Superior customer service is the most important ingredient of “quality” management. Quality, innovative care goes beyond “providing a program” and must address solutions to a customer’s problems. It must anticipate opportunities for meeting needs that customers may not yet recognize they have.
The challenge is being a service provider that does not produce a “thing”, the quality of which can be measured, weighed, and tested. The “quality” of an experience in using an EAP is inherently subjective and personal, and largely depends on the rapport between the customer and the service provider.
Empathy and conscientiousness are keys to our vision of customer service. We measure “things” such as telephone answer times and service levels, but it’s important to focus on “value-based” quality. ”Quality” happens in the individual interactions between our employees and our customers. To provide excellent customer service in our line of business, caring is a must. Successful EAP providers genuinely care about serving both the employer and the individual employee or family member asking for our assistance.