The thank you letter: a rarity worth doing.

Last week I went to malaga’s central INSS office, where some tables are quite close together and in some cases it’s possible to hear what’s going on in the adjoining table.

In this manner, I saw a “funcionaria” with a woman that was clearly a foreigner, and she was crying, the funcionaria was holding her hand and saying “ don't worry, everything will be OK, you have the right to health cover, everything is OK”. She then got up and brought her a glass of water, then continued to hold her hand until the lady composed herself.

The lady attending me was also very nice, giving me information not only from the inss but from other administrations.

So, before I left, I sat down and wrote a congratulatory letter. They deserved it, and I like to do it.

Every time I go to an office and I get nice treatment, good info and a SMILE, I leave a “thank you, you’re doing a good job” letter.

And every time I get the same reaction. I go to the desk, and say “ I want you to please give entrance into the system to this congratulations letter”, they look at me with their mouth open, sorry? they ask. Yes, a congratulations letter, I received good service, and people need to know they are doing a good job.

"You are the only person that has ever done this" is the answer I usually receive.

Well, time to change that.

I do it also with my colleagues, if I accompany a patient to a consultant/GP and he/she fills my criteria, which is:

*good bedside manner

*smile

*thoroughness in her/his assessment

If this happens, I ask my patient, and if they agree, I write a congratulations letter (in spanish), one copy for the Doctor, one for the chief of department, and one that I mail to HR. If it’s in a healthcare centre, then I do one copy for the doctor and one for the director of the centre.

Believe me, the next time you see that consultant,or GP, they will  have in the back of their minds a good feeling associating you that letter. And it’s even more pronounced because it’s SO rare!, you will be the only one doing that, so it will be even more appreciated.

Also, If I feel my GP has done a good job with me throughout the year, I give her on christmas a little present, nothing exotic, more like a homemade cake or something like that, I just like doing it, and it bring the same good feelings in both of us.

I recommend that if you think you received a good service, leave that letter, even if you have to use google translate and it’s not perfect, the gesture will speak more than the broken spanish, the feeling will still be there.

Try it once, and then tell me how you feel.