Focus group carry a very high importance for the business’ decision-making process, and with help of appropriately designed focus groups, an organization can implement necessary changes or make useful improvements for the enhancement of customers’ experience. In such a way, designing right questions is one of the key factors in drawing usefulness from focus groups. There are various types of questions, such as multiple choice or open-ended. Taking the given scenario about the healthcare organization and the emerging issues in it, one of the ways of constructing the questions is the following:
How would you describe your experience with our medical practice facility on the scale from one to five, with five – being extremely satisfied and one – being disappointed?
The rating that the members of a focus group provide will help the medical institution to see the proportion of positive and negative experiences, which, in turn will help to recognize the need for change.
Can you please share what were the major benefits that you believe have improved your experience with our medical practice?
Definition of positive sides and specific benefits will show the strengths, as a part of internal analysis, because they point out competitive advantage of the company and formulate the idea about the positive aspects of the image of this medical practice facility.
Can you please list the major points that became mostly uncomfortable for you and the elimination of which would improve your experience with our medical practice? Please, try to be specific.
Things that make the experience uncomfortable help to identify the weaknesses of the facility, which is also a part of internal assessment of the company. Weak sides give a representation of the sides that require additional attention, the sides that need careful examination and reconsideration. Acknowledgement of negative sides strengthens the company in a way that learning on the mistakes is very effective
How would you describe the level of your satisfaction with the attitude of our working personnel on the scale from one to five, with five – being extremely satisfied and one – being disappointed?
Attitude of personnel is one of the key factors in any customer service business, and numerical evaluation will give an average result about the level of behavior of the employees. This point will help to figure out whether there is a need for additional training, additions to the company’s culture, or for incentives for the workers to strengthen their loyalty and respect to the interests of the organization.
What external factors (such as the interior, or the climate, or the colors of the patient rooms or reception) made an influence on your experience with our medical practice facility?
The interior, atmosphere, climate, comfortableness of the furniture and other related factors in the facility play a crucial role in creating the overall customers’ experience. Creating the most pleasant experience is essential for a medical practice, and if the clients point at the things at the office that worsened or improved their experience, the company will have an opportunity to pay closer attention at them.
Among the factors that you have named in the previous section, please, define the ones that had a positive influence on your experience with our organization and the ones that made a negative influence.
The list of concrete items constitutes a list of specific aspects that require change or that need to be enhanced at higher rates to make the experience better. Division of items of items according to the level of their positivity makes the work of the facility more organized. Clear structure and organization, in turn, positively contribute to the customers’ experience with the company.
Can you please identify whether the expectations about the experience in our health organization met the reality?
Meeting expectations is an extremely important element in operating activities of the business. The level of customers’ satisfaction of their initial expectations will show the correspondence of the company’s positioning with reality. Not reaching or exceeding the expectations will show the direction in which a medical practice should move.
What would be your suggestions for the possible improvements of the service in our medical practice facility?
Members of focus groups can often be specific in their suggestions for the improvements of the company; especially of they have an interest in it. Advice about the future performance and about the changes provides hints for the company for their development and growth, as well as helps to generate strategies of attracting more clients and meeting their expectations at the highest level possible.
A careful analysis of those questions from several, in our case, 12 people will help to reveal the problems of the organization, it will describe the image of the company in the eyes of its stakeholders and will give the hint for the future changes and the means of achieving those changes and reaching new goals.
