The Customer Rules by Lee Cockerell is built around practical service principles that translate extremely well into healthcare. After sharing in last month’s book review that I had the opportunity to meet Lee and experience firsthand how genuine he is, and having followed his podcast for over a decade, this book reinforces the consistency of his message on service and leadership. While written for business and hospitality, with strong influence from Disney leadership, many of the ideas map directly to the patient experience in a medical practice.
In reading the book, I identified three concepts that apply strongly to a doctor’s office.
Three Patient Experience Concepts That Apply to a Doctor’s Office
“Everything speaks.”
This concept is reflected throughout the book and aligns most closely with Rules #1, #3, #15, and #20.
Every detail communicates something about the practice.
This includes:
Patients interpret these signals as indicators of clinical competence and trustworthiness, even though they are operational details.
Application in a practice:
Patients rarely judge clinical skill directly. They judge the experience around the care they receive.
“Make it easy for the customer to do business with you.”
This concept is directly reflected in Rule #4 and reinforced by Rules #3, #14, and #25.
In healthcare, this translates to removing friction for patients. Common pain points include:
Practices that win in competitive markets simplify access.
Not every patient population is comfortable with or has access to digital tools. In some practices, particularly those serving geriatric or physically limited patients, technology can create additional barriers rather than reduce them. Making it easy to do business means designing systems that match the needs and capabilities of the patient population.
Application in a practice:
Digital options (when appropriate):
Low-tech options (when preferred or needed):
Patients choose practices that are easier to interact with, even when clinical quality is similar.
“Be on stage.”
This concept is reflected throughout the book and aligns most closely with Rules #1, #15, #20, and #23.
Cockerell teaches that employees are always “on stage” when patients are present.
This includes:
Patients notice everything.
Application in a practice:
In healthcare, professionalism must extend beyond the exam room.
A Powerful Takeaway for Physicians
One idea from The Customer Rules by Lee Cockerell translates beautifully to healthcare:
“Customers judge the experience, not the process.”
For physicians, this experience is shaped by three core elements that form a complete patient experience framework:
Perception — what patients see
Access — how easy it is to interact with the practice
Behavior — how they are treated
Patients cannot evaluate surgical technique or diagnostic reasoning.
They evaluate how the practice feels, how easy it is to engage, and how they are treated at every step of the experience.
That experience shapes reputation, referrals, and reviews.
Book Review by Laura Woodard: The Customer Rules by Lee Cockerell
Founder and CEO, GrassRoots Medical Marketing
