New trends in healthcare relationship marketing

• Author: Shkodrane Dardhishta
• Pages: 208-213

ISSN 2410-759X

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

IIPCCL Publishing, Tirana-Albania Vol. 2 No. 1

May, 2016

208

New trends in healthcare relationship marketing

Shkodrane Dardhishta

Abstract

Òhe establishment of a relationship with a customer that leads to enduring, profitable

growth, rather than making a sale, is the central goal of relationship marketing. Sales are

the beginning of an opportunity to turn a buyer into a loyal customer. Customers who

are loyal to a product are happy to help the company encourage others to try and even

buy the company’s products. Brand loyalty is an asset. Without the loyalty of its

customers, a brand is merely a trademark, identifying symbol with little value. The

loyalty of its customers renders a brand much more than a trademark.

Relationship building is indispensable in today’s competitive world and a vital key to

marketing success. Some of the most successful health care companies have one thing in

common – incredible customer service. These health care “businesses” go out of their

way to make the customer (patients) feel appreciated, understood and cared for. The end

result of this is simple but powerful - a strong connection to the customer that goes

deeper than the normal company-customer relationship. The healthcare sector deals

with a very critical aspect — a patient’s health. Therefore, the primary goal of all healthcare

providers should be patient care and satisfaction. Learning about patient loyalty,

resulting from direct relationship marketing or from patient satisfaction, is important

for healthcare organizations to sustain their enterprise in the long term. The purpose of

this study is to analyze relationship marketing and patient satisfaction in health care

organization.

Keywords: Relationship Marketing, Healthcare, Trends, Patients satisfaction, Loyalty.

A Roadmap to Relationship Marketing in Healthcare

The healthcare industry is undergoing massive changes, moving from a volume-

based care model to a quality based care model. In order to adapt to these fundamental

changes, healthcare organizations are rapidly changing the way they do business,

and their evolving workforce management strategies reflect that. It’s not enough to

implement workforce management initiatives that cut labor costs. Instead, those

initiatives must also have a positive impact on both staff and patient satisfaction,

providing hospitals and health systems with a solid foundation that will sustain

them in both the short run and the long haul.1

The field of healthcare is unique and cannot be held to the same standards of

customer service that apply to other industries. Indeed, consumer decisions about

other services can be avoided or postponed to a future date, depending on the wishes

of the individual. In contrast, this is typically not an option in the health sector,

where avoiding or delaying consumption decision may have serious implications

for the health of the patient, potentially resulting in poorer health or even death. 2

1OAPI Health care organization, “The Rising Importance of Patient Satisfaction in a Value-Based

Environment”, 2015 API Healthcare Corporation, a GE Healthcare Companyp.p.11.

2 Salgaonkar, Pradeep B. (2006). Marketing of Healthcare Services: Abhijeet Publications, Delhi. India.