July 2008
8 Rules to Good Customer Service FACT:
• It is 6-10 times more costly to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. • A satisfied customer tells at least five other people. • An unhappy customer tells around 20 people. • It only takes 30 seconds for a customer to form an opinion.
Nowadays, customers have come to expect fast, courteous treatment from whomever they’re dealing with. The goal of customer service is no longer merely to ensure customer satisfaction, but to go beyond the customer’s expectation and provide the kind of exceptional service that will guarantee customer loyalty for years to come. Be honest. Do you and your co-workers make your customers feel the way you like to feel when you are a customer? If the answer is “maybe,” “sometimes,” or even “most of the time,” then there is room for improvement and the future of the company may depend on it. By following these eight simple rules consistently, you will build strong relationships with your clients. 1. Answer the phone in a friendly, professional manner. From the very first phone call, you set a company standard- make it a good one! 2. Don’t make promises unless you WILL keep them. If you say you will call someone back at 1:00, make sure you call that person back at 1:00. Otherwise, don’t say it! 3. Listen to your customers. - Don’t interrupt or talk over your customer, wait until their finished speaking and then respond with the appropriate answer.
4. Deal with complaints. - No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug saying,”You can’t please all the people all the time.” Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time. 5. Be helpful.-even if there is no immediate profit in it. The other day I walked into a watch shop because I had lost the clip that holds my watch together. The proprietor said that he thought he had one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch and charged me nothing! Where do you think I’ll go when I need a new watch or watch band? And how many people do you think I’ve told this story to? 6. Train your staff to ALWAYS be helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. You may not have all the answers but help them know who to go to and find the answers. 7. Take the extra step.-Make every effort to help a customer but in the cases where you can’t meet their needs, offer suggestions on whom and where they might find the help they need. 8. Throw in something extra.-Even if it’s just a smile. People love to get more than they thought they were getting.
“If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.”
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CareAll in the Community
he Pikeville office teamed up with Lookout Medical Equipment and Blood Assurance and held a Community Appreciation Day on May 2nd at the CareAll Pikeville location. They served over 150 hot dogs, gave out CareAll material and awarded 15 door prizes. The event was a great success allowing members of the community to come by and donate blood, eat, win prizes, and have some fun. What a great way to get the CareAll name out in the community. A special thanks to Christie Brown, ,Tina Smith, OC, Vickie Wilson, marketing and all the CareAll employees who went above and beyond making this day so great!
World’s Biggest Fish Fry
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aris, Tennessee claims to hold the “world’s biggest fish fry.” Visitors will consume around 12,500 pounds of catfish during the festivities, which last for six days. The event started in 1953 and includes parades, square dancing, and an auto show. The CareAll staff in West Tennessee helped with the event by serving fish and all the trimmings.
Going Above and Beyond
Submitted by: Melissa Hatmaker, LPN Patient Care Coordinator
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he Manchester office had a patient in dire need of a wheelchair ramp. She lives alone and was not able to utilize public transportation because she could not get her wheelchair out of the house. CareAll contacted the local Kwanis club which performs community projects from time to time. The club raised money for supplies, designed and built a ramp for our patient. The patient and CareAll are both grateful to the Kwanis club for their assistance with this project. The following photo is of Kwanis members, Ross Roepke, Jeff Torell, Gary Shaffer and Holt Carson standing on the ramp they built. We would also like to thank Wolfgang Roeder for his help in organizing this project.
News from Middle Tennessee:
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Submitted by: Dorothy Smith
e have had several new staff members added to the CareAll family in Middle Tennessee. We would like to say “Welcome” to the family. We are glad to have you ALL on board! Congratulations to Sherry Rader, RN. She has recently been promoted to the DOPS position for our Nashville office. She is excited about her new position. Good luck Sherry! Amanda Deramcy, LPN has recently been promoted to the PI coordinator position for our Middle Tennessee offices. Amanda will assume her new position June 30th. Good luck Amanda. Linda Lynn, OC has recently been promoted to the Billing Coordinator position for 4 of our Middle Tennessee offices. Linda will assume her new position June 30th. Good luck Linda. Natasha Browning, OC has recently transferred from the Cookeville office to the Celina office. She is very excited about this move as she is much closer to home. This is more important than ever, because Tasha is expecting her first baby in the fall. Congratulations!!
Lisa Oakley, LPN has recently accepted a position in HHRG/Coding department. While we were sad to lose her, Lisa is very excited about her new position. Lisa has been with the company several years; she will be a great asset to the HHRG/Coding department. Libbi Thompson, RN/DOPS Cookeville/ Celina is expecting her second baby this fall. She is having a little girl! Her son John is not sure he wants a little sister, but he’s warming up to the idea! Congratulations Libbi! We like to extend a special thank you to Susie Eaton, Carolyn Starks and Brenda Conger. They have pitched in and been a huge help in keeping the Nashville office going during a staffing shortage and re-structuring. We appreciate your hard work and dedication.
WELCOME
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e would like everyone to give a warm welcome to Tina Walters, the new Marketing Manger for CareAll. Tina comes to us with a strong background in sales and management including Cardiology, Neuro/Pain Management, Women’s Health, Long Term Care and Hospital. She headed up the training department for Parke Davis’ Women’s Health Division. Most recently, she was Regional Manager for a Medical Device Company that focused on Interventional Radiology and Cardiology specialty catheters and supplies. On a personal note, she has been married to husband Mike for 25 years and they have three boys, Chris, 21 (2nd LT USARMY and a junior at UT Knoxville), Matt, 17 (will be a senior at Brentwood High), and Ian, 15 (will be a sophomore at Brentwood High). When she’s not attending High school football, basketball, lacrosse, and rugby games, Tina like to play golf and tennis. After numerous corporate moves, Tina has lived in the Brentwood area for 8 years.
GRAND OPENING CareAll proudly announces the opening of its new division, Personal Services in Nashville. Managed and operated by Kayna Stephenson, this division will provide services such as, preparing meals, light housekeeping, run errands, drive patients to appointments, grocery shopping, and primarily companionship. The Nashville location is the first of many Personal Service offices to come, we wish them well!
“Treat every customer as if they sign your paycheck…because they do.” Author Unknown
ONLINE CONTEST D
id you know CareAll has a website? Did you know that there is a section for employees only? We want to encourage everyone to begin to use this site so CareAll can begin to convey upcoming news and events more quickly and efficiently. Currently, you can log on and check out all the archived newsletters. You can look up employee policies in the online CareAll handbook. Concerned if a claim has been paid? Check your medical insurance information on line by clicking on the link provided to see your medical information at your fingertips. Check out information regarding employee referrals and education reimbursement opportunities and this is only the beginning. Now to the contest; To encourage everyone to log on at least once a week, we will provide a new clue on the website for you to solve. The employee answering all six clues correctly wins! For
CareAll employee log-in information please contact your local CareAll office director. Clues will be given for a six week period. First, log on to www.careallinc.com Second, click on Career and then Employee Login Third, enter user name and password Fourth, Click on CareAll Contest where you will find weekly question and submit your answer. Here’s a hint: All answers can be found on the website! If there are multiple employees answering all six questions correctly, there will be drawing for First, Second, and Third Place with a grand total of $500 in prize money. Good Luck! If you do not have access to a personal computer, visit your local CareAll office and log on today!
CELEBR ATIONS!! CELEBR ATIONS!! CELEBR ATIONS!! CELEBR ATIONS!!
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auren Steele, office coordinator in Paris, and the rest of CareAll, would like to welcome JoJo Pasaol, who is the new Physical Therapist in their office. Congratulations to Christian Burchett, son of Tawanda Burchett in the Brownsville office, on his Preschool graduation in May. His twin sisters, Taylor and Kayla helped him celebrate this great accomplishment. Happy Anniversary to Karla Warrick, married 14years on April 16th. Happy Anniversary to Jamie Cantrell who celebrated her 14th wedding anniversary on April 2nd, congratulations. Happy birthday to everyone turning a year older in May, June, and July! Happy anniversary to Holley Reffue in the Smithville office, who celebrated her 12th wedding anniversary on June 6th. Congratulations to Hannah, daughter of Valerie Durgin, Oasis, who has a 4.0 GPA and is on the Dean’s list at MTSU. She is a theater major and has done many plays in the past even earning a partial scholarship from the Renaissance Center. Her biggest achievement to date is the part she recently received in the upcoming movie, The Billy Graham Story where she will play an extra. You can see her in the front row in the ‘orientation class of the 1930’s” and in a dance/party scene. We would like to welcome Mike Pontce to CareAll. Mike will be operating as Project Manager for the Management Company. Mike brings a great deal of business knowledge to the company and we look forward to working with him.
Congratulations to Jennifer Summers, Home Health Aide in Woodbury who gave birth to Adison Jade Summers on December 12, 2007. Congratulations to Tamara Powell, Management company, who welcomed Minous James Powell on May 24th. He weighed 5lbs. 5oz. and 18 ½ inches. Mother, Father and baby are all doing well. Congratulations to Joyce Gore of the Management Company and Dana Schaff, Administrator for CSS-Knoxville and Middle Tennessee, who both celebrated their 10 year anniversary with CareAll in May! Congratulations to Lynn Hannah who is now Regional Administrator over Private Duty in Tennessee - we know you will do any excellent job! Four children, all belong to CareAll employees, received awards ranging from National Junior Honor Society, Student Council and Citizenship awards. Left to Right…Quentin Haycraft, son of Lisa Haycraft RN DOPS from the Dyersburg office, Christian Geonzon son of Jinky Geonzon LPN from the Ridgely office, Payton Cowles, daughter of Cindy Cowles RN from Dyersburg and Madison Barker, daughter of Kristy Barker RN from Dyersburg. Congratulations! Adison Jade Summers Born 12-12-07 7 lb 4 1/2 oz 19 3/4 inches long Daughter of Jennifer Summers, Home Health Aide Woodbury
Thoughts and Prayers
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eep in your thoughts and prayers the family of Holley Ruffue in Smithville, whose family has grown. They have temporary custody of two children, Madison (8) and Devin age (11). They are added to her two children, Brooke age 11 and Blake age 13. They also have five dogs and 1 cat. Now that’s a house full!
Lauren Steele, OC would like you to please keep Lola Wright, CNT for CareAll since 2005, in your thoughts. She is an amazing woman whose worst reality came true in May. Her 80 year old mother became terminally ill within weeks. Her mother was a full time waitress in Dothan, Alabama for the Holiday Inn, and was diagnosed with lung and bone cancer. Lola was
driving 8 ½ hours one way, at least once every 2 weeks to spend time with her mother. She passed away on May 19, 2008. We are very sorry for your loss. Please continue to keep Kay Mansfield, DOPS-Rutherford, in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to recover from open heart surgery.
The Corner Market Submitted by: Traci Butts, Marketer Middle TN I recently did a luncheon for the case managers at University Medical Center in Lebanon. Since this newsletter is all about the importance of customer service, I found it to be the perfect opportunity to ask our client what their expectations are when choosing an agency to refer patients. Over all, they were quite pleased with CareAll but did contribute some great advice. They all agreed on the most important being a “one stop shop” agency. Case manager, Brenda Piercy stated,” when calling in a referral, we want to speak with one person. If the referral needs to go to another office, we would appreciate the office we call to take the information and send it to the appropriate person and office with a phone call letting them know it is on the way. This saves us much needed time and tells us a lot about the agency and its employees.” The second suggestion was to follow up with a phone call when your office receives a fax. This just makes good business sense and certainly puts a client as ease knowing their referral is being handled. “Many times we may not know for a day or two that patients’ needs have not been met. This is not only unacceptable for the doctor but the patient and family as well.” The last bit of advice was to be friendly when answering the phone. Act like you want the referral. “Many times we have not given an agency referrals simply because they seem put out.” Overall, communication is the key. We understand there are difficult patients, family members, insurance issues, but we are all working towards the same goal, which is getting the patient home and feeling better. We may not offer what some of the larger, nationwide agencies do but what can set us apart is to consistently provide our customers with the best customer service of any agency around. People want to deal with someone who cares and who they can trust, let that be CareAll. Submitted by: Amy Whittle, Marketer West TN In some of my areas we make up “CareAll Welcome Bags” and take them to Nursing Home/Rehab facilities. In them we include: ink pen, notepad, dry erase board, and information about CareAll services. This gets our name to
those patients that will be discharged with home health and they are already familiar with CareAll and the services we provide. The admissions coordinators appreciate it too. Submitted by: Michael Vanstory, Marketer Middle TN CareAll Homecare Services is proud to announce Dr. Randy Florendo as the new Medical Director for the Springfield office. Marketing Rep, Michael Vanstory adds, “Dr. Florendo is a well respected physician in the Springfield and Robertson County area who puts patient care as his top priority. We are very fortunate to have him on board with CareAll.” We would like to welcome Dr. Florendo and his staff. East TN- Karen Russell, Marketer We have moved into a new office in Kingston, TN. It is a better location and with more space. We are so proud and ready for growth. We are in the process of planning an open house with the Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Margie Patterson for helping with the Mother’s Day Tea at Victorian Square assisted living in Rockwood. We sponsored a cook out at Morningside Gardens Senior Housing in Knoxville and want to thank Jennifer Tucker, Tracey Burroughs, Jeannie Presley, and Jessica Duncan for all their hard work. We had a cook out also at the Rockwood Village senior housing. The seniors were so excited and appreciative of CareAll’s efforts to be active in the community. CareAll also had an ice-cream social at Jamestown Assisted Living in Kingston. A wine/ cheese social at Victorian Square turned out to be very beneficial. Rhonda Hemphell (Songbird for Jesus) sang at Baptist Nursing Home for National Nursing Week. I was recognized with a award at Rockwood care & Rehab for being a volunteer. I’m so looking forward to having a great summer and building business for CareAll Home Care.
“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”
Donald Porter
A THANK YOU FOR ALL TO SEE
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he Smithville office received a thank you like no other when the daughter of a CareAll patient placed an ad in the local newspaper thanking them for their services. We are so very proud of the care and customer service you provide, keep up the great work!
GREAT JOB!
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oretta B, a patient in the Waverly area, would like to acknowledge the employees in the Waverly office that take such great care of her. “I am a patient of CareAll and I just wanted you to know how happy I am with the care that I have been receiving. I would especially like to commend Kelly Breeden, Diane Hamm, Sharon Martin, Cori Hatley and Eddie Stokes for their sincerity and their willingness to help. I look forward to their visit each day and have come to consider each of them a friend. Their knowledge and their high degree of professionalism is to be applauded. You can be very proud to have people of this caliber working for CareAll.” Thank you Loretta and thank you to the Waverly office for setting such a high example of customer service and excellent caregiving!
BIG THANKS!
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would like to say that the CareAll girls of Paris, Waverly and Regina Bingham (Home Health Aide in Huntingdon), are the best! My mother became terminally ill with cancer. On Monday, May 19th, I was called to Alabama to take care of her. I was gone the whole week. The CareAll girls, as we call ourselves in Paris, pitched in and took care of my patients. Regina heard what happened and came to Paris and volunteered just for me, and I am so thankful. They are truly God’s Angels. I knew they had it hard doing my job as well as their own. They even found enough time to call and check on my mother and myself. I am truly blessed to have friends and co-workers like these ladies. I just wanted to say a HUGE Thank You Girls and God Bless!!! I Love You All, Lola Wright
NOTE OF APPRECIATION Submitted by: Michael Vanstory
“CareAll meets and exceeds my expectations as a Social Worker/Discharge Planner. They are excellent to work with. When I set up services for patients discharging home, they always seem willing to do what it takes to make sure the needs of the patient’s are met. I would highly recommend their company to anyone in need of home health services. Our representative for the area is always courteous and also willing to assist in making referrals easier, as well. It has been a pleasure working with them.” Jill Gibson, BSWDirector of Social Services Christian Care Center of Springfield
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CUSTOMER SERVICE AT ITS FINEST
he following letter was sent to Administrator Cheryl McBrayer in McMinnville. Years ago, Cheryl cared for this gentleman’s wife and made quite an impression. When this patient needed care again, they remembered Cheryl and the agency she worked for. The letter is written by the patients’ husband and it is with great pride we share it with you; “Years ago, you and your mother cared for my wife while she was plagued with Dementia and skin problems. I thought that you both were the best in nursing and that no others could match your skills. I thanked you then and I thank you now in remembrance. My wife continued to slide deeper into the black hole of forgetfulness and I again sought help of RN’s in the Pikeville office. I discovered a four person crew of RN’s that can match your skill and expertise, namely Christie Brown, Tina Hard, Leslie Lockhart and Tina Smith. These women are a complement to the nursing skill and to your company. Not only were they skilled in nursing, they also excelled in compassion. They helped in many ways to make my wife comfortable and at the same time, encouraging me in my duties as caregiver for my wife. They made me aware of resources and medications that treated the pressure sores on her buttocks and suggested better methods of treatment. They were always cheerful and ready to provide a hug or a pat on my back. It was a pleasure to be among them, whether in the Pikeville office or in our home. It is a compliment to your efforts to utilize people who have a high degree of self confidence and drive. After my wife’s death, they continued to make inquiries as to my well being and attending the funeral in miserable weather, demonstrating that compassion I spoke of earlier. They prepared and delivered a basket of fruit and assorted sweets. I compliment them (the nurses) and will recommend your staff here in Pikeville to anyone who needs their care. Thank you for your attention, Pete Wooten
WAY TO GO! Congratulations to the Rutherford office for being voted the Best of the Best in Home Healthcare Agencies – We are so very proud of all of you, not only for the excellent service you provide but for representing CareAll so strongly in your communitythank you!
Words from the Man in Pink While many companies are closing their doors and thousands of workers are being laid off around the country, employment in the health-care industry is on the rise. This is do to several reasons; the first being the number of older adults is growing faster than the total population, increasing healthcare needs. The rise in life expectancy will cause people to rely more on health care workers due to the decreasing ability of children to care for their parents; and the expanded growth in outpatient and home health care is expected due to improved diagnostic testing, more surgical procedures, and the simple fact that there will not be enough facilities to house these patients. We are fortunate in these times to be part of an industry that will be anything but obsolete. We are fortunate to be a part of a company that has no debt. Each of you is fortunate to have chosen a profession where the need for your skills and services will never diminish. I am fortunate that you chose to use those skills for CareAll.
Permit # 989 Nashville, TN
4015 Travis Drive Nashville TN 37211
CareAll, Inc.
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