I’m so tired of hearing “I’m sorry.”
My friend posted these words on her Facebook page along with tagging the radiology facility where she had spent half her day trying to get a simple diagnostic test.
Used appropriately and sparingly, apologies can be important and powerful, but they can’t replace action.
We’ve all been taught to own up and apologize when we make a mistake or when a customer experiences an unexpected delay. However, said too frequently by too many, the words “I’m sorry” are a sign of a bigger problem. They become an empty apology, completely meaningless to the recipient.
Patients don’t really want apologies; they want quality care and service. And if they don’t get this from you, they will find somewhere else to go.
So if you start hearing too many apologies in your office, take it as a signal to dig a little deeper, identify the problem, and make the changes necessary to correct it.