From the June 2012 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Of course, accoutrements alone don’t ensure comfort in screening mammography. You need a technologist who bonds with the customer. Our mammography technologist always finds something to discuss with each woman, be it her hair, shoes, family or clothes. Small talk means so much. And “small” is the operative word here. The good and bad of the newest digital mammography systems is that a screening mammogram lasts less than five minutes. As a result, you have less face time with the customer – yet, paradoxically, quality face time brings her back. So much customer comfort – and loyalty – results from those few minutes of relationship-building with the technologist during the mammogram.

Then, there’s the technology associated with screening mammography. You might not expect soft, shifting, multi-colored lighting to appreciably impact a customer’s level of comfort while her breast is being compressed. But the calming “mood light” feature of our digital mammography system has prompted many positive comments. Customers have also heard that our current mammography system is a bit faster than our previous system, and that it doesn’t hurt quite as much. Those two or three fewer seconds that your breast is being compressed can feel like a lifetime.

At the end of the day, our center is dedicated to helping customers detect breast cancer as early as possible — and our focus on comfort ensures that those annual screenings continue. Our efforts have generated more than just positive customer feedback. Our mammogram volumes continue to grow, despite our proximity to a nationally recognized breast center. “They treated me like a number there,” lamented one customer who briefly defected. “You couldn’t find a place to park, they didn’t really care where you dressed, they didn’t give you anything to drink, and nobody really talked to you. They’re just not part of the community. So I decided to come home.”

A newly minted loyal customer. Now that gives me immense satisfaction.

About the author:
Barbara Marshall, RT, is the director of Battlefield Imaging in Ringgold, Ga.

Back to HCB News

June 2012 Magazine

Read more stories from the June 2012 issue

More Magazine Features

More Voices