Hand Off Customers with Care and Caring

Writing in The New York Times Magazine, Darshak Sanghavi talked about the dangers of handoffs from his perspective as chief of pediatric cardiology at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
     He began with the report that medical schools adhering to standards of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education set a limit of 16 on the number of consecutive work hours for first-year residents. The previous limit of 30 consecutive hours qualified as a tradition in physician training.
     The rationale for the change was a body of research showing that interns working the traditional schedule made one-third more serious medical errors than interns working no more than the 16 consecutive hours.
     After describing the change, Dr. Sanghavi threw us a curve ball: For hospital physicians who have completed their residency training, the number of medical errors did not fall when the number of consecutive work hours was reduced. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence that the number of errors increased.
     One explanation has to with handoffs. When a physician works longer shifts, they are better able to follow a patient’s progress and keep in mind the peculiarities of each patient under their care. With truncated shifts—yes, 16 consecutive hours is a long tour of duty, but still shorter than 30—there are more instances of one physician briefing another. Crucial details often get waylaid in the process.
     Does this sort of thing happen with handoffs in your store?

• When a salesperson refers a customer to another department which has different staffing? A handoff should never be hands-off. Does the salesperson walk the customer to the other department and find an employee to serve the customer?
• When you have a special orders desk and the customer is placing a special order for an item not in stock? Does the salesperson briefly explain to the person taking the order what the customer wants? This saves the customer the trouble of repeating themselves. It also proves to the customer that your staff is listening carefully to them.
• When the customer has a complaint which requires referral to a supervisor? Does your employee describe the problem to the supervisor in a way that shows respect for the customer, even if your employee thinks the complaint is foolish?

     Listen in on handoffs. Analyze your own handoffs. Then use your findings to coach your staff and set an example.

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Take Individual Responsibility for Customers
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