By: Mitzi Kent, RN, BSN | mkent@barlowmccarthy.com
If you fly enough, at some point, you have encountered the dreaded canceled flight. I was the lucky one that this happened to last Friday night, not once but three times! A canceled flight in Kalamazoo caused me to Uber to Chicago (with a stranger) for two hours as we raced to catch our connections. At this point, I had decided to book another flight on another airline to increase my odds of getting home. As I did this, there was a noticeable difference in the customer service I was receiving from one airline vs. the other. Competitive differentiators are not a new concept in brand positioning, and besides cost, customer service is the second most important factor when choosing an airline. In the world of physician recruitment, creating differentiators is just as important.
To protect the innocent, we will call one of the airlines, Airline A and the other Airline B. With over 1,000 flights canceled; Airline A told me they could not get me home until two days later; no questions asked just that was all they could do. Airline B asked me what time I needed to get home the next day and began to work with me on options ensuring I was going to be satisfied. As recruiters, we know the candidate’s work history, educational background, and other relevant facts, but do we know what’s important to them in an ideal practice setting? What will it take to make them happy for the long-term? As recruiters, we need to probe to uncover the candidate’s deeper needs and interests. And then do our best to make it work for them. Uncovering this information will help you make differentiate your opportunity from the rest.
Timeliness is another competitive differentiator. Airline A took two and a half hours to call me back to book me a flight on Sunday. Airline B called me back in 30 minutes and immediately responded with an apology for the inconvenience even though it was not their fault, but weather-related. It’s vital for us to continually remind our recruitment team, including the physicians, how important it is to react and respond to candidates in a timely fashion. In this are, we need to exceed the candidate’s expectations! Respond quickly and graciously when your candidate calls or emails with requests or follow up questions.
The last and potentially the most significant opportunity for differentiation comes when your candidate comes for a visit. If you have done your homework, you will know how to treat the candidate and what they might like to see in your facility. Have a good plan for how the visit will unfold and the different members of your staff you want the physician to meet. All the work you’ve done prior to this point on sourcing, communicating and interviewing the candidate will be for nothing if you can’t nail the visit. Lead the way and make the visit special for the candidate; it is your job to make a difference.
The moral of this story is that I now have a new preferred airline! Airline B got me home Saturday evening, and they will be my choice going forward. We need to be continually thinking of ways we can differentiate our candidates’ experience to make a long-term impact. Physicians need to see that you know them and understand them. The payoff will be worth it.