Collecting and acting on client feedback has long been identified as a way to improve client satisfaction, reduce client churn and build employee engagement and morale.
Netgain has always been focused on having a client-centric service strategy that is, in part, built on the feedback we receive from our clients. We’ve collected client feedback in a variety of ways, including partnerships with industry leaders like Microsoft and the Helpdesk Institute to glean valuable feedback. We use the results of these surveys to help direct our path.
Another way we collect client feedback is by having consistent communication with clients. Sometimes this happens formally through focus groups and regular Account Management meetings, while other times it happens through an informal coffee or lunch meeting. In either case, we believe client feedback is one of the most effective ways to improve our services for our clients.
Here are five initiatives, born out of client feedback, that we’ve implemented or are implementing to improve our client’s experience:
1. Quicker and easier access to support
Since our inception, we have worked to create a high-touch experience with a highly-qualified support team. We assumed other service providers were doing the same, but our clients regularly tell us that our commitment to support differentiates us from other service providers they work with. We hear from our clients that many service providers provide a level of support that is not consistent with the urgent nature of the healthcare industry.
As we grow, we are even more dedicated to providing high-touch, qualified Support staff that engage directly with end-users. We do this through practices like Client Support Teams (CST), which route support calls to a pre-assigned set of Support Team members who are familiar with the client’s environment, applications and users. This provides the client with quicker, more qualified support which, in turn, leads to faster resolution times.
2. Project management and planning
Almost every project and initiative within a healthcare practice somehow affects the IT environment. For years, our clients have requested help managing these projects and their implications on IT.
In 2015, Netgain established a project management team to help clients with the adoption of new technologies. In 2016, with the encouragement of clients, we’ve expanded our project management expertise and offering to align more closely with the market’s demands.
3. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards implementation
Healthcare providers deliver care based on industry standards set forth by the DHS. Contrarily, IT providers deliver services by their own design and expertise.
As Netgain clients see our role as more integral in their practice by aligning with other service providers, they’ve voiced a desire for standards-based regimentation as a key to maintaining service levels. In an environment where rapid cloud adoption and growth drives a lot of change, we are eager to align ourselves and our services with a leader like ITIL.
Alignment with ITIL standards will drive positive change and results as Netgain re-engineers change management, monitoring and controls and client-focused service strategy.
ITIL, a set of standards popularized industry-wide, offers Netgain and our clients a common vernacular, and a ready-made playbook, to align efforts not just between Netgain and the clinic, but among other vendors, producing a more-coordinated IT world for users.
4. IT Roadmaps
When clients come to Netgain, they usually view IT as a reactive business expense – rather than a strategic enabler of growth and success. Based on this perception, Netgain developed IT roadmaps to help clients see the benefits of proactively planning and executing IT initiatives.
For years, we’ve been working with our clients on IT roadmaps that look at current and future technology needs, budget and overall practice goals. While most clients are aware that Netgain can be a strategic planning and roadmapping partner, most admit they don’t take full advantage of this offering.
Netgain’s Account Managers work together with clients and their software vendors to align everyone’s needs, goals and plans for the next 18-36 months.
5. Additional Premium Services
Our clients continually tell us that while Netgain’s private cloud, IaaS and hybrid cloud services, paired with a focus of high-touch support, have resonated with the healthcare market, they want more services from us that position their practice for success and growth.
For instance, services like data-management, report-writing, custom template design or project management of third-party initiatives often have IT implications, but aren’t handled by Netgain.
Netgain is currently evaluating options like partnerships and direct service offerings to bring this additional value to clients in an effective and economical manner.
Client feedback is powerful – but not as powerful as what you do with it. Netgain is intentional about the data we collect and how we use it to implement initiatives to increase client satisfaction and improve client experience.
Research has proven over and over again that companies with the highest client satisfaction also gather and act upon feedback from their clients.
Do you have feedback for us?! We’d love to hear your ideas for improvements or changes.