EMERGING TRENDS IN CUSTOMER SERVICEInsight into new directions and new expectations for customer service

Areas of change in Customer Service

Personalization Customers want customer service

that is tailored to their individual needs. Customers want personalized service and products.

Technology Technology is the engine that will

allow much of the customization (personalization)

Globalization Changing demographics

(characteristics such as age, income, sex, occupation) will also account for changes in customer service.

With ageing baby boomers and young people becoming active consumers…companies will have to respond.

Personalization What does Personalization mean to you?

How do you experience personalization as a customer or client? TECHNOLOGY has made one-to-one

customer relationships possible Today, computers and point of sale electronic

data gathering devices make customer service easy. Companies now track individual preferences, poll

customers about their needs, and customize services and products to meet those needs.

A Shift in Marketing There has been a shift in marketing approaches

from sending mass marketing (the same message to many individuals) to individual marketing, one-to-one marketing (customized messages for an individual).

Examples Letter from your healthcare provider personalized to you E-newsletter from your doctor/dentist personalized for

you Personalized appointment reminder Individualized sweepstakes letters (Publishers

Clearinghouse)

A Shift in Marketing continued… Online retailers give customers a personal experience by

keeping previous customer information in a database so that when customer’s return their buying preferences will be known and companies can suggest complimentary products.

What does one-to-one marketing do? One-to-one marketing serves to create important

ongoing relationships with customers. The marketing approach provides for a wide range of

customer needs. Companies now try to gather as much information about

their customers as possible so that they can respond to their needs.

Emerging Trends in Personalization for Healthcare

Healthcare facilities are increasingly focusing on changing and improving the client experience.

Technology has also been a driving force in the Personalization for Healthcare.

E-Health—Electronic Medical Records, the ultimate in patient care (client customization)

Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMR systems) will enable physicians and nurse practitioners to securely access vital patient information including diagnostic images, blood test results, drug histories and clinical reports.

EMRs will provide physicians and nurse practitioners with a better picture of their patients' overall health resulting in better informed care decisions.

Source: http://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/about-infoway/news/news-releases/637

A look into the future of healthcare

Drug Vending Machines

Drug Vending machines are ATM style machines that dispense prescription drugs.

These machines have an automated drug delivery system with an audio-visual link to a pharmacist.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/06/22/con-medicine-machine.html

Drug Vending Machines—the way of the future?

Robots replacing nurses?

No this is not a Sci-Fi film, these robots would provide direct care, such as bathing and walking patients, as well as assessing patients and handing out medications.

Source: http://torontoemerg.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/robots-to-replace-nurses-in-ontario-hospitals/

Robotic Nurses

Mobile Phone Ehealth

A Mobile Phone Based Remote Patient Monitoring System For Chronic Disease Management allows for the use of mobile phones and newly introduced Bluetooth-enabled medical devices to transmit patient physiological information , (blood pressure, glucose, weight etc…) from the patients home to a central repository where alerts and reports can be generated and delivered to both patient and healthcare provider.

Source: http://www.ehealthinnovation.org/dh /

Mobile Phone Ehealth

Virtual Reality Healthcare

Virtually Reality Healthcare provides doctors an opportunity to perform tasks in a risk-free environment.

VR Technologies make training accessible for a large number of students and somewhat eliminates the necessity of having an experienced doctor on hand to assist with new doctor training.

VR Technologies combine virtual reality simulation, video and voice recognition

Sources: http://www.jabfm.org/cgi/content/full/22/4/387, http://www.kaloramainformation.com/Virtual-Reality-Applications-1514009/

Virtual Reality Healthcare http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl

and/7947192.stm

Interactive Medicine

Curious about medical/dental procedures. How are they performed? How long do they take? What are the risks? What about interactive training for various procedures?

Step into the world of Interactive medicine where symptoms, diagnosis and treatments, procedures and training are all available the click of a mouse.

Interactive Medicine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smO

W97d2ia0

One-to-One opportunities with Internal customers

Managers who keep in tune with their EMPLOYEES WANTS, NEEDS, DESIRES, PREFERENCES and TALENTS and strive to build long-term relationships with employees..can create long lasting benefits for the employee and the company.

The best managers get to know their employees and understand their needs and wants, they ask for input and suggestions therefore opening the channels of communication.

One way companies can strive to satisfy their employees needs is through the use of employee benefits. Day-care assistance Health club membership College tuition assistance Flex-time working options

Employees should be viewed by companies as unique individuals with individual wants and needs.

Organizations must recognize changing demographics and rethink customer service approaches Tomorrow’s customers will be more diverse. Customers will come

from a wider range of cultures, belief systems, races and ages. Many demographic factors will affect organizational approaches to

customer service; People are increasingly mobile Changing jobs is more commonplace—employees expectations are

different from a generation ago Employees don’t usually stay with the same company for their lifetime—when an

employer does not provide meaningful work, employees are quick to change jobs More women in the full-time workforce More single parent households—busy parents who require more consumer

services and conveniences Females account for 85% of all buying decisions The ageing population—many new services are being offered to this older

generation—active engaged seniors have caused businesses to rethink their service strategies

Which one of these demographic factor do you think will most influence healthcare settings?

Understanding that some things remain constant

Psychological and behavioural factors will remain the same with the customer experience. The basic things, caring, competence and

concern will continue to be important when building customer satisfaction and loyalty

With so much technology…some customers are now beginning to crave the human touch again as they are becoming frustrated with technology

For some the human touch will never be replaced

Apply relationship marketing

Companies must focus on building exceptional customer service and building a one-to-one relationship with their customer to foster and strengthen customer loyalty.

Organizations need to think of the present value of future business… this means that each customer than enters an organization

has a dollar value (example: a medical client may be worth $5000 annually, an ageing medical client may be worth $25,000 annually). If this customer becomes a loyal return customer over the period of five years those same customers are now worth $25,000 and $125,000. This is the definition and what is meant by the term, PRESENT VALUE OF FUTURE BUSINESS.

So what’s next? Changes are usually brought about

technology but some companies choose to still use low tech customer service to build their customer relationships

Companies have to give thought to their value proposition. What exactly do they want to offer customers

SOME CUSTOMERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON THEIR PRIVACY AND INTRUSION INTO THEIR PERSONAL LIVES, which makes customer service through technology not always an option

One-to-one customer service and relationship building must stand as its cornerstone for all types of organizations.