Cook Surgery’s Chris and Amro listen to a surgeon.
Many companies tout words like ‘collaboration’ or ‘partnership,’ when talking about their relationship with customers. We, too, place high value on our partnerships with physicians. But what does partnership mean to us here at Cook?
To find out, we surveyed 10 people in Cook Surgery: from a corporate account manager, who works with hospital staff on securing contracts, to a clinical specialist, who travels to ORs in her area to advise nurses and physicians.
How do you define our partnership with surgeons?
- Andy, VP of Surgery: “It is not a transaction. It’s a collaborative relationship to help patients. Together with the surgeon, we find out what the clinical need is. We’ll help them solve that need, sometimes through training and education, sometimes through an existing product, or even through developing something completely new.”
- Ben, National sales manager in China: “We stand beside surgeons to work for the best outcomes for patients.”
- Paul, Regional sales manager in the UK and Ireland: “It’s complete synergy. There’s no ‘them and us.’ We’re just one group with a goal to provide improved patient outcomes.”
- Zach, Regional manager in the southern US: “It’s patient-centric collaboration. It’s two-way education and innovation.”
- Dan, District manager in San Diego: “Cook improves patient outcomes by working with surgeons to identify a problem, find a solution, refine the solution, and improve on it over time. The interaction between surgeons, who know the truth of the problem, and Cook, is critical to improving patients’ lives.”
- Lisa, District manager in Chicago: “The partnership between Cook and surgeons is a marriage of sorts. It involves a lot of listening, understanding, problem solving, and action. We must listen and act on what surgeons and hospital administrators are telling us, so that we can provide the best possible solutions for their patients.”
- Cyndi, Clinical specialist in Houston, Texas: “We strive to provide a solution for surgeons that they can’t find anywhere else. And, we truly care for their patients.”
- Leigh-Ann, Global product manager: “Our partnerships with the surgical community begin with assessing their needs, developing products to meet those needs, and working with the surgeons to utilise these products. Our strong relationships continue to provide us with ideas that can help them improve patients’ lives. This is how Mr Cook started 51 years ago and it continues to be our commitment today.”
- Colleen, Training and education manager in the Americas: “Our district managers are consultants for them to discuss solutions, ideas and new procedures. It is instrumental for us to partner with physicians in the field and understand their needs. One way to establish these relationships is through education. We invest in education to share best practices and improve patient outcomes.”
- Lauren, Corporate accounts manager: “Our goal is to create a partnership based on providing quality products that demonstrate both a clinical and an economic advantage.”