Who is the Customer?
Introduction
In many sectors, this question is obvious. In healthcare, it is typically is not. The patient is our focus, but the patient doesn’t make the purchase decision (typically that’s the clinician), nor does the patient pay the bill (typically that’s the insurer/payor). The concept of “customer” is central in business thinking, and so having a clear definition and clear understanding is necessary.
What
The customer is someone for whom you would change your product or service. In the above example, it is fair to say that the patient, the clinician, and the payor are all important customers. It is clear we should add regulatory agencies to this list as well, and depending on your product, there could be other customers.
When
Once you’ve decided on what you think your product or service will be, spend some time defining the customer. You already understand the patient, and probably a good deal about the clinicians in the space. What do the regulators need to see? What do payors care about? How will reimbursement work?
Why
Changing your product is far easier in the concept stage than late in clinical trials.
Learning Goals
Understand “customer discovery” processes, and their importance.