The quality of customer service in anatomic pathology

Customer service, namely ensuring that the quality of goods and services meet the expectations of those who use them is a fundamental element by which customers gauge the value of a company. The subject of customer service in the practice of anatomic pathology receives little time in pathologists’ training programs and little print in medical literature. In this paper, the author will discuss the importance of customer service to customer retention in the practice of anatomic pathology. The author will also compare the use of two metrics – one of process: test turnaround time and the other of outcome: customer satisfaction – by which the success of customer service is evaluated.