Communicating Effectively with Customers
Making sure everyone gets the message
Situation Room
Scenario 1: Paperwork and the Podiatrist
Ariana will be visiting a new podiatrist for the first time. The office requires patients to arrive 15 minutes early for their first appointment to fill out intake paperwork. When Ariana learned this while making her appointment, she requested assistance to complete the forms as she is blind and cannot independently fill out printed paperwork.
Robert, the front-desk staff person, initially thinks that this could not be done, because it is not normal office procedure. He considers faxing the documents to Ariana so she can get help with filling them out ahead of time, but even as he begins to speak that suggestion, he realizes that it may not be ideal for Ariana.
Think about it. What needs to happen?
Robert wants to provide good customer service. He asks Ariana to hold, and then checks the schedule for the day of her appointment. He realizes that he and a colleague will be handling administrative duties that day. Robert knows that he or the colleague could set aside time to assist Ariana with the paperwork.
He tells Ariana that if she prefers, someone from the office will be available to do the intake form with her. Ariana gladly takes Robert up on his offer because she lives alone and it can be difficult for her to find someone to complete printed paperwork for her.
Also, the office is already working on creating an online intake form. Robert will be at the next planning meeting for this form, so he makes a to-do to ask if this form will be accessible for people with a vision-related disability.
The takeaway
Effective communication may require providing assistance to a customer with a communication disability. Staff may need to take time to handle processes in a different way in order to give the customer equal access to goods and services. They may need to be flexible in their thinking of how things can be done so they can meet a customer's need.
The person with the disability cannot be expected to provide their own auxiliary aid or service. The business is obligated to ensure that the auxiliary aid or service is effective and allows the individual to be as independent as possible while granting equal access.
Scenario 2: Manuel and the Mortgage Closing
Manuel is preparing to close on a mortgage for his first home. He is Deaf and plans to work with his local bank for the closing. He has requested that the bank provide an American sign language (ASL) interpreter for their meetings.
Daniella, the bank manager, took Manuel’s request and is considering what would be effective communication. She is hesitant to provide an interpreter because it would cost a couple hundred dollars. It would be cheaper to communicate with written notes.
Think about it. What needs to happen?
Daniella contacts her regional ADA Center to learn more about whether the bank has to provide an ASL interpreter. The technical assistance team at the ADA Center explains that the complexity of an interaction is an important factor to consider when deciding what auxiliary aid or service is correct. Because a mortgage closing is a very weighty financial decision, Daniella decides to scrap her idea of suggesting written notes during the closing in favor of providing an ASL interpreter.
After locating and securing an interpreter’s services, she uses relay to call Manuel and notify him that an ASL interpreter will be at the closing to help with communication.
The takeaway
If you aren’t sure how to apply the ADA to a particular communications situation, you aren’t alone. The ADA National Network includes 10 regional ADA Centers with staff who can answer questions like Daniella’s. If you have a question, call them toll-free at 800-949-4232.
They can help you consider key elements of the decision: the complexity of the situation, preference of the individual, duration of the communication, how many people are involved, and whether the auxiliary aid or service offers equivalent access.
The scenarios, including all names, characters, and incidents portrayed on this page are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, or products is intended or should be inferred.