AAMI: Tech management needs to raise its customer service value
SAN ANTONIO—The potential customer service value that a clinical engineering department brings to a provider is the “most overlooked aspect of a healthcare technology management program,” especially for the C-suite level, according to a presentation at the 2011 Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) conference & expo on June 25.
Raymond Ongirski, director of system clinical engineering at Alexian Brothers Health Network in Arlington Heights, Ill., explained clinical engineering programs need to control the C-suite’s perception of their role with the hospital. “Are you a fix-it shop? Are you an asset management department? Are you a resource? What value do you bring to them, especially to enhancing their customer service?”
He noted that competition is tight within U.S. healthcare, and customer service is a differentiator in a hospital. “Whether you are an in-house program, third party service, OEM [original equipment manufacturer] or a supplier, customer service should be present in the beginning, middle and end of everything you do to overcome competition,” he said.
In order to control perception, clinical engineers (CEs) first need to identify their customers. Ongirski said that the main customers include the staff within a hospital, such the front-line service personnel (caregivers, nurses and technologists), as well as management and administration. “In all your interactions with these individuals, you need to keep questioning what value you are bringing to these people,” he said.
Ongirski said that CEs can gauge their valued perception by how the department is placed in importance within that organization from a service standpoint. “Do they see you as a cost center? Do they see you as a cost-limiting department?”
The traditional customer service tactics apply in these interactions with CEs and their peers: professionalism, responsiveness, communication, follow-through and delivery, competency, as well as cost-efficiency.
In-house CEs are in “a very unique position within healthcare organizations, as you are the individuals that the hospital relies upon for competency in the analytical, the technical and the clinical aspects. Our profession involves anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, IT functions and electronics,” Ongirski said.
Particularly for the C-suite executives, CEs should ask themselves: “How well are we performing within our budget, and can we be doing better to bring this very important customer satisfaction?”
To ensure that they are properly meeting the needs of their peer/customers, Ongirski recommended that they design and distribute customized surveys to assess what matters to the various departments, including response times, professionalism, technical competency and cost-effectiveness.
After analyzing those results in a measurable format, he suggested the CE:
Raymond Ongirski, director of system clinical engineering at Alexian Brothers Health Network in Arlington Heights, Ill., explained clinical engineering programs need to control the C-suite’s perception of their role with the hospital. “Are you a fix-it shop? Are you an asset management department? Are you a resource? What value do you bring to them, especially to enhancing their customer service?”
He noted that competition is tight within U.S. healthcare, and customer service is a differentiator in a hospital. “Whether you are an in-house program, third party service, OEM [original equipment manufacturer] or a supplier, customer service should be present in the beginning, middle and end of everything you do to overcome competition,” he said.
In order to control perception, clinical engineers (CEs) first need to identify their customers. Ongirski said that the main customers include the staff within a hospital, such the front-line service personnel (caregivers, nurses and technologists), as well as management and administration. “In all your interactions with these individuals, you need to keep questioning what value you are bringing to these people,” he said.
Ongirski said that CEs can gauge their valued perception by how the department is placed in importance within that organization from a service standpoint. “Do they see you as a cost center? Do they see you as a cost-limiting department?”
The traditional customer service tactics apply in these interactions with CEs and their peers: professionalism, responsiveness, communication, follow-through and delivery, competency, as well as cost-efficiency.
In-house CEs are in “a very unique position within healthcare organizations, as you are the individuals that the hospital relies upon for competency in the analytical, the technical and the clinical aspects. Our profession involves anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, IT functions and electronics,” Ongirski said.
Particularly for the C-suite executives, CEs should ask themselves: “How well are we performing within our budget, and can we be doing better to bring this very important customer satisfaction?”
To ensure that they are properly meeting the needs of their peer/customers, Ongirski recommended that they design and distribute customized surveys to assess what matters to the various departments, including response times, professionalism, technical competency and cost-effectiveness.
After analyzing those results in a measurable format, he suggested the CE:
- Identify at least three areas for improvement;
- Identify multiple customers with whom to conduct follow-up interviews;
- Design and implement an action plan based upon the interviews and survey results; and
- Monitor progress against the action plan.