Buyers often lament about how soon
they are forgotten after a sale.
Think about purchasing a car. So
much up front energy goes into
convincing people to buy, but little
is done after the sale to assure
that those customers become
loyalists who buy again and tell
others. Companies that cultivate
loyalty cultivate lifetime
customers.
Think Harley-Davidson, Apple,
Southwest--their customers feel as
if they have a proprietary interest
in the company and that their
concerns and ideas will be acted
upon. These companies communicate
with customers before and after the
sale. Communities of customers come
together to share ideas, and
loyalists get sneak previews of
products and even share ideas on how
to design those products.
Of course, healthcare is a different
beast to tame. One thing to bear in
mind is that hospitals face the
daunting task of marketing something
that is unwanted. There is a clear
disadvantage from the beginning; for
this reason, it’s even more critical
that the hospital interaction
experience be superior. As the
saying goes, you only get one chance
to make a good first impression.
Think what you will about how people
choose their hospital. Much is being
made of shopping on quality, but
statistics show that few consumers
actually choose their hospital that
way. Price shopping is coming, but
is not here yet, and once it arrives
people still are unlikely to shop on
price alone.
Fred Lee’s book, If Disney Ran
Your Hospital, offers a
different perspective. He says that
when all is said and done, the
perception of a hospital is
determined not just by the clinical
outcome, but by the whole experience
with the healthcare institution.
There has been much written on how
to ensure a great experience when
patients are a captive audience in
the hospital. That is extremely
important, since the expectations
you set in your marketing campaigns
certainly must be met and exceeded.
But little is written about what
should happen before and after the
start of a patient relationship.
What you do at those points in time
can help you exceed the expectations
you set.
These eight tips can help hospitals
build relationships and keep
awareness strong before the person
becomes a patient, and maintain the
connection after they leave the
facility.
Before admission
- Assign an
ombudsman to each patient
Hospitals can be confusing and
scary. While it is great to have an
advocate in the patient liaison
office, hospitals would be well
served to take it one step further.
Assign someone to be a patient’s
ombudsman, essentially, someone to
hold their hand--before they step in
the door. The ombudsman can call
before admission to go over
logistics and facilitate any
specific needs the patient has. Upon
arrival at the hospital, the
ombudsman can meet the patient and
family, visit often during the stay,
be there when the patient is
escorted to the curb for discharge,
then communicate with the patient
afterwards and facilitate any needs.
There is already an ombudsman model
in place. National media coverage
has given credibility to the trend
of medical tourism, where U.S.
patients actually shop for
international care. The Joint
Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organization accredits
international hospitals; U.S. and
British-trained physicians work at
these facilities. Besides offering
care for a tenth of the price, these
facilities offer unmatched customer
service on a personal level.
Ombudsmen are a routine part of that
experience.
- Connect to communities
Support groups tend to come into
play after hospitalization and
during recovery and further
treatment. Facilitate the connecting
of people who have had particular
procedures with other patients about
to undergo the same procedures. Have
people self-select to participate to
avoid any privacy concerns. The
patient can elect to contact someone
if they desire.
- Connect to information
Develop a secure patient portal on
your Web site that serves as an
extension of the ombudsman.
Hospitals are starting to develop
these, particularly in terms of
facilitating payment and viewing
balances. Use it also as an
opportunity to educate people,
offering specific information that
picks up where the general health
information on your site leaves off.
In other words, include information
about specific procedures as well as
information about recovery and
rehabilitation.
- Tell them what it
costs
St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City,
Mo., has taken price transparency to
a new level. Consumers can call to
learn specific information about
costs. Customer service
representatives look at the primary
procedure that is being performed
and tie it to all ancillary
procedures that will be done. They
review the negotiated rate for the
caller’s insurer, then look at the
caller’s deductible and how much is
left, arriving at a figure that is
based in fact. This kind of service
creates a lasting impression.
After discharge
- Give them
appropriate discharge information
A study in Mayo Clinical Proceedings
revealed that a significant number
of patients discharged from
hospitals were unaware of vital
information about their diagnosis
and follow-up care. Sixty-two
percent could not explain the
purpose of their medications; 58
percent did not know their
diagnosis. Hospitals need to
facilitate better communication with
patients, recognizing and addressing
language and cultural differences.
Verbal and written communication
need to be in terms patients
understand. Treatment plans must be
customized to fit the person’s
lifestyle. Give people what they
need and connect them to the proper
resources to assure a great
recovery.
- Follow up by phone,
not mail
While there are routine discharge
phone calls placed by hospitals, few
hospitals conduct customer
satisfaction surveys over the phone.
Statistics show that most hospitals
mail out a survey and hope that it
comes back. By having a third party
call, you not only boost your
participation rate, but you open a
dialogue that is sure to glean more
information more quickly which means
the hospital can act upon that
information quickly. One of the
hallmarks of companies that
cultivate loyalists is their ability
to turn on a dime to meet customer
needs.
- Bring the ombudsman
back into the picture
Have the ombudsman complete the
cycle by checking in on the patient.
Give the customer satisfaction
results for that patient to the
ombudsman so they can report on
fixes and explore unresolved issues.
Then follow with phone calls once a
quarter. Keep the relationship
alive.
- Train
accounts-receivable personnel
As the consumer-directed healthcare
phenomenon takes hold and consumers
pay more out-of-pocket, accounts
receivable will not just be talking
to insurers, but consumers as well.
The sometimes unpleasant exchanges
that occur between insurers and
hospitals cannot be repeated between
accounts receivable and former
patients. You need to make personnel
aware of the public relations impact
of what they do and provide customer
training. Incorporate best practices
from companies that routinely deal
with consumer collections to assure
a best possible experience.
Building before-and-after scenarios
takes some work over time. You can
start by selecting and training the
right volunteers as ombudsmen. But
to truly embrace this, hospitals
need to rethink the whole notion of
customer service and create first a
position, and then a department that
helps create the best experience
possible for the patient. It is more
than concierge medicine; it is a
cultural change in how care is
approached.
We live in an experience economy.
Mass customization surrounds us.
This philosophy has to be embraced
and endorsed by senior management.
If you accept and believe that
creating the best experience fosters
brand loyalty and further accept
that word-of-mouth marketing is your
best advertising, then finding the
budget to support what is suggested
should be easy.
Not to sound too simplistic or
cynical, but blow up your
advertising budget and devote some
of those resources where the rubber
meets the road. Start with a
philosophy that permeates the
organization, build a culture, and
the budget will come.
Create one seamless positive
experience for the patient--one that
will be remembered and recounted to
others. Word of mouth--buzz
marketing--will quickly spread. The
patient will be predisposed to use
your services again. And those that
were told of the great experience
will have positive brand
associations with your facility that
can help tip them in your favor in
times of medical need.
Hospital
leaders are challenged to develop
strategies that mitigate many of the
factors that have contributed to their
growing separation from physicians.
