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Opinion: Culture of convenience key to meet customer, patient needs

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As the world rapidly changes, we all know it’s important to stay connected and relevant to those we serve.

Although I work in health care, I believe there are a number of core principles that make a difference when cutting through the noise to reach people – and convenience should be at the top of the list of those priorities. 

Having top-quality services, especially in health care, is crucial. It is paramount to have highly skilled providers who can offer care that is appropriate and delivered correctly.

However, if there are roadblocks for people to access those opportunities, it might as well be that they don’t exist at all.

Simplicity is key: Work to reduce the number of steps between a patient or customer’s efforts to access a good or service. We should make it easy for someone to partner with our companies.

This reality has made convenience a significant focus at CoxHealth in recent years.

Patients, a term synonymous with customers, are in a world with instant access to all kinds of services. They live busy lives, and they need assistance on their schedules.

At CoxHealth, part of this need was met by adding new opportunities to connect – both physically and virtually.

In the physical sense, widening one’s footprint with additional locations is an obvious option. More locations offer convenience and recognition, but it also literally helps meet customers where they are. Consolidating services at touchpoint hubs also allows greater ease of access, especially when it reduces the number of places a customer must go for services.

But if new facilities aren’t feasible, meeting customers can very much take place in the virtual sense. While it might be easy to shy away from new technology, think beyond the box to find new ways it can be implemented to further your relationships.

You might consider online scheduling and technology to hold spots in advance. Could you offer services online, instantly widening your customer base? For example, we began utilizing telemedicine several years ago for certain treatments but greatly expanded at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, we will use it in a variety of primary and specialty care settings. This has proven a great option for us, especially since it allows us to connect patients, perhaps in rural areas of the region, with greatly reduced need for travel.

But if new technological platforms aren’t an option for you, simply growing a social media presence, where you can engage with customers and the community, will give you a sense of how to best meet their needs.

That said, tools alone do not equal success. Attitude and outlook are also key factors in this equation. Too often, attitudes may be tied to “we do what we have to” versus “we do what it takes.” The difference in these concepts can result in a drastically different customer experience.

Patients or customers also need to be able to have control over what they are seeking, when they want it and how they want it. The more you can do that, the more likely you are to be their first choice.

This came to light for us at CoxHealth a few years ago, when we made access to care a top priority. We knew we were in a pivotal time of patient choice, and the decisions patients made would affect their health care – and our success – for generations.

We very much wanted to create a lasting connection with our patients. We did this by challenging the norm and pushing a greater level of customer service and engagement, and by getting people in more quickly and with more options.

To keep growing and thriving, companies need to have a culture of convenience. I have seen firsthand how thinking through this lens can have a significant impact and would encourage others to brainstorm ways they can implement similar strategies in their own endeavors. Even simple changes can make a big difference.

Do not be afraid of shaking things up. If you want to make rapid change, you must identify your challenges and face them head-on. We can’t hold back. To thrive for those who need us, we have to do what’s right for them, and that often means meeting them where they are.

Brock Shamel is vice president of Cox Medical Group. He can be reached at brock.shamel@coxhealth.com.

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