a fun (and free) place to visit in downtown Las Vegas. They have history and souvenirs on 3 floors with a bonus restaurant on top. Fanta, Sprite, and old-school Coke bottles are all over the store. It's a fun experience to do with someone because the store employees don't bother you or try to sell you.?

Lids – known for selling sports hats and jerseys. The main attractions are the new models, along with throwbacks from NBA to the NFL. The wide selection is what makes this the unique hat store to love.

Now, with these in mind, read this description from that same teenager about their recent visit to a neighborhood urgent care clinic:

“Cold, Dark, Pain, and Fear. All of these attributes make up my Urgent Care experience. I was celebrating the fourth of July when I jumped over the couch, hooked my finger, and broke it.? The next day I went to the Local Gardenvalley Urgent Care to get an x-ray of my finger.? As we arrived the line was 15 minutes long just to check in. Once checked in we had to go sit down next to other patients who were coughing all over the magazines.? After 15 more minutes of waiting in pain, we went to the back room to meet with the doctor. Once the doctor came into the room they didn't say hi they just said “you here for the x-ray” Everything from there on went well.”?(Thanks to teen patient, M.F., for sharing.)

What is working well at Urgent Care? What could we improve on after applying customer experiences at Fanatics or Lids? What sounds different about an experience at the Coke Store?

Applying these learnings to healthcare practices can be done in a variety of creative ways. And soon, these clinics provide an experience that patient-customers remember when they tell their friends about a fast and safe healthcare experience they enjoyed.