Internal Communicators: Invest in Setting Customer Expectations

This week one of our clients, a hospital marketing professional, talked with us about developing a message for imaging patients. The proposed piece would achieve several things:

• It thanked the patient for choosing her hospital.
• It explained why the patient would get different bills (from the hospital, and the radiologist)
• It explained why the patient would need to get results from his or her physician, rather than the imaging technician
• It listed the names of the people with whom the patient interacted that day
• It listed all of the phone numbers the patient might need to follow up on the visit

This simple two-page flyer will effectively deliver messages that help the consumer better navigate their hospital—while setting expectations and thereby minimizing frustration.
As you think about ways to advertise your business, don't forget to focus on those critical consumer touchpoints, and ask yourself this: What message can I convey in this touchpoint that will improve their experience with our organization?