iPhones, France, and HEAL

My son, Alex, is spending this school year in France, studying at a college near Geneva, and having the time of his life. After arriving in France, he traded out the AT&T sim card in his iPhone for one from a European company. Today I called AT&T to ask them to cancel his phone line here, so I’m not paying for a line that’s not being used for a few months.

When I called, I spoke with a lady who quickly made it clear that she wasn’t interested in listening to what I wanted to do. As I was explaining my situation, she interrupted me to tell me why it wasn’t possible. Alex and I had traded phones, as mine was paid for, his wasn’t, and he needed a paid-for phone in order to unlock it and trade out the card. However, she told me that the installment plan is connected to the number, not the device, so she quickly stated that there was nothing we could do. I told her this didn’t make sense to me, as I now have the phone with installments remaining, and the one he has is clear. She interrupted me numerous times, told me that it made perfect sense, and that I just didn’t understand. I expressed my frustration that she wasn’t listening to me, and asked to speak to someone else. Then the call was cut off.

I called back and this time I spoke with Carol. Carol took the time to listen, and talked with me as if I were a long lost best friend. She was in Atlanta, but used to live here in this area, near Middletown. She told me how much she missed Ohio, then very kindly listened to my issues. She was able to offer a solution that seemed reasonable, even if it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. We finished the call, as I thanked her for her kindness and assistance.

These two calls made me think about our service recovery model – HEAL. This acronym stands for Hear them out, Empathize, Apologize, Leap into action. In my first call, I felt frustrated, as the representative did none of these things. By contrast, Carol truly took the time to listen, to understand what my situation was, and to suggest a solution.

In our Network General Orientation for new employees, we spend some time talking about this acronym. I would suggest revisiting it with your team, as it may have been a while since they were last reminded of this simple tool for serving our patients and families. It is on the card behind our badges, but it’s worth bringing up again in a staff meeting. Our patients feel safe, feel valued and cared for, when they feel we have listened to them and understood their concerns.

Called to Lead, Section 2, says this: “Simply stated, HEAL is our way of righting something that is not right for our patients, their family members, or visitors.” Take a few minutes with your team to remind them of this useful tool.