February 13, 2009

Why One Bad Patient Experience Matters

Wayne Glowac

We at WAVE spent some time this week listening to focus groups of employers discuss healthcare and the challenges they are facing. As we heard their frustrations and complaints, we noticed something about the groups. When they expressed displeasure about a particular provider or insurer, they told personal, anecdotal stories. What we found was that each person had formed his or her opinion about the provider based on one single negative experience—not necessarily based on the facts.

We also noticed they were much more apt to speak negatively and share problems than they were to praise a provider. Now, this may be attributed to the fact that focus groups tend to be a safe-haven for a complaints and negativity. But it was clear that even though every person probably had more positive experiences in healthcare than negative, the latter made more of an impact on them.

So what does this mean for you?

1) Even one single, bad experience with a patient can result in a negative brand perception.

2) Negative opinions and complaints spread easier than positive ones.

For us, it was really another lesson in customer service. Making sure a patient is happy and satisfied makes a bigger difference on your brand than you probably realize. Especially during this time of change in the industry, you have to ask yourself as marketers, “what are we doing to keep patients positive?”

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