June 24, 2008
New White Paper from The Beryl Institute: "Mystery Shopping the Patient Experience"

Mystery shoppers allow providers to compare real experiences to consumer expectations.

(DALLAS, TX) — Mystery shopping goes beyond patient satisfaction surveys to discover why patients leave – sometimes without ever meeting a healthcare provider. According to a new white paper from The Beryl Institute, "Mystery Shopping the Patient Experience," many consumers never become patients because they dismiss a healthcare organization after just one unsatisfactory encounter. The free white paper is available for download at www.theberylinstitute.net.

"Hospitals are given many opportunities to ‘own' the healthcare consumer by providing exceptional service – both clinical and interpersonal," said Paul Spiegelman, executive director for The Beryl Institute. "Mystery shopping is another way of ensuring the consumers have the most positive experience possible, which strengthens their relationship to a healthcare provider."

Hospitals have many points at which they can come into contact with consumers with the opportunity to live up to the organization's mission statement and brand promises. The Beryl Institute white paper explores the value of mystery shopping, how the "shopping" is done, and how healthcare organizations can turn the results into actionable improvement opportunities. Mystery shoppers are educated, experienced consumers who anonymously evaluate the customer experience with healthcare organizations and individual providers.

"Healthcare leaders must embrace a philosophy of constant monitoring and improvement of the overall patient experience," said white paper author Kristin Baird, senior faculty for The Beryl Institute. "Today's healthcare consumers are more engaged than ever before and are exercising their ability to choose one provider over another. Customer service is an extremely influential factor in where consumers receive care."

The mystery shopping experience allows healthcare organizations to:

• Thoroughly understand consumers' expectations.
• Bring to light customer viewpoints.
• Uncover discrepancies between the service promise and the service delivered.
• Apply lessons learned from other industries.
• Discover training opportunities.

A recent report from the American Medical Association supporting the use of mystery shoppers in healthcare, states: "Physicians have an ethical responsibility to engage in activities that contribute to continual improvements in patient care. One method for promoting such quality improvement is through the use of secret shopper ‘patients' who have been appropriately trained to provide feedback about physician performance in the clinical setting."

The Beryl Institute will conduct free webinars on this topic in August. Anyone interested in receiving information about the date and time of these webinars can register for The Beryl Institute online at www.theberylinstitute.net. All registered members will be notified of upcoming webinars and events.

Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is the research and educational arm of The Beryl Companies, the leading provider of outsourced call center services in healthcare. The mission of The Beryl Institute is to improve customer service in healthcare.

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August 13, 2007
New White Paper from The Beryl Institute Reveals High Number of Calls to Hospital Switchboards Were Mishandled or Misdirected

(DALLAS, TX) — A recent analysis of more than 2,000 calls to hospital switchboards revealed that nearly 60 percent of attempts to obtain a physician referral were not initially successful. A new white paper from The Beryl Institute, "Moments of Truth: Hospital Switchboards a Bottom-Line Issue," investigates what happens during calls to the switchboards of 341 hospitals and medical centers across the country and provides tips for improving switchboard customer service. A free copy of the paper is available from www.theberylinstitute.net..

As customer service increasingly becomes a differentiating factor between hospitals, consumers expect a more customer-centric experience or likely will take their business elsewhere. This white paper complements the findings in two other papers from The Beryl Institute earlier this year: "Ready or Not, Customer Service is Coming to Healthcare," which outlined the challenges hospitals will face as consumers place higher service demands on their healthcare providers, and "It's Not Just a Call, It's a Customer," an analysis of more than 300,000 calls showing that 75 percent of callers who don't get through on the first try will not call back a second time.

"Our findings are consistently showing a demand for greater attention to customer service," said Paul Spiegelman, executive director of The Beryl Institute. "Building relationships with patients begins long before they walk through the doors of the hospital. A phone call is often the first point of contact and, thus, can be the most important."

Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in the continuum of a consumers' healthcare experience. The Beryl Institute is the research and educational arm of The Beryl Companies, which for 22 years has been the leading provider of outsourced customer interaction services in healthcare. For more information, visit www.theberylinstitute.net.,

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June 18, 2007
Free Webinar from The Beryl Institute Quantifies Value of Missed Calls to Healthcare Organizations

(DALLAS, TX) — Missed calls cost healthcare organizations millions of dollars each year according to a recent study released by The Beryl Institute. Based on the analysis of millions of calls, The Beryl Institute is hosting a free Webinar, "Consumer Value: Quantifying the Impact of Missed Calls," on June 26 and 28. This data-driven online seminar will share best practices, examine how healthcare organizations can decrease the number of abandoned and misdirected calls, and help healthcare leaders determine what changes are needed to make a measurable impact on the bottom line. Webinar participants will receive a free copy of The Beryl Institute‘s new white paper, "It‘s Not Just a Call, It‘s a Customer." Participants can register at www.theberylinstitute.net.

"Contrary to popular belief, healthcare consumers may not give providers a second chance if they aren‘t able to make contact on the first try," said Tom Panion, The Beryl Institute‘s Webinar facilitator and chief customer officer for The Beryl Companies. "The most disconcerting thing about this, of course, is trying to assess where those consumers are going. There‘s a good chance that they‘re finding their way to your competitors."

Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in the continuum of a consumers‘ healthcare experience. The Beryl Institute is the research and educational arm of The Beryl Companies, which for 20 years has been the leading provider of outsourced customer interaction services in healthcare.

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May 21, 2007
New Data From The Beryl Institute Reveals Consumers Only Give Hospitals One Chance to Gain Their Business

(DALLAS, TX) — A recent analysis of more than 300,000 healthcare calls finds that a startling 75 percent of callers who don't get through on the first try, will not call back a second time. A new white paper from The Beryl Institute, "It's Not Just a Call, It's a Customer," explores reasons callers hang up before completing the call, lost revenue as a result of those abandoned attempts, and ways to decrease the number of callers who can't get through. A free copy of the paper is available from www.theberylinstitute.net.

Hospitals have many points at which they can come into contact with consumers and leave a positive impression. While many have taken measures to improve customer service during face-to-face interactions, phone calls often are not given as high a priority. The Beryl Institute's white paper delves into the value of reducing the number of callers that don't get through on the first try and quantitatively demonstrates the impact that these callers have on the bottom line.

"There's a long-standing misconception that patients are inclined to be more patient because they're likely calling about something quite personal -- their health," said Paul Spiegelman, executive director of The Beryl Institute. "But our analysis shows just the opposite: healthcare callers are actually less likely to try again. Those hospitals that don't take this into consideration are losing consumers to their competitors."

The Beryl Institute also is hosting a free Webinar, "Consumer Value: Quantifying the Impact of Missed Calls," on June 26 and 28. This data-driven online seminar will share best practices, examine how healthcare organizations can decrease the number of abandoned and misdirected calls, and help healthcare leaders determine what changes are needed to make a measurable impact on the bottom line. Leading the Webinar will be Tom Panion, faculty member of The Beryl Institute and chief customer officer for The Beryl Companies. Participants can register by visiting www.theberylinstitute.net.

Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in the continuum of a consumers' healthcare experience. The Beryl Institute is the research and educational arm of The Beryl Companies, which for 20 years has been the leading provider of outsourced customer interaction services in healthcare. For more information about Beryl, visit www.beryl.net.

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April 2, 2007
The Beryl Institute's Inaugural White Paper Explores Effect of Consumerism on Healthcare

(DALLAS, TX) — America's hospitals will be forced to pay greater attention to customer service just to survive in the coming years contends a major report issued today by The Beryl Institute. The paper outlines the challenges hospitals will face as consumers place higher service demands on their healthcare providers. A free copy of the paper, "Ready or Not, Customer Service is Coming to Healthcare," is available from the institute's newly launched Web site, www.theberylinstitute.net.

Studies have shown that consumers are now taking greater interest in their healthcare decisions as consumer-directed health plans gain popularity and health insurance premiums continue to rise. This is forcing hospitals to become more competitive than ever in price and quality, leaving customer service as the key differentiator in healthcare choice. The white paper sizes up the competition and this marketplace trend; illustrates the need for clear ways to compare cost and quality from one hospital to the next; and explores ways hospitals can improve customer service before, during and after a visit to the hospital.

"Through decades of managed care, some hospitals took a build-it-and-they- will-come approach to patients," said Paul Spiegelman, executive director of The Beryl Institute. "As today's consumers are bearing more of their medical costs themselves, they are demanding exceptional customer service; or they will take their business elsewhere."

The Beryl Institute also is hosting the free Webinar, "Consumerism in Healthcare: Where We Are Headed" on April 17 and 19. This research-based online seminar will look at the future of consumer-driven healthcare and its impact on hospitals. It will be hosted by Tom Panion, faculty member of The Beryl Institute and chief customer officer for The Beryl Companies. Participants can register by visiting www.theberylinstitute.net.

Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in the continuum of a consumers' healthcare experience. The institute is the research and educational arm of The Beryl Companies, which for 20 years has been the leading provider of outsourced customer interaction services in healthcare. For more about Beryl, visit www.beryl.net.

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