By Craig White | I have a similar story [to Brack’s column on Joshie the Giraffe] involving the staff of Charleston Place.
My wife, two small children (ages 10 and 7) and I were visiting Charleston over a decade ago. At dinner the night before we were scheduled to head home to Greenwood, my wife started feeling very ill. We decided to get up early the following morning and get her home. As the night progressed, she grew much worse and was in terrible pain. We bundled the kids up and took her to MUSC’s emergency room. On the way out of Charleston Place, I told the front desk staff that I was taking my wife to the hospital and I would be back as soon as possible to pack and check out. They said not to worry about it and wished us well at the hospital.
At MUSC, we discovered that my wife’s appendix had ruptured, which required immediate emergency surgery. My children and I stayed at the hospital all day and, thankfully, the surgery was successful. Around 7 o’clock that evening, my two exhausted children and I returned to Charleston Place. When I went to the front desk, I expected our belongings were probably in storage and I thought we would have to find another hotel because my wife needed to be hospitalized for several additional days. When I gave the receptionist my name, his immediate response was, “Mr. White, how is your wife?”
This came from a staff member who was not at work there at 6 a.m., so the prior shift had fully communicated what had happened with my family. I explained the situation and he told me that our room was still ours for as long as we needed it and that we would receive a 50 percent discount off the normal room rate for any additional days. I was so grateful for the kindness.
We went to the room and I promised the kids we would go find something to eat. As soon as we entered the room, the phone rang. “Mr. White, how is your wife?” asked the room service staff person. I explained and thanked her for asking. She then informed me that the hotel would be sending dinner up to us at no charge and they even included an ice cream sundae bar for my children. Not only was the front desk aware of our situation, but the staff had communicated across the hotel.
This is the true essence of customer service. This experience happened years ago and I am fairly certain that most of the people who were so incredibly kind to my family and me are no longer with Charleston Place. I am sure you can guess what hotel I recommend to people going to Charleston and where I continue to stay when we go. I am still grateful to Charleston Place for its care and kindness during a stressful time—and always will be.
I have told this story countless times over the years to inspire people to focus on our patients and their families and to always strive to create the best experience.
Craig White is vice president and chief compliance officer of Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, where he and his family live. (He’s also a big fan of Statehouse Report!)
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