Identifying Factors of Indian Health System and Their Influence for Providing Good Customer Care

Abstract

Customer relationship management is important for any service industry as a satisfied customer is likely to remain loyal and spread publicity, thereby ensuring profits to the organizations. Healthcare is an important and fast-growing service industry in which the patient is the customer, and maintaining good relationship with them is highly profitable. Good customer relationship comes from an understanding of patients' expectations and what factors lead to patient satisfaction. WHO in its report in 2000 introduced the concept-responsiveness, which deals with meeting the universal, legitimate expectations of the patients. This study identifies factors related to patients' expectations, satisfaction, and hence, good customer relations in Indian health system. Structural equation modelling was used to measure the influence of the factors suggested. The results show significant influence of patient expectations on customer relationship.