Employees and Patients: your most valuable assets or your most valuable marketing tools?

By: John Corpus, Vice President, Client Services

Let us get the basics out of the way: employees are your most important asset; the patient is always right; brand = promise = experience! But, what does all of this mean?

Does your organization truly believe that its employees are its most important asset? More importantly, do the actions of your system demonstrate this? I am familiar with a number of healthcare entities that tout this message, giving notice to the public while trying to convince their employees at the same time. Yet, actions mean more than words and usually indicate otherwise.

Your employees are your strongest ambassadors: do they tell their friends and families how much you value them or how much you take advantage of them? Do they interact indifferently with patients and complain about various aspects of work or are they friendly and professional during patient interaction? Make sure that the answers here are positive, for believe it or not, your employees’ actions will attest more to how you value them than you stating it.

Is the patient REALLY always right? We know that this is not true. Does it matter? No! The concept of right or wrong is second to the experience. Instead, ask yourself if the patient walks away feeling respected, valued, and understood. Make your employees feel this way, and it will trickle down to the patients. In other words, treat them like they are your most important asset and they will do the same with their patients.

Has your organization constructed a brand promise it can keep? Perhaps even more important is whether the promise is meaningful or desired by the patient. Think about it: did you develop your brand promise based upon what patients want or upon what you think patients want.

Patient-/customer-centered service development and enhancement are paramount. Do it right the first time; determine what patients want versus what you have to offer; determine what patients want to buy before determining what you want to sell; continuously explore the needs of your patients instead of believing that you know what the patient needs.

Am I saying anything new? No. We tend to forget the basics however, often getting lost in the bottom-line once business is going well.

So, keep these points in mind:

• Stop telling everyone how your employees are your greatest asset – it means nothing when every other organization is saying the same thing. Be different: treat your employees as if they are your most important asset; their actions and statements will speak for themselves and are worth more than anything you can say.
• It does not matter if the patient is always right or sometimes wrong. What does matter is making the patient feel respected, valued, and understood, by turning any negative event into a positive experience.
• Patient experience defines your brand promise. Make sure that you are focused on the needs and desires of your patients versus what works best for the organization and its bottom-line.