MAKING THE MOVE FROM AN INCUMBENT MAMMOGRAPHY ANALYTICS PROVIDER TO PENRAD
Making the move from an incumbent mammography analytics provider to PenRad.
From time to time a women’s imaging provider becomes frustrated with their existing analytics and workflow software prompting a change in direction. The reasons for this change can be wide-ranging and variable from one situation to another. PenRad, the market leader in women’s imaging and radiology informatics software has noticed reasons for these decisions often boil down to just a few important factors.
The customer has simply outgrown the ability of the provider to accommodate their business.
In this scenario, the client has had a base version of a vendor’s software and the vendor has done a poor job of staying in touch with the client to learn of their growing needs. It is common knowledge in the imaging industry that clients have an ever-evolving range of sometimes fluid needs; imaging procedures increase, the patient needs change, performance expectations change, and local competitive influences come to bear, etc. For these reasons and many more, a mammography and imaging analytics vendor must stay in constant contact with their installed base and make software and workflow modifications as necessary to maintain client satisfaction and deliver superior service. The inability of a manufacturer to build important relationships with clients and speak with them often about changes both planned and sudden, often leads clients to look elsewhere for a more practical, high-touch provider.
The analytics and workflow software functionality has not kept pace with the needs of the client, and necessary upgrades are overpriced.
Software vendors are notorious for allowing their current product offering to become stale, devoid of routine updates to keep pace with customer needs, and opt for a business strategy that provides these updates as a for-profit sale, calling it a “significant upgrade”. Software manufacturers have a responsibility to their clients to keep their software relevant and flexible enough to meet ever changing workflow, reporting, and analytic needs of their clients throughout their effective contract. Naturally, there are going to be some big break-points in functionality which should be provided for a fee, but typically these are obvious differentiators in a service level offering and are negotiated at the start of or renewal of the contracting period. Clients get tired of routine budgeting for “necessary upgrades” perceived as part and parcel of daily workflow changes and often will go looking for another solution in the marketplace.
The software company’s ability to provide timely and thorough support of its products is substandard.
This is the number one reason PenRad routinely converts clients from a different solution provider. Whether it be a specialized provider of women’s imaging analytics and workflow software or an “enterprise-wide” software solution with a women’s imaging module, the number one reason for changing to PenRad is this: PenRad provides the best support available. “This is what our clients tell us, and this is what industry surveys have told us”, says Eric Barta, Director of Operations at PenRad, Inc.. A few years ago KLAS stopped awarding its “Best in Klas, Mammography Software Provider” award – PenRad won this award 6 out of the 7 years it was awarded; the last 6 of those years were consecutive. When a client calls PenRad they get a voice; an immediate pick up by a “Minnesota nice” voice and a commitment to answering the client’s question right away. In the event it might take a second call, PenRad is quick to schedule that call around the client’s availability and get the right people on the line to resolve any issue. PenRad has branded its support group as “PenCare”, and they do care about every client and their patients; they are PenRad’s every day, number one priority.
Overview of what one client experienced when making the change to PenRad.
Recently a large, multi-site, multi-state imaging services provider made the change from their existing women’s imaging and analytics software product to PenRad. PenRad sat down with them to find out what the major drivers for their decision were. (To avoid calling undue attention to this situation, we are keeping the clinic and imaging manager names private.) The reason for the change boiled down to two things.
First was a lack of continued communication with the customer. “It was as if we didn’t exist anymore”, says the imaging services manager. “As soon as we signed up with them a few years ago, the only time we ever heard from them was when they had an upgrade available to sell us, add to this the most recent upgrade is extremely expensive.” “That was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back and prompted us to start looking around for another solution.”
“The second thing, and this has been something that’s always existed with this particular vendor (and we had become accustomed to accepting) is that their customer support is just lacking; it’s slow and most times requires some other resource and two or three calls to get the answers we need.” The imaging services manager goes on to say “PenRad has been a breath of fresh air.” “The entire process with them from sales to go-live to ongoing support has been great, we cannot say enough about it.” “PenRad employees go out of their way to accommodate our crazy schedules, install the product, provide training, and follow up, follow up, follow up.” Our physicians love them, our technologists love them and even our IT staff appreciates their thoroughness and flexibility.”
To learn more about how PenRad can help you with workflow, analytics, patient recruitment, patient retention or just provide an enhanced level of service please call PenRad at 763-475-3388 or email [email protected].
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About the author
About the author. Daniel D. Bickford (www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-bickford) is President of Pintail Strategic Consulting which has provided sales and marketing services to the diagnostic imaging industry, since 2015. PenRad is a current client of Pintail Strategic Consulting. Daniel was co-founder of Confirma Inc., the pioneer of breast MRI CAD technology and manufacturer or of CADstream.