Philips Trusted Advisor program

The Trusted Advisor program was designed to increase insight amongst the Philips Service Engineers about their impact and how they can contribute to improvements in customer satisfaction and perception of the Philips brand with their customers in the healthcare industry.

The challenge

In today’s healthcare equipment market, success is not based on good products or good sales representatives. Building trust and sustainable growth with customers requires involvement and professionalism.

To maintain the market leader position Philips Healthcare has in the Benelux market they believe they’ve to differentiate even more from the competition. They decided to invest in a soft skills program, to differentiate in terms of service, which is the goal of the Trust Advisor program. It’s not enough to be a good technician, you also need to know how to interact with customers.

Strengths that could help them differentiate themselves at the service level were:

Network of experienced Service Engineers
Project Managers
Application Specialists

“People are the most important asset and I think it really makes sense to invest in your people and not just in technical skills but also in soft ones. This will really payout”.
Gertjan Van der Weijden, Director of Customer Service and Operations

The solution

Philips Healthcare partnered with Mercuri International to develop the “Trusted Advisor” program. This initiative aimed to raise awareness among service engineers about their impact on customer satisfaction and brand perception. By equipping them with stronger interpersonal and advisory skills, the program helped shift their role from technical specialists to trusted advisors who could enhance customer relationships.

The outcome

Post-collaboration results for Philips Healthcare

The program led to a significant improvement in customer interactions, strengthening trust and driving sustainable business growth. Service engineers, project managers, and application specialists started acquiring new mindsets, gaining valuable skills that set them apart in delivering exceptional service. As a result, Philips Healthcare reinforced its position as a market leader in the Benelux region.

Philips Healthcare is a global leader in health technology, dedicated to improving people’s lives through innovative medical solutions. With a strong focus on patient-centered care, Philips provides cutting-edge imaging systems, patient monitoring, and healthcare informatics to enhance diagnostics, treatment, and overall hospital efficiency. Committed to advancing healthcare through innovation and sustainability, Philips Healthcare empowers medical professionals worldwide to deliver better outcomes and improve patient experiences.

Conclusion

Considering the challenges of the team’s turnaround, what were the key success factors for the program? We asked Gertjan Van der Weijden, Director of Customer Service and Operations. Below his answer:

Middle-management involvement. They really need to believe it. They’re the main advocates.
Create a burning platform and awareness of the need to change.
Consistency in the approach. It was not just one or two days of training, but it was something that could be possible to feel and experienced during different cases/real job situations.

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