Workshops, exhibits and awards — oh, my! In the tradition of its prestigious predecessors, HealthTech 2002 offered something for everyone involved in healthcare technology service and support: advice for handling the job, tools and test equipment for on-the-job and awards for what readers considered a job well done. If you were there, you heard and saw it all. If not, well … here’s a peek at what you missed!

Even though HealthTech 2002 — the event — has come and gone, HealthTech — the ideal — is never really over. Not when everyone returns home having learned something new, having made new contacts, having discovered new resources. And when a lot of people commit their time, talent and expertise to making the show a success, how do you compress it all into a two-page review? Well, you don’t. You can’t. (But you can publicly thank people for their involvement, especially Conference Coordinator Lisa Narciso for organizing such an informative, engaging and enjoyable show!)

In the “classrooms”
Since customers have become hardened to expect poor service, a great opportunity exists for small ISOs to exceed expectations, drive performance and market themselves more heavily. So said Dale Hunt, co-founder of The Thomas Group (Anaheim, Calif.) in “Creating an Effective Marketing Plan for the Small Independent Service Organization.”

Hunt said that service organizations must do more to reach new prospects, understand the needs of their current customers, be responsible to their own employees and create a memorable customer experience. “Word of mouth still matters more than anything,” he said.

By branding, marketing and strategically communicating, service companies can differentiate themselves and attract new customers. “Here is your goal,” Hunt said. “Three-quarters of the sales process should be over because the account knows [the company] that the salesperson represents.”

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