Practical customer feedback guide
Improve the diagnostic imaging waiting experience
A ThumbsUp device at the end of a defined waiting stage can show when patients experience uncertainty, poor communication, or discomfort around a diagnostic visit. It does not replace a queue timer or promise a shorter wait; it gives the operations team a touchless signal to investigate with local timing and staffing evidence.
For Imaging operations managers, radiology patient-experience leads, modality supervisors, and community diagnostic center managers.
Decision frame
Start with one physical service moment.
ThumbsUp helps an authorized team review a configured location and time signal. The setup still needs a site test for distance, lighting, reach, accessibility, privacy, and safe use.
Ask the question that matters to your team
Authorized managers can create or change the short question shown on assigned feedback devices. After Question Mode is enabled on those devices, customers answer the active question with a supported hand gesture—for example, “How good was the cleaning service?”—so each location can collect a signal about the service moment it wants to improve.
Measure the waiting experience, not just the clock
Patients can react to a wait that is unclear or unexpected even when the elapsed time is not the only issue. A waiting-experience feedback point helps a team notice patterns around updates, wayfinding, seating, handoff readiness, or uncertainty about what happens next.
ThumbsUp does not act as a queue-management system and does not automatically explain a delay. Use the signal to decide which waiting-stage process to examine alongside the center's own appointment, queue, and staffing information.
- Define whether the device represents the main waiting room, a modality sub-waiting area, or the transition into the examination stage.
- Keep delay communication, accessibility, and clinical prioritization decisions with the teams and procedures responsible for them.
- Compare like-for-like periods where possible; a device moved between waiting areas needs a new operational label.
| Waiting-stage signal | Follow-up question | Evidence to review |
|---|---|---|
| Unclear next step | Did patients know where to wait and how they would be called? | Wayfinding, appointment instructions, and staff handoff practice. |
| Unexpected delay | Were changes or delays communicated in a timely way? | Local queue or appointment records and the communication process. |
| Comfort or accessibility concern | Could patients wait safely and comfortably in the designated area? | Seating, access route, signage, and facilities observations. |
Choose a clear end point for the waiting stage
A waiting signal is easiest to interpret when the device sits at a consistent transition: for example, as patients leave the main waiting area to enter the examination flow, or at a defined public exit when the center cannot place a device at that transition. The important decision is that the patient has completed the waiting experience represented by the device.
Keep the device out of clinical preparation spaces and avoid placing it where a patient could mistake a feedback gesture for a call to enter an examination room. Accessibility routes, doors, and staff movement must remain clear.
- Name the device for the waiting area or modality it represents.
- Keep the placement stable while comparing operating periods.
- If several waiting areas have different workflows, use separate named devices or treat the result as a combined signal and say so in the review.
Illustrative workflow: investigating a waiting pattern
Illustrative example: a community imaging center sees a lower pattern on a device assigned to the ultrasound waiting area during certain afternoon periods. The operations lead checks the relevant appointment flow, patient updates, room availability, and accessibility observations. The team may change signage or the update process, then continues to review the same defined stage to see whether the service signal changes.
The example does not mean the feedback score identified a single cause. It shows how a stage-specific signal can focus an investigation without replacing the center's own time records or professional judgment.
Review patterns by stage and operating context
Authorized managers can review available time, day, device, location, and configured employee or shift context. For a waiting-area review, those dimensions can help separate a site-wide pattern from a single modality area or operating period, provided the device labels remain accurate.
Use the result to start a conversation about communication and flow. Do not infer that a patient was clinically delayed, that a modality was inappropriate, or that a particular employee caused the experience from a score alone.
Keep the feedback point easy to use
A waiting room can contain people with different mobility, language, and sensory needs. Choose a position with a clear line of sight and enough space for a quick gesture without asking anyone to touch a shared surface. Explain the service stage to staff so they can direct questions and accessibility requests through the normal support process rather than through the feedback device.
Questions operators ask
Improve the diagnostic imaging waiting experience questions, answered clearly.
Does ThumbsUp track a patient's exact waiting time?
No. ThumbsUp provides a touchless service signal linked to a configured device and available operational context. Use the diagnostic center's own appointment or queue records to measure elapsed time and investigate delays.
Where should a device be placed for a diagnostic imaging waiting area?
Place it at a consistent end point of the waiting stage, such as the transition out of the main or modality waiting area, while keeping doors, clinical preparation areas, queues, and accessibility routes clear.
How can a diagnostic center use waiting feedback fairly?
Use the configured question, waiting point, and employee or shift context to choose a focused service review. Confirm the pattern with queue, staffing, and communication evidence before selecting an improvement, keeping the result as context rather than a standalone conclusion about a person.
Can patients respond without touching a public device?
Yes. On a compatible camera-equipped Android tablet, a patient shows a hand gesture. The interaction does not require touching the screen, scanning a QR code, downloading an app, creating an account, or typing.
Continue the research
Plan the right feedback point with ThumbsUp.
Bring the service journey, site constraints, and reporting questions. The contact form can help define what a responsible pilot should test before launch.
Book a diagnostic imaging waiting-experience demo