Originally published on November 30, 2016 at www.lmshealthpro.com.
By Kristen Brady
The healthcare niche has come a long
way from decades ago. Lots of aspects of the healthcare market, including
consumerism have shot through the roof resulting in higher competition. Today,
patients have a variety to choose from and high insurance health plans to
service. As such, and to get the much-needed attention, healthcare services
need to devise new ways of communication and rules of engagement for their
prospects.
And since the work involved is too complex to be perfectly
run by an individual (even an expert in the system), CRM systems have been
designed to collect information and data, offering insight to imperative and
meaningful exchanges with the patients. After all, necessity is the mother of
invention. But while this piece of technology is important for communications
and having the healthcare business thrive, healthcare organizations need to
make the right choice for a CRM vendor.
The vendor selection process can be daunting to an individual
who has no clue where to start or what to look for. But with a little guidance
and nudge in the right direction, the seemingly dry, rocky and shaky ground
turns into a path covered in roses – a simple process. So how does one make a
choice of the best CRM?
First, come up with a list of all vendors you feel offer CRM
systems with features that your healthcare organization requires. These
features could be in terms of data, technology or ease of training. Just about
any feature making communication with potential patients as well as physicians
in the competitive niche a breeze.
The next step is to set up an in-house team to evaluate the
systems offered by the companies you listed. This team will be responsible for
running quick checks and tests on all the CRM systems and conducting interviews
(whether phone of physical interviews). Speaking of tests, it is imperative
that the team does this onsite. This will help your team to better understand
just how the system integrates with the new piece of technology and just how
much the healthcare can benefit from the CRM platform after installation.
After the phone interviews, however, you should note than not
all vendors that were in the original list are invited. Some have been crossed
off the list after failing in the interview stage. Those who do make it on-site
should be evaluated even more by the evaluation team as well as individuals who
will be working with the CRM directly. Lots of questions should be posed to
them regarding data collection, implementation and team structure, management
of the account, HIPAA compliance, support and its predictive analytical
features. This will not only shine light on just how the CRM is great for the
business or just how knowledgeable the vendor is of the system, it also will
provide some insight on how they handle the pressure and if they will be able
to work with the business day in day out.
Getting a CRM vendor is not a process that should be taken
lightly. Clearly, there is more to it than meets the eye. Getting the system,
you are not just acquiring a piece of technology for your business but also
creating and investing in a solid partnership that with time should experience
growth.
After the implementation and training of the CRM, it should
perfectly integrate with the organization’s culture ensuring perfect and
effective communication and actively listening to needs to be met.
Leading
Management Solutions helps medical practice leaders identify ways to improve
operations to increase revenue, employee engagement, and patient satisfaction.
Learn more about us at www.lmshealthpro.com.
About the Author:
Kristen
Brady is the founder and owner of Kaboom Social Media, your social media marketing and content specialists!
Follow her on Twitter: @kb54927
