Differentiating on the Human Experience to Drive Customer Loyalty and Growth

By M. Bridget Duffy, MD In an era that challenges healthcare organizations to do more with fewer resources, patient experience is often considered an add-on. However, in an increasingly competitive environment, organizations can no longer solely focus on stripping out waste and reducing costs. A growing body of evidence points to the human experience as …

When Technology Gets in the Way of Customer Service

By Nancy J. Sirianni It is increasingly rare for customers to complete retail or service transactions without swiping their own credit cards or engaging with point-of-sale terminals. From hotel check in kiosks to tableside tablet computers in restaurants, firms are implementing customer-facing devices in service situations in landmark numbers. It’s no wonder, as frontline technology …

Using Text Mining for Customer Feedback

Great to see new research that’s happening on the intersection of multiple disciplines. With large amounts of data that companies are accumulating through various communication channels, finding new methods and metrics for timely and accurate analysis is becoming more and more critical. This research tested a new framework that allows to automate the analysis of …

Quid Pro Quo: Free Online Services in Exchange for User Data

By Dr. Florian v. Wangenheim We all enjoy using Internet services for free: communities, news websites and other web services often do not charge their users. In order to survive, free sites depend on advertising revenues. These can be increased through behavioral targeting, in which the advertiser makes use of information that he has about the …

Providing a #WinningExperience for the Digital Customer

By Bobbi Dangerfield @BobbiAtDell Michael Dell, said it best: “We’re a company with big ears” – a good thing considering there are more than 25,000 online conversations about Dell each day in English. While that number can be overwhelming, it underscores the wonderful opportunity social media offers for companies to listen, engage, and ultimately understand …

How to Influence Patients, and Clients, to "DIY"

                                      By Kathryn K. Eaton Over the last year, I have had the remarkable opportunity to work with the Obesity Solutions Initiative, which is a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University.  My work with this outstanding team of people has been varied and challenging, but my background in marketing has been a perfect …

Putting Customers at Ease: The Patient’s Point of View

By Andrew S. Gallan Sally, a married 54-year-old mother of two teenage girls, had just returned from her mammogram follow-up appointment with a troubled look on her face. “What’s the matter?” asked her husband of 25 years. “Again, something showed up, so I have to go for another mammogram and some additional tests,” she responded. …

Unraveling some of the Mysteries of Factors Driving Innovation Success

By Douglas Olsen Innovation is often cloaked in some degree of mystery – a black box where “change happens” and the world is transformed. Success is often fleeting, and, when failure does occur, there is usually a multitude of views as to what went wrong, with the only commonality being “it was the other guy’s …

Restoring Customer’s Sense of Control through Service Co-Creation

by Adriana Samper In today’s tumultuous global climate, people inevitably face forces or situations that test the limits of their control.  Natural disasters, political and economic turmoil can all threaten feelings of control over personal and professional outcomes.  Hurricane Sandy or the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma show how people can be strikingly affected and feel …