Last night I plopped myself onto the couch with a brand-new bag of mouthwatering spicy BBQ chips and was ready to binge a couple hours of my favorite show. I reached my hand in the bag all ready for one of my favorite snacks only to find out that every single one of the chips in my bag was completely void of the tasty BBQ flavor. “What the heck!” I went into the kitchen a grabbed the second bag only to find out that those chips were exactly the same. What a disappointment! I went ahead and watched my show and ate my boring chips ,but felt deep in the most childish recesses of my mind that I had been robbed of that spicy goodness!
I began to wonder, “What happened in the Better Made factory that day?” “How many bags ended up sans flavor?” “Is the next bag going to be like this?” So as I pondered sending the company an email about my dissatisfying junk food, I began to think about how important quality control is. And as silly as it sounds, after 20 years of center leadership, I couldn’t help but let that sad little chip lead me into a training topic. So here it is- Quality control is important, no matter what the product or service is. Think about it.
All manufacturers have a quality control department. The people who work in these departments are responsible for checking random pieces and parts to ensure that the product has been manufactured correctly. They examine the item to make sure that it is the right size, color, shape, and so on. When they find that a batch is not living up to expectations, they halt manufacturing for a short time and go back to the beginning of the process to examine what went wrong and where. Then they may make adjustments to machines, change out parts, materials, employees, and whatever else is necessary to improve production and meet standards they can be proud of.
Your center does not have a quality control department, per se, but it can have quality control protocols in place. These protocols are a crucial part of a modern, successful pregnancy center. They ensure that the services you offer meet certain standards of excellence. Quality control protocols help maintain consistency, reliability, and build confidence amongst your staff. And because of the high quality of services, you are able to offer, clients trust you as a credible source and will help build your reputation in the community through word of mouth.
Here are a few ways we can ensure a standard of excellence in our centers:
Exit Surveys: Exit surveys provide valuable feedback from clients so you know where you are succeeding and where you may need some growth. They also speak to the overall mindset of a client upon her departure, which can help you determine what level of follow-up might be advantageous.
Chart Auditing: Chart auditing is essential to ensure accuracy and completeness of medical appointments, proper documentation, and to be certain HIPAA and other important protocols are followed.
Staff & Volunteer Evaluations: Staff evaluations provide the opportunity for you to assess performance and identify areas where growth may be needed. They also allow a safe place for staff to voice their concerns and frustrations.
Policy & Procedure Review: Policy reviews ensure that procedures stay relevant and effective. As centers evolve and adapt to changing circumstances, policies should be periodically reviewed and updated to ensure they are aligned with current objectives, standards, and legal requirements.
Building Safety Examinations: Building walk-throughs are important to the prevention of accidents and protect clients and staff from accidents and injury.
By incorporating quality control practices into your center's everyday practices, you can continue to improve and grow while providing exceptional services to your clients. Your staff will be more confident and your reputation in the community will soar.
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