State of Play - The Role of Customer Experience in Medical Device Field Service

Customer experience plays an important role across all industries.

All companies have customers in one form or another and, while the nature of interacting with those people or organizations varies wildly from industry to industry, the experience they have while in contact with your brand can still be a key differentiator when it comes to determining your success or failure.

All companies, therefore, must be mindful of the adage which states that if a customer has a pleasant experience they'll tell two people, but if they have a bad one, they'll tell everyone they know. Though we may cock a suspicious eyebrow at the validity of the exact numbers mentioned, the spirit of the saying is most certainly true.

Customer Experience

The very nature of healthcare provision has changed, with higher levels of patient wellness and satisfaction now playing a far greater role in compensation than ever before. Previously, patients would have just been billed for services rendered, but now these other experiential and outcome related factors are taken into consideration.

The knock-on effect of this is that healthcare providers are now demanding a far more streamlined and efficient experience from their field service providers, as the health of medical devices has a direct impact on clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. This means medical device field service providers need to upgrade their offering to meet these enhanced expectations.

One way to achieve this is through data collection. Through effective data collection and analysis, service providers can stay informed and up to date on the performance of their device. This is especially true when it comes to medical device manufacturers who also provide the field service for those devices in an after-sale setting. Structured and intelligent data collection and analysis not only allows medical device field service providers to monitor how individual devices are performing and be alerted to potential faults before they become work-halting breakdowns, but also allow for continuous product improvement through updates and patches, or even changes at the design and manufacturing stages.

This spirit of continuous product improvement through data will improve customer experience through fewer faults, boosted performance, and greater clinical outcomes.

Compliance is also a key factor in medical device field service - and this kind of data gathering can make sure that devices are performing in a way which is in line with current rules and regulations and meet the expectations of customers in this regard as well.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Two technologies which are set to become seriously important tools for medical device field service providers, and which have the power to significantly boost customer experience, are augmented and virtual reality.

Not only can these technologies facilitate the training of new technicians and help with all important transfer of skills between those on the cusp of retirement and those just entering the profession, but they can also unlock self-service options which let your clients take control of their own devices in new and innovative ways.

Much in the same way patients are happier when they feel they have a semblance of control and involvement with their own treatment, healthcare providers will experience greater satisfaction if they can achieve the same when it comes to taking care of the machines which allow them to carry out their role. Being able to carry out routine maintenance or simple repairs themselves will further reduce downtime and frustration and keep medical devices doing what they do best.

With AR and VR technology, healthcare providers can get digital overlays of devices which show them where to find components and points of access. Then, with the assistance of an experienced technician on the other end of the phone, they can be guided through repairs and maintenance. Not only does this boost the customer experience by involving them in the field service process, but it will also reduce costs by reducing the incidences where a technician needs to be dispatched to carry out these simpler tasks.

Final Thoughts

Medical device field service providers are seeing fantastic results by placing customer experience at the fore of their operations. An industry which has traditionally had relatively little direct interaction with its customers is now seeing the benefits of deploying digital technology to create stronger relationships with them.

VR/AR and data are only part of the picture though and field service providers need to be constantly innovating and reassessing their customer experience offering to make sure customers are satisfied and those life-saving devices keep running at an optimum level.

Customer experience is set to be a hot topic at Field Service Medical 2022, taking place February 28 - March 01 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.