So… I had a little bit of breast cancer last summer.
But that’s not really what this story is about.
It’s about customer experience, the kind that earns loyalty for life.
Lately, I’ve been immersed in conversations about service and purpose, reading Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and other stories about people who go beyond transactions to create meaning in their work. So, when I unexpectedly found myself navigating a complex healthcare journey, I started noticing something remarkable. This community of providers had mastered what many companies spend millions trying to achieve: a seamless, human-centered experience.
Every Touchpoint, A Moment of Care
It started when a radiologist at Summit Health took a second look at my routine mammogram. Five tiny specks of calcium at the edge of the scan caught her eye. She could have easily missed them. Her diligence changed everything.
When I went in for my biopsy, a nurse at Central Oregon Radiology Association noticed my nerves. She offered a warm blanket. I declined. She draped one over me anyway. Her quiet, intuitive compassion comforted me.
After the biopsy, the radiologist personally called to discuss my results the moment they were posted. Her soft, tentative tone told me she cared about my emotional state as much as the diagnosis itself.
Soon after, a nurse from The Cancer Center called “just to check in,” because, as she said, “the waiting is sometimes the hardest part.” She encouraged questions, listened patiently, and gave me access to her time, as well as her direct phone number! When does that ever happen?!
My surgeon, Dr. Andy Higgins, met with us next. He explained the upcoming process in detail, with extraordinary kindness and clarity. He shattered every stereotype I had about hurried surgeons.
And when my radiation and medical oncologists welcomed me with optimism and an already-organized plan, explaining that all the doctors meet weekly to discuss each patient’s care, I was blown away. Not by technology or facilities, but by coordination, collaboration, and thoughtfulness.
The Moment It Clicked
Somewhere along the way, it hit me: This wasn’t luck. It was by design.
These people — nurses, techs, doctors, care coordinators — had built a system rooted in empathy and excellence. They didn’t just perform care; they lived it.
Should I ever find myself with a bit more breast cancer, I would return to them in a heartbeat, and I would tell everyone I know to do the same.
And that’s the lesson for every business leader and service provider: when people feel genuinely cared for, they don’t just come back. They become advocates.
What “Customer Experience” Really Means
Too often, organizations treat customer experience like a checkbox — something to optimize for efficiency or brand optics.
But when it’s just a veneer, customers can feel it.
- It’s the automated phone tree that leads nowhere.
- The customer service rep who sounds bored and powerless.
- The product designed for obsolescence just before the warranty expires.
That is a cheap, plastic imitation of “customer service”, and it erodes trust.
Real customer service means designing systems that actually serve.
This might look like:
- Surveying customers to identify pain points, and fixing them.
- Building intuitive paths to useful information online.
- Empowering and training representatives to actually solve problems.
- Paying them well enough to feel safe, appreciated, and motivated to pass that care along.
Because caring for your employees is caring for your customers.
Someone once said, “Never waste a good crisis.”
I don’t plan to.
I walked away from this experience deeply grateful, not just for my health, but for the lesson it gave me. I saw what real, purposeful service looks like. It affirmed being both real and good and made me want to double down on intentionality in my own work, my teams, and my partnerships.
Because in the end, the heart of customer experience is simple: When people feel cared for, they stay, they trust, and they tell others.
And that’s how you earn a customer, a patient, or a partner, for life.
