Do you ever drive by a small to medium size hospital wishing that you did more business with them? If your answer is YES then read on. After all, you may already provide branding solutions with pens, pencils and t-shirts for their special events, but how could you provide them with solid solutions for their Image Apparel (uniform) needs. It’s simple really. Leverage that strong relationship you have with your client by asking them how you can provide a uniform solution for their non-medical staff.
Now you’re thinking how many staffers are there who would need this type of solution. I think you’d be surprised at just how many there are. Next time you drive by your community hospital stop in and do an environmental scan, you’ll notice that there are a lot of staff members that don’t wear scrubs or lab coats. Here are just a few of the non-medical job functions. They include:
- Valet
- Security
- Front desk/Information Navigator
- Insurance coordinators
- Administrators
- Social workers
- Business associates
- Culinary services
- Gift shop
- Volunteers
Keep in mind that all employees are an extension of the brand and vital to its success. However, uniforms make it easier for patients and family to identify and locate staff. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew that all non-medical hospital staff is outfitted in a specific color shirt, vest and pant or skirt? Hotels and restaurants have done this for years so why not hospital staff too. Whatever the situation, uniforms help take the guesswork out of the equation for patients and family members.
Now you’re thinking, I don’t really know where to begin. That’s where we come in…your partner supplier. We can assist in developing style ideas, story boards, fit lines, color schemes and fulfillment. How you ask? Start with one group at a time, for example:
An Edwards’ distributor was awarded a uniform program for their medium size hospital client. They were to outfit their information navigators (front desk), insurance coordinators, and food service. The distributor developed with their hospital client, story board designs for each discipline, number of garments required, budget and program fulfillment. The program included a numbers of styles for these non-medical groups. The challenge for the distributor once all the styles and colors were selected was to create a simple way for the order to be placed, fulfilled and then drop shipped directly to the end user.
The distributor worked with Edwards, their supplier partner to design a simple order form for each job function and hold a 3-day onsite fitting of the garments. The supplier partner worked with the distributor to create an easy fit-line solution to aid in the ordering process. Once the orders were completed, the distributor submitted the consolidated order and created a document for the supplier to identify each of the garments and bag them and identify them by name prior to shipping. The supplier partner completed the order and shipped it directly to the hospital client for distribution to their associates.
The distributor realized increased profitability by eliminating any additional handling services. Here’s what the distributor said about the project…”Edwards was easy to work with and we couldn’t have completed the distribution details without them. They really exceeded expectation.”
Here’s the program they presented:
A Information Navigators (Front Desk)
-Dress Shirt, Pants, Vest, Tie
B Insurance Coordinators
-3/4 Sleeve Blouse, Tunic Vest, Pants
C Food Service/Culinary
-Chef Coats, Pants -Polos, Pants, Bib-Apron
