You are a vital component of the healthcare supply chain.

But if you are not providing what your clients need, you’ll soon be left out of the loop. 

Thankfully, you can prevent that from happening by not only offering high-quality (products) but also by marketing those supplies in a way that appeals to your customers. 

How can you do this? By paying close attention to customer feedback, you receive in your healthcare product marketing campaigns.

Customer Feedback in Healthcare Product Marketing: Just How Important Is It?

Customer feedback is valuable information that you get from customers about whether they like or dislike a product they purchased from you. They can also provide feedback on their customer experience: 

• While evaluating items on your website
• At checkout
• With your customer service team
• When returning or replacing items

Hearing from your customers is vital to the success of your business in multiple ways. 

Source: ReveChat.com

Image Alt Text: Most consumers are more likely to invest with a company if the company pays attention to customer feedback to improve their product or the customer experience. 

• Better products: You sell physician office supplies because you know that doctors (in private practice or a hospital setting) need these products to better serve their patients. You had an idea of what your customer needed before you even sold the product. Once it has sold, however, you can get feedback from your customers that tells you what changes are needed to make the product even better. Take that information and use it! Improve your product. Doing so will impress your customers and encourage them to become loyal to your company. 
• Better service: Similarly, if the customer experience leaves something to be desired, hearing suggestions about how to improve is immensely helpful. You might learn that your employees need some training in sales and customer service skills. Or they might need some training on the ins and outs of the products you sell. If your sales and customer service teams are as knowledgeable as you are about these things, they will help make the customer journey more enjoyable. 
• Improved marketing: As was mentioned, you have an idea of your customers’ needs. But customer feedback in healthcare product marketing can help you create marketing content that speaks to their needs. Potential clients who read/watch/listen to your materials will likely feel more understood and appreciate that you have taken the time to comprehend how they feel and what they need.
• Everyone loves feeling appreciated: Asking for feedback in the first place is a great way to improve customer loyalty. When healthcare suppliers ask for feedback, customers feel appreciated, like their input/opinion/experience is valued. If you make them feel that way, they will be more likely to invest with your company not just now but also long-term. Additionally, customers are now more inclined to choose companies that value customers over profits. A recent survey found that 71% of consumers would lose trust in a brand that puts profits over people. 
• Improve your reputation: Even companies with good reputations need to work on making sure they retain their good name in the healthcare sales industry. If your reputation could use some improvement, getting feedback from customers will help. You’ll learn where your company or products’ weak points are. You can take steps to answer questions and address unfavorable reviews. Doing so will help you start rebuilding trust with customers and potentially improve your medical sales. 
• Better decisions: Customer feedback can help your company make better business decisions. You work in a competitive market. Making business decisions based on a guess or a hunch is not a good path to travel. Instead, look at what customers are communicating. Their feedback can help you decide whether you should keep selling a certain product. It can also tell you how you should sell products. For example, more consumers than ever before are making purchases online – and that number is expected to rise. Can customers buy from you online?

The Customer Feedback Loop: How to Use Feedback to Improve Your Marketing Efforts

To fully utilize customer feedback in healthcare marketing, you may find it helpful to incorporate the customer feedback loop. The loop consists of four steps. 

Source: Survicate.com

Image Alt-Text: The three phases of the customer feedback loop.

1. Ask for and Gather Feedback

There are multiple ways you can gather customer feedback, including: 

• Customer feedback surveys
• Customer contact forms
• Emails
• Live chat
• Customer interviews
• Social media posts
• Website analytics 

Taking a proactive approach to customer feedback will help you build trust and ensure that your marketing messages never stray too far from what your customers want and need. 

2. Learn from the Feedback

Now, it is time to analyze the feedback you get. You’ll need to determine: 

• The customer’s motivations
• The volume of the feedback (do you only have one negative review, or are 80% of the reviews negative?)
• Whether issues faced by customers are repetitive or new

Based on what you learn, you can start brainstorming and action planning. What needs to change? How can you make those changes? Are they cost-effective? If not, what can you do to make the changes and the product more affordable without lowering product quality? 

If the feedback you get pertains to customer service, consider whether you need to implement some training programs or if you need to hire more staff.  

3. Apply What You’ve Learned

This is the phase where you start taking some action. You and your team can implement the changes and start a marketing campaign around the adjustments you’ve made and how they’ll benefit your customers. 

4. Repeat

You’re in a loop, so you’ll need to continue asking for and analyzing feedback – even after you’ve made adjustments. But that’s a good thing because it will help your company to continually improve.

Your Customers’ Voice is Priceless 

As a healthcare supplier, you are in a unique position. You provide products that can help make patients’ and medical workers’ lives easier. What you supply may even help save lives. You are in a rewarding industry. 

To ensure that your business continues to flourish so that you can help those in the medical industry and their patients, you need to make a profit. 

Having amazing products is not enough. You need to listen to your customers. Make it a practice to ask your customers for honest feedback. And make sure you listen carefully and do something with the information they provide. Doing so can help you improve your profitability now and into the future. 

Find out how a unique targeted messaging campaign from Share Moving Media can boost your online visibility. Contact us today for a free analysis to learn more.