Health care – What do consumers think of your brand?

For many years, I have worked with various types of health care organizations such as home health, hospital networks, rehab centers, and physician practices to help these organizations measure the awareness and image of their brands.  While knowing if more people are familiar with your name is important, it is critical to understand what customers and prospects think about your organization in this time of increased competition and expanding service areas.

Awareness is only the first step in process.

The old adage they have to know you to use you is still true. However, in today’s highly competitive market, knowing your name is only the first step.  Consumers have so many choices when it comes to health care that it is critical to ensure your brand, along with your relevant products and services, are on their radar.  In addition, you need to understand if your brand has a positive reputation in the community and that old baggage isn’t keeping consumers away from your doors.

Consumers have many resources at their fingertips to help them gauge the performance and capabilities of health care organizations they may consider selecting.  This means it is critically important to make sure every customer or patient has a positive experience and receives excellent service since they are more likely than ever to influence friends and family.

There is a need to recognize and embrace change and continuously strive to improve.

It is simply good business to continually strive to give every customer and visitor you encounter an excellent experience. This can start by training every employee and staff member to simply acknowledge customers, consumers, caregivers, and visitors using your services. While this may seem obvious, you’d be surprised how a little human contact improves perceptions and customer satisfaction.  What is most important is having ongoing efforts to improve in all areas of performance and service.

A positive experience starts at the top.

Consumers are increasingly sophisticated when it comes to understanding the dynamics of good service.  In a wide variety of industries, consumers believe top management sets the tone for service in an organization.  In addition, consumers know that happy employees provide much better customer service.  Communication is the key.  It’s important that management engages with and listens to staff so everyone is striving to provide the best possible experience.

Finally, the only way to really know if your organization is making continuous improvements in customer service is to measure it.  Syndicated services may not really tell the whole story in terms of customer satisfaction.  In fact, I recommend hybrid research including customized quantitative surveys among your customers, patients, and prospects supported by qualitative research among similar audiences. This allows you to evaluate your competitive position in order to really understand your performance. It also provides marketing and senior management with a clear picture of how the organization is viewed and what areas need work to make the organization more competitive.