Medical Device Link.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Donal Quinn is chief operating officer at Dade Behring Inc. (Deerfield, IL). He is responsible for global sales, service, and marketing, in addition to global logistics and global reagent and consumable manufacturing. He can be reached at donal_quinn@ dadebehring.com.

Is it reasonable for the IVD industry to aspire to over-the-top customer service excellence in a healthcare environment that prizes cost containment? I would argue that IVD manufacturers can do it, and do it well. It begins with the ability to build unparalleled service in a cost-effective way. Manufacturers can all agree that while an unconstrained investment in service might be successful in delighting customers, it is not a good business model.

Sustaining good service is just as important as excellence. There is a way to achieve both goals if an IVD company can match what is offered to customers with what is important to them.

Achieving such a match can be difficult. Customer expectations are constantly evolving as a larger, more diverse group of stakeholders influences clinical laboratory operations. Dade Behring is continually updating its mix of value-added service offerings in order to address such needs across the range of stakeholders, from technologists to laboratory managers, procurement professionals, and healthcare executives. The process demands thoughtful consideration of what customers value most, whether it is shipping options and packaging, consultative services, educational resources, or technical support. Dade Behring then identifies high-value service touch points for a particular customer and effectively tailors its offerings.

For example, access to three-dimensional floor plans might be critical for one lab automation customer, but a low value for another. Nurse-centered training programs may bring tremendous value to those laboratories initiating emergency-department cardiac point of care, but may be an unnecessary resource for centralized laboratory operations. By identifying specific needs and offering exactly what is valued, customer service excellence becomes a customized approach that is scalable and fiscally appropriate for each customer.

The Value of Customer Service

Another factor as critical as the customization and scalability of customer service excellence is the positioning of its economic value. While some healthcare providers realize that service excellence is a wise investment at all levels, other participants in the healthcare value chain still need to be reached. The IVD industry can translate service excellence benefits into meaningful language for not only the clinical laboratories, but also hospital administrators, the medical community, and the government. The industry’s ability to communicate this value is vital to the strength of its business and ultimately the success of its laboratory customers.

As service excellence advocates, IVD manufacturers have a stake in developing tools that help laboratory professionals strengthen the connection between strategic investments in diagnostic services and improvements in cost-effective quality patient care. In areas of the world undergoing significant healthcare reforms, laboratories need help selling the value of their products. For example, healthcare is a data-rich environment. Manufacturers can help their customers mine that data to build a case for intelligent investment in quality diagnostic services; and they can add that tool as part of their service offerings. The combination of scalable services for each customer with strong advocacy for clinical diagnostics is needed at the micro level for individual customers and at the macro level for the overall fiscal strength of the whole industry.

As IVD manufacturers expand their ability to provide over-the-top service in a cost-effective way, customer-centered quality becomes a more effective blend of regulatory compliance and quality control as viewed through the customer’s eyes. Customer appreciation for the value of service excellence grows, products alone become less important, and how the customer feels about the entire experience becomes more important.

A successful strategy for service excellence requires simultaneous investment in product development and the customer experience. Research and development activities that ensure practical, relevant product innovation remain critical. At the same time, an intense focus on customer service and infrastructure that fosters consistency at every point of interaction should remain a goal. With these imperatives in mind, IVD manufacturers can offer service excellence, and do it well.