One of the most important goals of strategic account management training is to help your account managers forge a better understanding of your customers' current and evolving needs. If your account managers become too complacent, you risk losing some of your valuable accounts.
Fortunately, you have ready access to the best source of information on customer needs: your customers themselves. Have your account managers ask them the following five questions to get a better idea of what they need now and what they would like to see from your organization going forward.
5 Questions to Ask Your Customers
1. How can we better serve your needs?
Even the best healthcare organizations and their account managers have areas in which they could improve. Ask your customers about what you could be doing better, as well as which products or services they would like to see you provide in the future.
Answers to this question can help you develop a framework for future improvements within your organization. If you chart your growth according to stated customer preferences, you should have no difficulty retaining the customers you have and adding new ones to your account managers’ rosters.
2. How satisfied are you with our services?
Your customers might not be outwardly complaining about your services, but that does not necessarily mean they are fully satisfied with them. Ask them directly to confirm that your services are meeting their expectations.
An even better way to do this is to ask them whether they would readily recommend your services to another organization. If they would not or are not sure, ask them what would need to happen for them to change their mind. These questions demonstrate how much your organization values customer success and give you some concrete steps to take to solidify your relationship with your client base.
3. What aspects of our services do you find most valuable?
There are a multitude of different ways to approach account management in the healthcare industry. Ask your customers which parts of your approach they value the most to find out what it is you do best.
Perhaps your account managers always make a point of presenting the data that supports the solutions they represent. Maybe they are exceptionally compassionate and good at making those they work with feel comfortable around them. Maybe they always seem to know what the customer will need before that need is ever expressed. Whatever the strengths of your workforce may be, you will want to emphasize and capitalize on those attributes.
4. What are your biggest challenges?
Your account managers’ role is to help your customers achieve their goals, so it is important to know exactly what those goals are. Asking your customers about the challenges they are facing allows your account managers to translate those challenges into meaningful service improvements.
For instance, a customer whose patients consistently request the latest treatments might appreciate being shown some of the newest drugs on the market. Matching your account managers' services to your customers' expressed needs will win your organization a lot of goodwill from existing accounts and the market as a whole.
5. Why did you choose us over our competitors?
Both you and your customers know that there are many other healthcare companies with similar solutions to those your organization provides. Asking them why they ultimately chose you (or why they stayed with you instead of switching) will help you determine what your customers see as your organization's main selling point.
Their responses might highlight the things you intentionally emphasize in your services, but they may also surprise you with new useful insights. For instance, you may think of your firm as a provider of established healthcare solutions, but perhaps your customers are more excited to access the small roster of cutting-edge solutions you have recently invested in.
Get a Better Grasp of Your Customers
You can acquire more valuable customer insights like these with help from The Brooks Group. In addition to our healthcare market research services, we deliver healthcare executive coaching and new employee onboarding training programs to biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other healthcare organizations. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you better understand the needs of your most discerning customers.
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