Beryl Institute Conference Reveals Consumerism Driving Healthcare Change
The Beryl Institute's "Power of Impressions" conference reveals consumer-centric factors behind healthcare trends. Consumers heightened expectations and greater demand for choice is requiring healthcare organizations to take a new approach to service delivery, employee relations and brand positioning. This was the resounding theme shared by healthcare leaders who spoke at The Beryl Institute's conference held in Dallas.
Dallas, TX (PRWEB) April 11, 2008
Consumers' heightened expectations and greater demand for choice is requiring healthcare organizations to take a new approach to service delivery, employee relations and brand positioning. This was the resounding theme shared by nearly 20 speakers at The Beryl Institute's (http://www. theberylinstitute. net) "Power of Impressions" Conference held in Dallas.
"As consumers are asked to spend more of their own money to receive care, they will consider the entire spectrum of value, from access and expertise to service, convenience, and price," said Chris Bevolo, partner in GeigerBevolo.
Bevolo and other healthcare leaders addressing the Institute's attendees stressed that consumers' unprecedented access to cost and quality information is the leading factor in the emergence of customer service (http://www. theberylinstitute. net/publications. asp) as a key differentiator in where consumers choose to receive care. To win in this new environment, speakers challenged healthcare providers to:
"Always" deliver on their brand promises. Create a corporate culture that nurtures "engaged" employees. Challenge traditional ways of approaching the market. Understand the customer service opportunities before, during and after a clinical visit. Empower consumers by making it easy to navigate the healthcare system. Turn moments of truth into moments of trust.
"Consumers should be in the driver's seat when it comes to managing their health and making their own healthcare decisions," said Wayne Sensor, CEO of Alegent Health. With consumers making more of the purchasing decisions, healthcare organizations are being forced to shift the way they communicate and interact with consumers at every point in the continuum of care. Kristin Baird (http://www. theberylinstitute. net/faculty. asp), president of Baird Consulting, listed many "moments of truth" during which a hospital can gain the trust of its consumers. She asserts that hospitals can build trust through consistency during "every encounter, every moment and every day."
"Every healthcare organization should strive to be a first-choice provider, which is a trusted healthcare partner that the consumer believes will provide them with the highest degree of satisfaction," said Paul Spiegelman, executive director of The Beryl Institute.
Among the other speakers at the conference who echoed themes of healthcare customer service were Lynn Cunningham of the Studer Group, Britt Berrett of Medical City-Dallas, David Dickey of RedBrick Health, and Brian Grubb of the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.
Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in the continuum of a consumers' healthcare experience. The institute was created by The Beryl Companies, which for 20 years has been the leading provider of outsourced call center services in healthcare. For more about The Beryl Institute, visit www. theberylinstitute. net.
# # #
