[Series Installment] There’s an important lesson here for healthcare marketing. It seems the retail world is increasingly hungry for consumer feedback. Here’s why doctors, hospitals and medical marketing professionals need, more than ever, to take a page from service industries, brand names and merchandisers.
A reliable measure of customer satisfaction—how products or services meet or exceed customer expectation—is a vital marketing barometer. Among the benefits of an ongoing customer feedback system:
Within the past few days—less than a week—a marketing savvy colleague documented six proactive “customer satisfaction” surveys or solicitations. In addition, our coworker took note of several additional passive, “tell-us-how-we’re-doing” signs in retail locations. Admittedly, this isn’t a scientific sample, but it seems to signal the growth of consumerism and the enhanced importance of customer feedback.
It seems everyone wants to know if they—the seller, vendor or provider—are doing a good job in the eye or mind of the buyer.
In recent years, the nature of business in the US has become more customer-centric than ever before. Competition has increased. Market share is elusive. Consumers are increasingly cautious about spending decisions. What’s more, most of these same market dynamics are at work in healthcare as well as in retail business sectors.
General business sectors are no shy about asking. Healthcare, however, has until recently, been slow in seeking out and listening to the voice of the customer. We would be pleased to assist hospitals or provider practices in establishing new systems. Give us a call at 800-656-0907.
And for additional reading on this topic, see: How Satisfaction Unlocks Better Business Performance and Who Knew? The Surprising Science Behind Patient Satisfaction.
Kathy Gaughran
Marketing a healthcare organization can be challenging - even painful if you don't approach it with the right knowledge, tools, and guidance. By reading about mistakes and lessons others have learned the hard way, you can boost your marketing effectiveness and take a shortcut to success. Discover how to avoid these "Seven Deadly Sins". Plus, join over 30,000 of your fellow healthcare providers with a free subscription to our Insight Newsletter.