John Williams: Using NPS to Play Offense at the Point of Care

Hooman Hakami, VP & GM, Global Services, GE Healthcare, gave an excellent presentation this morning. Hooman explained that the Clinical Systems business within GE Healthcare operates at the “point of care.” Products include ultrasound, cardiology, monitoring devices, bone densitometers, maternal infant care, and life support. The company has 1.7 million units installed in 140 countries, and is supported by 2 ,100 employees.

One of Hooman’s fundamental insights was that different customer segments have different priorities; an insight that has been resonating throughout the day, particularly in the B2B context. The company rolled out NPS in 2005, and found that customers want, essentially, three things: speed (36%), communication (25%), and competency (18%). They have instituted comprehensive efforts in all three areas, resulting in a whopping increase in NPS from a baseline of 40% in 2006 to 58% in 2006!

The effort involved a massive investment, funded by re-prioritizing other spending they found (from customer feedback) was less important. One of the principal ways they increased speed, communication, and competency was to decentralize their service infrastructure.

A fascinating observation was how the company is “using NPS to play offense.” They’re using the stories growing out of their improvements in customer advocacy on the PR and sales fronts.

The results of all their efforts are undeniable:

Quarter	Revenue Growth
Q1 2006	4%
Q2 2006	6%
Q3 2006	10%
Q4 2006	11%

This is truly a winning story!