Why Employee Health Screenings Should Be More Like Starbucks

Have you ever wondered why people spend such an exorbitant sum of money on a simple cup of coffee each month? Is the coffee magical? Maybe for some, but Starbucks' success is really based on creating a personalized customer experience and energizing their employees to deliver superior customer service. For example, their employee handbook, called "The Green Apron," talks about connecting, discovering and responding as a way to bond with customers. Starbucks has some great lines from the book – including “Our Purpose: To provide an uplifting experience that enriches people’s daily lives.”

In the wellness world, many forget about the employee experience. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day business – create this report, file this document, build this presentation - and forget how each thing contributes to the larger picture of the wellness program experience.

At TotalWellness, we have two kinds of clients: the companies that engage our services, and their employees. Our position in the wellness industry affords us a unique opportunity to touch thousands of lives every month. As such, we feel a responsibility to enrich and inspire employees through our interactions. For us, great participant care makes the difference between an okay client experience and a stellar one.

At each health screening event, our desire is for each participant to leave feeling that every staff member they encountered was approachable and knowledgeable. We engage with participants in a genuinely meaningful way and provide employees with guidance that is:

• Personalized: The content is based on their own results.
• Holistic: The topics will include national recommendations and your company’s own resources. 
• Practical: The guidance focuses employees on what they can do today to achieve their health goals. 

We also work hard at training our staff and reinforcing about the critical role they serve. Here is just a small example of our Event Coordinators share with the team before the start of an on-site biometric screening event. 

We encourage you to be of the mindset to serve each individual that you meet throughout the day. Making an impact on someone’s day is usually done in the small things. This is true at a health screening, too. Greeting each person with a smile and introducing yourself goes a long way. Politely explaining what you will be doing at your station allows the participant to feel involved in the process. Your screening knowledge should be second nature. Your primary role should be focusing on the individual. For example, asking them to remove their shoes, instead of telling them to. Guiding the participant to their next station is a simple gesture that shows we care about every aspect of their process. You have a short time with each participant; please take advantage of every minute to serve them and encourage them as they go through the screening process. You, as the face of the company at the event, carry a large role in being able to deliver this experience. Our commitment is to serve and encourage you as you serve our clients.

In a nutshell, the best customer service creates a personal connection. You can buy a cup of coffee almost anywhere, but Starbucks focused on creating an extraordinary experience. You can get a health screening from a variety of vendors, but TotalWellness believes in serving participants in such a way that encourages them to make positive changes.

Have you ever experienced amazing customer service? We’d love to hear some of your stories. Please share below.

Image Credit: Sean Winters