Every one of us has had the experience of making a purchase. Whether you've been to a car dealership, walked the mall (pre-COVID) or simply clicked the "Buy Now" button on Amazon you've participated in the purchase process...which is fundamentally the same no matter where you made it.

 

Research has shown that every purchase decision follows a basic set of five milestones:

#1 – Problem or Need Recognition: when you recognize there is a problem that must be solved or a need that must be addressed.

 

#2 – Information Search: when you spend time searching online, looking at ads, talking to others or other means to gather information about possible solutions/purchases that may meet your needs.

 

#3 – Considering Alternatives: This part is more complicated because there is so much to consider that affect your evaluation of options: how important is it; how quickly do you need it; where will you get it; and how much do you want to spend.

 

#4 – Purchase Decision: Eventually you're ready to buy, and you've narrowed it down to the best possible choice, based on the benefits, cost, timing and other inputs you feel are most important.

 

#5 – Post-Purchase Behavior: Once you've made your purchase comes the time to evaluate how satisfied you are with it…both immediately and longer term. Did the purchase meet your expectations? Does the product/solution perform as you hoped?

 

For leaders in the healthcare industry – and for hospitals in particular – the journey from problem to solution is extremely complex and fraught with uncertainty, especially regarding technology planning and purchasing. Hospitals have many critical goals – increase operational efficiency, ensure data accuracy, keep patients and staff safe and deliver customer satisfaction, among others – which all compete for leadership attention, energy and budget.

 

At IMS, we know that Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) can address many of those important hospital concerns, but the people charged with making those key purchase decisions may or may not be the actual end-users or recipients of the technology benefits. Often the driver or imperative for an RTLS solution lies within a specific clinical group or operational workflow, but the purchasing task is given to IS/IT or supply chain departments that may not grasp the significance of the problem or the importance of detailed information gathering to develop alternatives and make the right buying decision.

 

With that in mind, IMS created the "Planning Your RTLS Project" guide book to help all hospital customers with a stake in the RTLS solution (both end-users and decision-makers) to understand the key questions to ask when seeking the right RTLS system for their hospital.

 

IMS created this guide in collaboration with our own design, service, installation, and sales teams to reduce the burden on our customers. We know that RTLS can be overwhelming, and we also know that a poorly conceived, designed, and installed system will not deliver the true value and benefits the hospital expects. We're convinced that by building up our customer's knowledge and awareness of the real problem they are trying to solve (Step #1) we can navigate them through the rest of their purchase journey to define (Step #2), design (Step #3), decide (Step #4) and deploy the right RTLS system.

 

By considering a customer's current state of technology, the vital workflows that are affected, the key people who must be engaged, and the intended timing and budget available, IMS can balance and integrate the proper RTLS solution. Working collaboratively and continuously across all customer teams to answer this comprehensive set of questions, IMS can help ensure that ultimate customer satisfaction for all stakeholders (Step #5) is achieved.

 

So, are you ready to start looking for an RTLS solution? Do you know what you need? Let IMS help you take those first important steps on your RTLS purchase journey.

 

Download>> Planning Your RTLS Project Guide Book

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