Why hospitals should care about the social media soapbox

by Nancy Cawley Jean Years ago, when someone was unhappy about a product or service, the response was typically to call a customer service department or write a letter to the editor. Of course they also complained to family and friends--and that word-of-mouth bad advertising went a long way. Today, social media gives people a powerful voice to share their thoughts, good or bad, about any topic under the sun, and be heard like never before. One person behind a keyboard or with a smartphone in his or her hand has the potential to be heard by millions of people around the world. So with that potential reach, it's no wonder that when someone is disgruntled, they head to their favorite social media networks to post a complaint, a photo or a video showing bad service or poor judgment (think Domino's pizza) by employees. It's the place to go to complain, unless, of course, you're in the business of social media. Then you might think twice about it as I recently did. A few weeks ago, my dad was hospitalized in a very scary 10-day stay at a hospital. That hospital is part of the health system for which I work and manage its social media. Don't get me wrong--I'm glad dad was there and received the care he did and is now home. The doctors and staff were wonderful, but some things just didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. Being an employee, I knew who to call to talk about it. But if I wasn't, I probably would have taken to social media to make a comment or two. Then ...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs