Marketing Strategy – A Case Study from Mayo Clinic

What is the most important in marketing strategy, service or caring? This is a case study on 'Caring' at the Mayo Clinic.

Since mid-October to early November I went to the United States. I was there to do general check-up at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, United States, from 20 to 24 October. I feel amazed with the place, how the process is supported by technology and human (process, people, technology / PPT) to make the process lasts horizontal.

This case study of marketing strategy at Mayo clinic is like this. There is a coordinator doctors named Salma Iftikhar, MD, after I met him, he then entry my entire medical records to the computer. Then he determines what tests should be conducted and also the specialist doctor who I should meet. Every time a test or consultation is conducted, the results can be directly seen on the computer. So that all doctors who treat me (5 doctors) can directly view the data. Their Comments can also be typed into the computer.

Thus, the process is very efficient for the matter of time. Everything can be done in parallel. Although the doctors have never met each other, they do good Team work. You can see how sophisticated technology and competent people are able to make the process progress quickly.

So, how do I check the results? In fact, my 100% healthy, though already exposed to diabetes for 24 years. Of course, I'm happy to hear the results from the Mayo Clinic. Its reputation that has spread widely has make patients from all over the world to come here. For example, the deceased King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan also been treated at the Mayo Clinic. He spent about 6 months for treatment of cancer. However, there have been severe, he finally returned to Jordan and died.

Interestingly, I also see some Saudi Arabian Airlines when landed at the small Rochester airport. It is chartered flight, which brought the wealthiest people in the world that comes from the Middle East. Actually, Mayo Clinic has never use ads for promoting himself. These institutions do not even have a marketing staff until 1986. And from 1986 until 1992, the marketing department only consists of 1 person!

When people learn Service from the hotel, now they must learn Caring from the hospital business, such as the Mayo Clinic. As said by Leonard L. Berry and Kent D. Seltman in the book titled Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic, customers of health institutional such as Mayo Clinic have different characteristics than other industries. In the hospital business, the customer alias patients are so sick in a very oppressive condition. Customers are not only stopping by just like at the store, but they even stay in the place.

Then, the service to customers in the hospital business must be very personal; not only the health conditions that should be considered, but also factors such as age, mental status, personality, preferences, education, family situation, and financial constraints also must be considered. And that is not less important, if the customer is in the wrong handling, consequently, can be fatal.

You can see that in handling customer here is not just a normal service, but it should really be taken and treated as a Caring. No wonder if the both authors, Berry and Seltman, stated that the Mayo Clinic is "one of the world's Most Admired Service Organizations."

Dr. William J. Mayo, one of the founders of Mayo Clinic, said in 1910 that "The best interest of the Patient is the only interest to be considered." According to him, the patient is not like the train, which can be repaired its parts separately. Patients must be checked and treated as whole, as human beings. Dr. Mayo is believed that a medical specialist should work as part of a unit of unity when dealing with patients.

The doctors at the Mayo Clinic are indeed very concern about the patient. They, themselves who pick out the patients and bring them to the practice room, not the nurse. They are all friendly just like the patients own friends. Human resources are supported by sophisticated technology. Some of the technologies to diagnose patients are developed by IBM, a company that has a development and manufacturing facilities in Rochester.

So, to deal with the customers wholeheartedly, Mayo Clinic is able to integrate the process, people, and technology (PPT) yesterday. This is the key strategy to success in doing Caring in the era of New Wave Marketing.

Source: The story of Hermawan Kartajaya as written on Kompas.