Consumers are Dishing On Healthcare Experiences—Be Part of the Conversation

By KARYN MULLINS 

Consumers aren’t taking their healthcare providers’ words for it anymore. They’re taking charge and leading a digital revolution where individuals have the power to make their own educated decisions about care.

According to the Healthcare Consumer Insight & Digital Engagement report by Binary Fountain, a leading online reputation management platform, 51 percent of people who have a physician share their personal healthcare experiences via online ratings, review sites and social media.

Once shared, this information is immediately available to the entire world with just the click of a button. And people are taking full advantage of this. In fact, 80 percent of respondents in the 2018 Customer Experience Trends in Healthcare report by Doctor.com have used the internet to make a healthcare-related search in the past year. Another 81 percent said they read reviews about a referred provider.

Consumers’ accessibility to detailed, personalized experiences could make or break medical sales companies. Unfortunately, if these trends aren’t addressed appropriately, medical sales teams around the country will feel the impact.

By further empowering the general public, medical sales leaders can give their teams the tools needed to excel in the field. Here’s how:

Open up and face the experiences 

Whether your product is a bionic arm, a new miracle medication or a tongue depressor, every patient will have their own experience. Each of these experiences are valid and deserve recognition. No matter how absurd or irrelevant a comment or rating seems to you, it will ring true to others researching your product.

In today’s technologically accessible world, ignoring negative feedback will make consumers trust your company even less. Consumers want to see proof that you’re listening and taking action to improve experiences. If current consumers didn’t have a positive experience with one of your products, why should others give anything associated with your company a try?

The answer should be because you’re on their side.

Show this by acknowledging comments—even the most negative. In the comments, note a timeline for when you’ll check back in. When that time arrives, ask how they’ve been doing and explain where you’re at in the process of ensuring others aren’t impacted by the same negative experience.

Equip your sales team with educational materials and updated information that will prepare them for the same type of feedback in the field. This helps doctors immediately address situations, giving them an improved chance of sending patients away with a more positive experience associated with your products.

Talk to consumers intelligently

Consumers have the power of research at their fingertips. They trust their ability to research and believe there is power and truth in reviews. ‘Dumbing down’ responses or talking your way around a situation is no longer acceptable.

People want to be spoken to as experts—because their goal is to be the top advocates for their own health. Increase their trust in you and your team by speaking to them as such. Put the power of your research in their hands, give them options, and speak directly to consumers — not just healthcare providers.

Encourage your sales team to participate and take action by sharing research on their social media sites. Along with product research, add actionable tips that consumers can follow to control and improve their health. As your tips catch on, trust in your company, products, and sales reps will increase.

Use reviews to your advantage

Consumers aren’t the only ones at an advantage thanks to improving technology. Informed, data-based decisions are giving medical sales companies the power to stay on top of their game like never before.

Make both negative and positive comments work to your team’s advantage. Track where your consumers are leaving comments and reviews to understand where you can effectively connect with the most people. See if there are trends in which social media sites they use most often and if there’s a pattern in misinformation regarding your products or companies.

Constantly monitor this information and frequently update your team. Providing them with direct, consumer information gives them the power to educate and advocate — the two most powerful tools in today’s healthcare experiences.

Karyn Mullins is the President at MedReps, a job board which gives members access to the most sought after medical sales jobs and pharmaceutical sales jobs on the Web. 

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