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Mystery shoppers improve scores

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, June 15, 2007

Since starting its mystery shopper program two years ago, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) of Boston has seen vast improvements and sweeping changes in its customer satisfaction numbers.

The hospital had six mystery shoppers visit 26 of its waiting rooms and the emergency department over the last several months. The mystery shoppers recorded their observations and filled out a 45-item checklist covering everything from the availability of Kleenex in the waiting room to the demeanor of receptionists. According to The Boston Globe, the mystery shoppers found examples of superior service as well as rudeness and inattentiveness.

Since the mystery shopper program began, customer service appears to have improved at the hospital. For example, since November, the ratings given to telephone appointment specialists by mystery shoppers rose from 2.6 (fair) to 4.8 (excellent) on a five-point scale.

Read more about BIDMC's mystery shopper program in The Boston Globe.

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