Measuring Physician Engagement

Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” We couldn’t agree more, so we carefully define the terms of our business. Since PeopleMetrics’ has recently developed a Physician Engagement Management solution, it’s appropriate to define this new term. Just what is Physician Engagement?

Many of you may jump to the idea that Physician Engagement is akin to Employee Engagement; the docs are the employees of the hospital, right? Well yes, but that’s not quite what we mean, although we do that too. We define Physician Engagement as the measurement of how engaged physicians are as customers of pharmaceutical sales representatives. Physician engagement, then, shows how engaged the doctor is with his or her sales representative.

For the full article see Measuring Physician Engagement

The Link Between Employee Engagement and Customer Engagement

Henry Ford once said, “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” Here at PeopleMetrics, we state that maxim a little differently: A business that focuses on nothing but customer sales will under-perform. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true because your customer doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Consciously or subconsciously, your customer decides how much to spend and whether or not to return to your brand. Our research shows that this decision is often based on the customer’s emotional experience with your employees.

It stands to reason that positive emotional interactions with your employees will cause customers to return. And the opposite is also true: if an employee is poorly trained, or generally apathetic, the customer is unlikely to return. In this way, each of your front-line employees is a spokesperson for your company. They are the “touch points” that influence future customer purchasing decisions. Employees’ passion and enthusiasm rubs off on customers.

But how does one measure such abstract qualities as passion and enthusiasm? At PeopleMetrics, we do what our name implies—we deliver reliable data on the people that make your company go. We define engagement according to four metrics:

For the rest of the article see: Customer Engagement Metrics

5 Tips, 3 Approaches for Encouraging Peer-To-Peer Recognition

In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard L. Florida highlights the factors that motivate creative workers like programmers and scientists. One of his conclusions is that increasing numbers of modern workers are motivated, at least in part, by peer recognition. This is why, even in today’s rocky economic climate, many people are willing to work for free on projects that they feel will win the respect of their peers. Fortunately, progressive managers are beginning to recognize the power of peer-to-peer recognition.

In addition to the motivational factor, many managers encourage peer recognition because they know that it is usually accurate. As Judith A. Hale explains in Performance-Based Management, peers may deliver more detailed, effective feedback, since they have more opportunities to observe their coworkers’ performance. As Ms. Hale writes, “It is not uncommon for the manager to be removed from where the work is performed and, therefore, rarely see what people do or how they do it.”

If you’re looking to develop a peer recognition program for your workplace, keep a few general feedback guidelines in mind:

1. Remember that specific feedback is more effective than general praise. Encourage your employees to be precise when complimenting their peers.
2. Additionally, you should involve employees in designing your peer recognition program. Avoid launching new recognition programs without ensuring that the whole crew is on board. Your new recognition procedures will be far more likely to take root if everyone in your organization understands why they are being implemented.

For the rest of the tips see: Employee Recognition