In this episode of Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ “Leveraging the Laboratory” podcast, host Jane Hermansen, outreach manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories, is joined by colleagues Ellen Dijkman Dulkes and Brianne Newton. They discuss common challenges outreach programs face that can lead to a program’s failure and how to overcome those barriers. Specific topics include:

• Bolstering leadership support and navigating competing priorities.
• Retaining customers and fixing common communication mistakes.
• Maintaining awareness of things that you cannot control but can impact your program.
• Establishing strong, dedicated leadership of the outreach program.

View the 11 tactics that lead to the highest level of laboratory outreach success mentioned in this episode.

In this episode of Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ “Leveraging the Laboratory” podcast, host Jane Hermansen, outreach manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories, is joined by colleagues Ellen Dijkman Dulkes and Brianne Newton to discuss building an outreach team. Specific topics include:

• Insights for identifying roles and staff for your outreach team.
• Guidance for establishing goals for an emerging outreach program.
• Strategies for effective communication among the outreach team.
• Tips for building strong relationships with your customers.

In this episode of Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ “Leveraging the Laboratory” podcast, host Jane Hermansen, outreach manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories, is joined by colleagues Ellen Dijkman Dulkes and Brianne Newton. They build on their previous discussion about customer service by focusing on service recovery.

They discuss strategies for responding to mishaps in the laboratory in a way that supports your broader customer service goals. Specific topics include:

• Common breakdowns in the laboratory outreach environment that may require service recovery.
• Four parts of an effective response: listening, acknowledging, apologizing, and actions to rectify the situation.
• The power of turning service breakdowns into problem-solving opportunities that make your laboratory outreach program better.
• The importance of a quality management plan and empowered staff in effective service recovery.

Additional resources mentioned during the podcast include Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ outreach articles on customer service and a free, on-demand customer service training module.