St. Joseph's Mercy
Clinic Customer Experience Management
The Challenge
The patient volumes for St. Joseph’s Mercy Express Care were down. The clinic locations were not optimal and there was very little awareness about Express Care in the community. St. Joseph’s was getting ready to open a new Express Care in a more visible location adjacent to the hospital. Though there was thought given to “marketing” the new Express Care location, little attention was given to a new customer experience upon opening.
The Response
We approached the opening of the new Express Care location as a true “product launch”. We started by gathering together a cross-functional team of clinic managers, doctors, operations managers and marketing managers to re-evaluate the Epress Care value proposition. Before any marketing materials were considered, we conducted a patient wait-time analysis to set metrics for Check-in to Exam Room, Check-in to Be Seen by a Doctor, and Check-in to Check-out. Next, a customer experience assessment was conducted to optimize the Express Care environment, patient flow, and “touch-point” branding, such as greeting and patient engagement. A launch campaign was then developed that included radio, direct mail, online, outdoor, signage and point-of-care retailing. An open house and ribbon cutting was promoted with the Chamber of Commerce to initiate a PR campaign that included radio and print placements.
The Results
Over the next few months, patient volumes more than doubled at the Express Care Clinic, wait times reduced by significantly, while patients had more quality time to spend with physicians. Patient satisfaction also improved due to the enhanced customer experience.
Services Utilized
- Outsourced VP of Marketing
- Customer Experience Management
- Branding & Messaging
- Public Relations