What we do well:
Response time – return phone calls and email promptly
Good presence – always personable, obvious that Macdonald’s staff is happy
Patient – happy to work with customers through difficult and challenging circumstances and behaviours
Trustworthy & Reliable – questions posed are always answered, follow-up will happen
Good product knowledge – sales reps know about the equipment they are selling, from ADLs/bathroom safety to power wheelchairs
Sales rep consistency – if one starts with a sales rep, that same rep will see the service through to the end
Website – well laid out, easy to understand and follow, accessible pricing, and informative
Demo structure – clients can generally get a good sense of equipment with the length of time they can use demos before purchase
Areas for improvement:
Language representation – additional languages spoken by staff would be an asset, Mandarin and Cantonese were suggested
Bariatric demo equipment – increased demo and rental stock would be helpful for clients and therapists
Tilt toileting commode – a tilting commode appropriate for toileting, but not as elaborate as a shower commode, which would allow for a lower sale price ($500-$600)
In-services – topics that are more relevant to daily therapist practice
Tech reports – offering options to either include or exclude associated costs when making wheelchair repair funding reports for MSDSI available to therapists
Dreaming big:
Funding submissions – sending quotes directly to the MSDSI for approval
Printable resources – website based, downloadable and printable PDF documents that support practice (e.g. rental lists with pricing, list of equipment available for demo, rental forms, etc.)
Transportation – picking clients up from their homes to bring them to Macdonald’s HHC for the more extensive wheelchair demos
Justifications – a therapist portal through the Macdonald’s HHC website, where OTs can find sample justifications specific to medical conditions and equipment
Philanthropy – creating a society branch for Macdonald’s HHC, a new funding source established through donations from individuals who want to support those who need medical equipment
Streamlining communication – (already in the works) A wheelchair setup/demo form distributed to hospitals/community to minimize the need for phone call follow-up. Information collected is restricted to what is needed and thorough enough to capture all that is required for an initial trial/demo/rental. The intention is to make this available through the website once evaluation is complete.
Training – Macdonald’s providing ongoing, short-term power wheelchair use training for clients
LOJ generator – a therapist portal through the Macdonald’s HHC website, where OTs can choose from a drop-down list of justifications specific to medical conditions and equipment and the system will create a letter of justification
Discussion:
Some participants thought that justifications and an LOJ generator may be crossing the line of the role of the vendor. The vendor should focus on doing demos, trials, and customer service well. We agree that those areas need to be done well, and we also feel like therapists are the people we serve. Ultimately, each OT would do what they feel is best for their clients and practice, and we hope that, through our processes, we help OTs do exactly that! Tools are tools, and each user needs to figure out which tool is right for them!
We just want to share our gratitude for all who attended! Without you we would not have the tools we need to serve our clients and therapists as best we can. Thank you for your open and honest feedback. We will keep you all informed of the progress we are making. We hope to continue to serve you to the best of our ability!
Tags: inserviceReserve or Inqurie Today