We are tremendously honored to have been chosen to contribute our findings to the just-released Forbes article by Dan Gingiss “Why An Aging Population Means Healthcare Customer Experience Must Adapt.”
As everyone knows, we are not living like our parents did, and our expectations for service and results is far different from what theirs were. Why would the healthcare system be any different from any other business?
“These are not passive consumers; they come out of the 1960s and 1970s, a time when disruption of authority and the belief in individual agency was strong. They are often unwilling to accept the word of a medical expert at face value. Having lived through all manner of marketing, they have a built-in sense of skepticism and are more likely to comparison shop for value and for outcomes than their parents. These are not only the most highly empowered consumers in history, they are also the most discerning.”
On the other hand, people always seem to want to make some massive distinction between our age group and the younger generations. But the truth is, these generations have flattened. The difference between older consumers (us) and younger consumers is not that much anymore.
“The idea of an older generation vs younger generation in defining healthcare going forward assumes there is a fundamental difference between the two generations. Both of them want good and frictionless healthcare. They both hunger for the best products and services. Just as the iPhone is a hit with all ages because it is a great product, the same holds true for healthcare. No one likes opacity of services or pricing, and no one likes interminable wait times. Universally, consumers appreciate transparency, efficiency and positive outcomes. The older consumer is more frequently engaged in the healthcare system, but we should not be thinking about age-specific consumer experiences, we should be thinking about the very best for all consumers.”
As I say so often, just make good stuff and don’t worry about the age specificity. We are clever people. If it works for us, we will find it and use it.
This entire piece is a great read, with a lot of sensible wisdom from Paul and Geeta.
