Just two months after Device Technologies drew up a COVID-19 disaster plan, its business changed dramatically. Demand from hospitals for its usual products 鈥� surgical instruments, orthopaedic implants, robotics and the like 鈥� plummeted as elective surgery was banned.

Adapting at speed

Instead, the company was deluged with orders for ventilators and personal protective equipment. 鈥淲e shifted our business model extremely quickly,鈥� says CEO Michael Trevaskis.

Fortunately, the rapid pivot was simplified by a decision taken three years earlier to transform Australia鈥檚 biggest independent supplier of medical technology into a digital leader in the healthcare sector.

Michelle Stewart, general manager of marketing and digital, headed the project, starting with the supply chain.

Using 麻豆原创鈥檚 Customer Experience platform, Device Technologies introduced a surgery booking portal, eliminating the need for phone calls and several data entry steps 鈥� instead allowing surgeons to input into an app what equipment they needed.

Putting patients first

After just one year in operation, the portal has saved more than 50,000 hours of administrative time. As well as reducing the risk of human error, it has freed up more than 100 sales staff across the surgical divisions of Device Technologies, allowing them to spend more time with surgeons improving patient outcomes.

鈥淚t puts patients ahead of paperwork,鈥� says Stewart.

It has also allowed sales staff to input surgery bookings on the go on mobile devices rather than entering data after business hours.

The company鈥檚 next biggest change is an ecommerce platform, giving customers access to a digital catalogue of more than 70,000 products and the ability to track their purchases and deliveries anytime.

Total transparency

鈥淲e鈥檙e inviting them into the business with total transparency,鈥� says Stewart, noting that a trial launch to a small group of customers shows they are three times more likely to research product details through the portal and are logging on outside business hours.

Trevaskis says the digital innovations will allow Device Technologies to continue to expand.

Five years ago, 80 per cent of its customer base was Australian hospitals and doctors. Now, the company supplies equipment to veterinary practices and aged care homes, as well as hospitals across South-East Asia.

鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 do this without technology; it鈥檚 far too labour intensive,鈥� he says. 鈥淗ealth care has to evolve into more digitised services and COVID-19 has fast-tracked this.鈥�

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Device Technologies business systems manager Tiina Kontkanen said one of those approaches is the implementation freight management platform that can be embedded into existing systems to track and report on the movement of these devices.

Another way the company plans on lifting visibility of its supply chain, Kontkanen said, speaking as part an online 麻豆原创 event, involves improving the company’s data strategy and providing “some insights to the customers and our suppliers on our products”.

“That’s something that I think you have to just collaborate on, and I think that’s the key to agility and breaking some of those silos that are in place at the moment,” she said.

Device Technologies CIO Graham Cronin agreed, pointing to how for instance, the company is accessing telemetry through its Da Vinci robot, a system that is typically used to assist surgeons during minimal invasive surgery.

“We have a direct link back with the manufacturer and on the telemetry of the procedures, on what the device is doing, how it’s operating, how it’s consuming its consumables,” he said.

“That is allowing us to give a better outcome to the surgeon and the hospital using that robot. And of course, better patient outcomes because we know that we’re making sure that the system is efficient and operating to the best level that it needs to.

“It’s also getting the telemetry back, and some of the diagnostics of those patient outcomes to improve the software that goes into them for future procedures.”

Additionally, as part of its digital agenda, Device Technology has developed a surgery booking portal, which Cronin believes will help “digitise the healthcare environment”.

“[It’s] more so that we can react quickly to those changing events, also help organisations, hospitals, clinicians, and surgeons to be able to deliver a better patient outcome quickly, so that they can get their hands on to the equipment they require for any procedure or event that’s occurring,” he said.

“It’s also about giving them a better understanding of that end-to-end supply chain, so that they can manage their patient lists, get patients out of hospitals a lot quicker with better healthcare outcomes.”

The company is further enhancing its booking portal by reorganising the way it catalogues its 70,000 SKUs from surgery theatre equipment to radiology equipment and surgical instruments.

“A lot of the teams are starting to get the clinicians to focus on helping us to catalogue on what’s required and speed that up so that when we come out of [the coronavirus pandemic], there’ll be a better array or catalogue digitally of what’s available across our systems,” Cronin said.

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In our experience-driven economy, data is the most important ingredient for crafting deeply personalised experiences and delighting customers. Yet the companies most notorious for enabling this 鈥� including digital platforms Facebook and Google 鈥� are in the spotlight after an official inquiry was launched by the ACCC. The inquiry will examine how these platforms gather information about consumers and use it to target them with highly personalised advertising online.

Many marketers may worry these developments present a Catch-22 for their work. How can businesses meet these competing demands for more personalisation and more privacy?

As a starting point, it鈥檚 safe to assume a few things. Managing customer data will become an increasingly critical trust point in any business relationship and doing so effectively will only get harder the longer you leave it. Yet the rewards for businesses that get it right will far outweigh the difficulties in doing so 鈥� and it鈥檚 best to start early than risk getting caught out.

A changing data landscape

It鈥檚 clear that consumers are increasingly recognising the power of data and are far more educated on its impact and value. They鈥檙e also far more critical of companies they think manage data badly. In fact, among Australian consumers, a whopping 78 per cent believe companies aren鈥檛 taking adequate steps to protect their personal data, according to Deloitte鈥檚 annual Media Consumer Survey. Close to nine in ten (88 per cent) say they strongly value privacy over convenience, according to a survey by Privacy Australia.

To address this shift, governments around the globe are setting new standards for how businesses can use customer data, from 2018鈥檚 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU to Australia鈥檚 Notifiable Data Breach Scheme, which requires entities to notify individuals and the Information Commissioner about data breaches that are likely to cause 鈥渟erious harm鈥�.

The ACCC added to the debate with last year鈥檚 review of loyalty schemes, such as
frequent flyer, supermarket and hotel loyalty programs, calling on businesses that offer them to improve both their data practices and how they communicate with customers, to help consumers understand how these schemes operate.

Now it is doing so again with its announcement of two new inquiries into possible anti-competitive behaviour by digital platforms, and services allowing online advertisers to target Australian internet users.

A red line from data to value

The good news is it鈥檚 easier than many businesses imagine. Start by offering customers transparency and control of their own personal data. Not only will this give customers a better understanding of your data practices but it can also let them define their own experiences, which builds trust. There鈥檚 no better partner to businesses than an informed, empowered and data-driven customer.

To achieve this kind of partnership, businesses can no longer offer vague language and promises as to what they will give in exchange for personal information. Consumers want and need to know, in the simplest language possible, exactly how their information is being used.

Businesses should speak directly to customers as individuals, giving them confidence that they are actually a part of the process of building better experiences. In retail, for example, this could include asking for location data in exchange for push notifications alerting customers to a sale if they approach their favourite store.

It鈥檚 a simple shift, but one that eliminates doubt and treats customers as partners.

Treating customers as trusted individuals

One of the major global regulatory changes around consumer data revolves around the channels and methods we use to ask for information. Under GDPR, companies with complex, multi-page user agreements can now receive a hefty fine.

Consumer data protection laws are as unique as the regions they cover, but a common goal is to create more transparent relationships between brands and customers. Giving customers the ability to pick and choose what they sign up for and which brands they engage with is an important sign of respect.

Whether it鈥檚 the 鈥渆xplicit consent鈥� requirement of GDPR or the 鈥渞ight to opt-out鈥� requirements that other global initiatives include, the underlying regulatory trend is clear: give customers the explicit ability to pick and choose what they sign up for, which brands they engage with, and the specific manner in which they wish to be engaged. Make it easy to find, simple to access, and fast to change.

That includes regular 鈥� proactively shared 鈥� options to opt-out if they have been
stuck on an email list for five years.

Handing over the reins

Another emerging trend is the creation of a centralised, intuitive portal through which customers can manage their own data. Think of it like settings on your phone. Customers would get the ability to turn specific levers on and off depending on the brand they engage with.

While these rights vary depending on the specific regulation, the common thread is clear: this is the new standard. Making it a key part of your customers鈥� experiences will show that you鈥檙e taking their data as seriously as they do.

Resetting the relationship

The global conversation around data has evolved significantly in recent years. From hacking and data breaches to exceptional data-driven customer relationships, personal information has become the foundation through which brands either succeed or fall short. With increasing scrutiny, such as the ACCC鈥檚 latest probe, you should expect the way you handle data to become increasingly visible, whether you are ready or not.

Brands can stay ahead of customer expectations and build trust by putting customer needs first, setting the highest possible bar for transparency and giving customers control and choice when it comes to their personal data.

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