How Quality Customer Support is a Competitive Differentiator

Think about the last time you interacted with a customer support representative, whether it was for help with your glitchy smartphone or because you had a question about your last cable bill. What was your experience like? Was there room for improvement? Were you satisfied with the end result?

Not all support is created equal and as the healthcare industry continues to recognize the value and impact of superior support, it will have less patience for mediocre customer support.

Consider also that health IT (HIT) investments in the U.S. hit an all-time high in 2017, totaling an incredible $7.1 billion. For context, U.S. HIT investment in 2013 totaled $2.8 billion. As hospitals and healthcare facilities of all sizes continue to invest billions in HIT, they expect to receive an ROI befitting their substantial investments.

A new survey by Black Book Research takes this idea one step further, revealing that sub-par tech support can not only hinder care delivery outcomes, but it can also reduce employee and physician satisfaction.

Of the 4,446 survey respondents, 85 percent said that “patient care delivery services are continually impacted by unsatisfactory EHR support.”

Meanwhile, 89 percent of physicians said their hospital IT loyalty was “influenced by excellent EHR end user experience enabled through advanced tech support.” Additionally, 70 of the 82 chief medical officers surveyed by Black Book agreed that multi-level tech support would “be a leading competitive inpatient EHR differentiator in 2018.”

In an interview with EHR Intelligence, Black Book’s Managing Partner Doug Brown noted that negative experiences with a vendor’s tech support could fail to inspire long-term consumer loyalty.

“Healthcare IT initiatives of any size or scope require strong user tech support,” Brown said. “Clearly, providers must leverage their IT investment to achieve intensifying clinical goals while gaining a competitive advantage to keep patients and physicians loyally coming back to your organization.”

The survey highlights a significant shift taking place across the healthcare marketplace, one where lackluster or one-size-fits-all customer support won’t be accepted.

As exceptional support continues to emerge as a competitive differentiator, hospitals and healthcare facilities must be proactive about partnering with vendors who understand the profound impact of customer support. Plus, if customers want to see an ROI, then they can’t afford to not invest wisely.

MEDHOST puts customers first through our robust and uniquely designed customer support solutions. Pioneering a better and more personal approach in the EHR industry, our customers are delivered great service that includes the following:

• A team of highly experienced experts, including interface experts, clinical analysts, financial specialists, and high-tech certified professionals.
• Internal staff, never outsourced.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year availability.

With an 82 percent first-day resolve rate and a 96 percent customer satisfaction score, MEDHOST delivers exceptional support to more than 1,000 healthcare facilities nationwide.

Learn more about MEDHOST’s customer support team and support processes that are making a difference in our customers’ experience every day.