The Results Are in: Clients Provide Excellent Feedback

“ARUP has wonderful customer service. They look at what is best for the client. It's like shopping at Macy's at Christmas as seen in the movie Miracle on 34th Street.”

“ARUP has proven that it cares about quality. Customer service is definitely a priority. ARUP has convinced me that there are labs that actually care about quality results and not just the money. I proudly recommend ARUP to anyone who asks.” —Doylestown Hospital (Pennsylvania

This was one of the more creative comments provided by the 1,200-plus clients who provided feedback in the 2017 Client Satisfaction Survey. Many comments praised interactions with our Client Services Department. SRS San Diego Main Lab stated, “I wish ARUP could teach classes on customer service and respect to all companies who employ human beings.”

“We’ve continued to improve steadily with each survey,” says Kaarin Nisbet, assistant vice president and group manager of Client Services. She points to three surveys conducted in the last five years.

“ARUP always has knowledgeable people working the phones. I can always get through without waiting; they get back to me when they say they will, and I can always trust what they are telling me. Not every lab is like that and I appreciate that in your company.” —Children’s Hospital and Medical Center (Nebraska)

On this most recent survey, clients put a great deal of importance on test-specific details (e.g., accuracy and precision) and turnaround time. More than half of the respondents rated the following as ARUP’s strengths: utilization management, price, academic affiliation, and our efforts to support their goals to be the principal healthcare providers in their communities. “Results are very encouraging; these are the most positive results we have seen since Market Research took over this survey in 2013,” says Daniel James, one of ARUP’s senior market research analysts.

“Excellent quality and service. Our partner, NOT our competitor!“—Adventist Hinsdale Hospital (Illinois)

Overall, ARUP achieved a net promoter score (NPS) of 64 percent. Companies with a comparable score are Facebook and Google. Amazon scores 71 percent. (An NPS is based on a respondent’s likelihood to recommend ARUP to colleagues.) NPS ranked the highest among children’s hospitals and pathology groups or clinics, while reference labs received the lowest NPS (40 percent)—not surprising as these are also our competitors. The greater the respondent’s level of responsibility in deciding which reference lab to use, the higher ARUP’s NPS.

“ARUP has by far THE most
courteous, helpful, and friendly
staff I have ever had the
experience of speaking to.
And since I need to speak to
them daily, never have I left our
conversation feeling that my
concerns were not addressed
or dealt with appropriately. I
have never experienced an
unpleasant person within
their call staff, which to me is
incredibly important. Feeling
confident that my questions
and inquiries are handled
appropriately and effectively is
paramount to our relationship
with any reference laboratories.”
—Hennepin County Medical Center (Minnesota)

Chemistry, immunology, and infectious disease are the testing areas consistently associated with ARUP. The majority of respondents (52 percent) indicated that they use a reference lab to perform molecular oncology or genetic sequencing tests, whereas 35 percent indicated they send this testing to a boutique lab.

When asked which reference lab has the best customer service, interface services, scope of test menu, and price, ARUP dominated all four categories, particularly in customer service and interface services.
“ARUP is more competitive on price than we previously thought,” says James. Only 8 percent describe price as a weakness for ARUP. Over half (63 percent) say that ARUP is the best lab in terms of price.

“ARUP continues to have an outstanding reputation and has always provided testing at a fair and reasonable price. The organization conducts itself with integrity, as seen through their work to improve laboratory test utilization. No other company is willing to share that a hospital laboratory could perform testing themselves at a more reasonable price; most labs would promote themselves as the only way to go.” —Bristol Regional Medical Center (Tennessee)