Strategies Hospital Manager Use to Improve Customer Services

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for hospital managers to improve customer services. The target population consisted of five hospital managers who implement customer services strategies within hospitals. The conceptual framework for the study was the expectation-confirmation theory. Using methodological triangulation, the data derived from included semi- structured interviews, hospital policy and procedure documents, and qualita- tive data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Sys- tems (HCAHPS) Hospital Compare website. The three major themes were to improve interpersonal communication, address issues in the hospital envi- ronment, and provide employee training. The findings reveal that exploring employee training relates to the conceptual framework of the expecta- tion-confirmation theory. The participants described multiple attempts to al- ter operations within the hospital based on customer expectations for satis- faction and to confirm customer satisfaction for the hospital system. The ex- pectation confirmation theory by Joo, Park, and Shin (2017) [1] was the framework of this study. Hospital managers performed actions for example, hiring the right people, using customer feedback for improvement, and using the HCAHPS qualitative data to create strategies that would meet customer expectations for satisfaction and loyalty.