If the doctor/owner is obsessed with excellent customer service and patient satisfaction, then staff members will routinely want to deliver those traits (at least the good ones will). The emphasis on patient satisfaction must be extreme; the practice leaders must display a certain passion for it. Consider other companies that have demonstrated legendary customer service as examples to emulate: Ritz-Carlton hotels, Disney theme parks, Nordstrom's department stores, Lexus automobile dealerships and many more.

• I am happy to see patients for a no charge recheck if they have complaints about eyeglasses that I prescribed (assume your staff feels unsure about resolving the problem).
• I have never seriously entertained the idea of charging a fee for no shows.
• I am obsessed with making sure there is always a staff member at the front desk.
• I hate it if my office runs late for appointments or if people have to wait very long for service.
• It is extremely rare for me to dismiss a patient from the practice and ask them to not return (perhaps one person over several years).
• If a patient asked for a refund and would not agree to any other attempt to satisfy his or her complaint, I would grant it. See my comment under Disclaimers below.
• If a patient makes a request that I feel is unreasonable, I talk calmly with him and find a way to satisfy him (or a staff member may do it).
• I often discuss patient satisfaction at staff meetings and train staff to be polite and friendly at all times.
• I don't look for ways to bill medical insurance plans as a way to increase practice revenue.
• I have said (and will say) the words "I'm sorry" to a patient and I train my staff that it's desirable to say it when warranted.

• Ten true statements. You are a management and marketing genius. You really get it and you probably have a highly successful practice already, or you will have in the near future if you continue with your philosophy.
• Seven, eight or nine true statements. You are a very good leader for your practice, but there are still a few ways you can improve in the area of customer service. There may be times that the frustrations of dealing with the public can get the best of you.
• Four, five or six true statements. You are struggling with the concepts of excellent customer service and you don't really see the benefits that would accrue to you as a business stakeholder. Those benefits are huge and I recommend that you reevaluate your business philosophy. Read the book Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless by Jeffrey Gitomer. Once you change your approach to business, your practice will change for the better.
• Three or fewer true statements. Perhaps you are in a mode of practice that does not depend upon the free enterprise system or is in some way different than the typical business model. That could be fine, not everyone has to practice in a system that depends upon patients returning for care in the future and referring others. There are markets where the fees are so low that there is no need (or capability) for great service. There are markets that are akin to a monopoly and patient satisfaction is irrelevant. But if you are in the three or fewer true statement group and have a traditional independent eye care practice in a free market economy, I think you are missing some basic tenants of good business practice. Daily life in the office could be more pleasant and revenue production could be much higher.