I spent last week in Las Vegas, a little trip we took for our second anniversary. While it was terribly hot there (okay, it IS supposed to be hot in Vegas in the summer), it was a wonderful time and we totally enjoyed ourselves.

As we were coming home, I found myself reflecting on the idea of customer service. The service we received in Vegas was amazing. We happened to be at the hotel on a VIP package as a part of their casino program, so our room was comped. But mind you, it wasn’t just any room. We had a suite on the 38th floor with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Strip. The view was amazing. The rooms in this hotel were hitech, and not the kind of hitech we normally think about in health care. Everything operated from the TV remote or with a button on the wall, from the TV, to lights, to curtains, even room temperature. On the first morning when I decided to sleep in, I asked my husband to put the “do not disturb” sign on the door. He couldn’t find one. He found a housekeeper in the hall and learned there is no sign, you just push the privacy button inside your door on the wall; when you’re ready to have the room cleaned, you push the “service” button and it’s all done. Nobody said “but you have to get it cleaned before 3:00 or we won’t be here,” they just came whenever we pushed that button.

The casino staff were all friendly, and we almost felt like we had our own cheerleading team out there as they cheered us on to win on the slots. It was the same with the cocktail waitresses.

We also saw two Cirque du Soleil shows while there. The Cirque shows are always amazing, and I must say if you ever have the chance to see Ka, do it! From the time we went to pick up our tickets (with a ticket person who found “another little discount I can give you”) to the end of each show, the service was impeccable.

Vegas is a town that makes its money on understanding customer service. Okay, maybe not. In reality, they probably make most of their money on those one-armed bandits that I so love to play. Nevertheless, it is a town that understands hospitality and it is a town that gets customer service. That treatment just makes you want to go back again.

So what does this have to do with medical transcription? I think a lot. First, I think employers should view MTs as one of their customers. I think the organizations we belong to should understand that we are customers. And when you make customers feel good about their experience with you, they come back.

Not too long ago, I was having a chat with one of the AHDI board candidates. I said it seems we are stuck in our industry with “what can you do for us?” instead of “what can we do for you?” There’s a huge difference. Sadly, I hear many MTs saying the same thing about their employers. Employers who were once focused on viewing their employees like customers are moving to only seem to ask the question “what can you do for me?” of that very same staff. When this happens, I think we find ourselves disengaged and not wanting to be very active with that organization. We do what we must to fulfill our minimum requirements (whether it’s line counts or writing a check for our dues investment to an organization), and at some point it may even become such that we simply stop and take our investments of money, time, and talent elsewhere.

It’s important to remember that not every organization or employer operates this way. There are some good employers and there are many organizations who get the customers service thing. Not too long ago, I joined AHIMA. I did it late at night on a Friday, and expected maybe I would get the sign in information for their stie the first of the week if I was lucky. It was, after all, the weekend. My sign in information and welcome email arrived within 10 minutes, and then I went to the website to explore. Wow, if you haven’t checked that organization out lately, you sure should. There are so many resources there for me as a member that I haven’t begun to touch the surface on what’s there! The next day, I got a sign in for my choice of a free webinar, just because I joined. It’s been a pretty amazing experience so far.

In the end, as I’ve often said here, all of the things we do are investments, whether it’s our time and talent or our money. We choose how to spend that based on the return on investment. For me, I’m always on the lookout for those places who get it that I’m a customer with those choices.

How about you? What experiences (good and bad) have you had in customer service lately that left an impression?