siliconindia | | April 20198HEALTHCARE x HOSPITALITY: CUSTOMER SERVICE AS A STRATEGIC DIFFERENTIATOR FOR HOSPITALSBy Vidya Kumar, Co-Founder & Director, Cloudnine Hospitals, Indiahe healthcare landscape in India has undergone a clear transformation over the last decade, with countless new-age players clamouring to claim a share of the industry's Rs.4 trillion pie. With in-creasing competition and near-identical product offerings, healthcare companies are striving to create an edge by banking on strategic differentiators like technology, analytical intelligence, and customer service.The Evolution of the Indian Healthcare ConsumerThe past 30 years have paved the way for a behavioural metamorphosis of the Indian healthcare consumer, attribut-ed largely to the advent of the internet and the subsequent digital explosion. In the 80s & 90s, and even the early mil-lennium, consumer healthcare decisions were significantly inspired by prior personal experiences, community refer-rals and doctor recommendations. In turn, hospitals and healthcare operators seldom looked at customer acquisition and service under a marketing lens. Today, the healthcare ecosystem has seen the emergence of customer service as an added layer in established players' product repertoires, and for good reason. With patients now basing decisions on savvy research, curated information and online testi-monials, top-tier hospitals are amping-up their market-ing and advertising engines in accordance with their core clinical portfolio.Vidya has been instrumental in setting-up the Cloudnine Group of Hospitals. Her focus is to provide the best customer care and experience to the patients. For her innovation in this field, she received the Dr B.C. Roy Award in 2013.TVidya KumarIN MY OPINION
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