Maggie Peña is the Chief Experience Officer at Interlace Health (the next generation of FormFast), a 30 year old privately held healthcare IT firm that delivers scalable and cost-effective forms automation and eSignature solutions for healthcare organisations. She brings 22 years of experience in IT to her role and leads one third of Interlaces Health’s employees.
With a fierce focus on customer satisfaction and retention, Maggie created and built Interlace Health’s customer support team and its customer implementation strategy, she built out the company’s fully Spanish-speaking team for project implementation, and ongoing customer support, and she has managed the company’s managed services program to create efficiencies for customers. She believes in a proactive approach to customer service, and it shows with happy and successful customers. Under Maggie’s leadership, Interlace Health currently has a 97.4% customer retention rate.
Maggie serves as a co-leader for the HIMSS Clinician Burden Reduction Task Force and was recently named Becker’s 2023 Women in Health IT to Know list.
Questions
• Could you share a little bit about your journey, how you got to where you are today.
• Can you tell our listeners maybe three key things that you’ve done consistently that you believe has contributed to the success of achieving a 97.4% customer retention rate?
• Can you tell us maybe some of the criteria that you use to select those customers? What type of customer do you look for to ensure that they are the ones that you’re joining your counsel?
• Now, could you also share with our listeners what is the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can’t live without in your business?
• Now we’d also like for you to share with us maybe one or two books that you’ve read. It could be a book that you read a very long time ago or even one that you read recently, but it has had a great impact on you.
• As a customer, what are maybe three things that are critical for you to actually say, yes, this was a great customer experience.
• Can you also share with our listeners, what’s the one thing that’s going on in your life right now that you’re really excited about? Either something you’re working on to develop yourself or your people.
• Are there are some key behaviours or competencies that you look for when you’re hiring persons for those roles as customer support?
• Where can listeners find you online?
• Now, before we wrap our episodes up, we always like to ask our guests, do you have a quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you will tend to revert to this quote if for any reason you get derailed or you get off track? This quote kind of helps to get you back on track. Do you have one of those?
Highlights
Maggie’s Journey
Me: So, just wanted to take some time before we jump into the meat of our conversation for you to share with our listeners a little bit about your journey. I know we would have read your bio, but we always like to ask the guests in their own words, if you could share a little bit about how you got to where you are today.
Maggie shared that it has been an interesting journey. When she started college, she wanted to be an accountant. But after her first accounting course, she quickly realized that was not her calling. So, the path that really paved her way to where she is today started in the financial industry during her junior year working part time for a local bank and the IT department, processing operations for almost 30 banks throughout the state, working with a Unisys mainframe and green screen terminals for the very first time. And she thinks she just might have dated herself, but that’s okay.
So, all kidding aside, it was a great learning experience nonetheless. By then, she had switched majors and was now pursuing a degree in Computer Information Systems. And her time at the bank confirmed and validated her interest in technology and how we can use technology to automate processes to increase efficiencies and customer service as we knew it back then, now that customer experiences tends to be a newer word, back in the day, we were thinking at it as customer service.
She was lucky enough to stay at the bank for almost 7 years until the bank was acquired by an international bank with plans to move their IT operations someplace else. At that point, she knew that it was time to move on and look for something else. So, she joined a local health care system, also working in their IT department supporting the business and financial side of the hospital. After about a year, Interlace Health, formerly FormFast as said came into her life when the hospital purchased a forms automation solution. So, fast forward a couple of years, she had the opportunity to join the NRA Health team and have now been there for almost 13 years.
Key Strategies that Contributed to the Success of Achieving a 97.4% Customer Retention Rate
Me: So, in your bio, it says that you’ve managed to achieve a 97.4% customer retention rate. Can you tell our listeners maybe three key things that you’ve done consistently that you believe has contributed to that success?
Maggie shared that at Interlace Health, they believe in putting people first, so that is their mission. They put people over paperwork, and it has reflected on the solutions that they provide their customers and the solution is that they innovate and so on, so forth. But even in the services, she has a belief that software alone doesn’t cut it anymore, it just doesn’t. Anyone can have a similar product or a similar solution as you, it really comes down to the level of service that you provide your customers and the experience that they encounter throughout the entire journey.
So, first and foremost, they put people first, always there for their customers, they have also built a dedicated team within the services department at Interlace Health, always to be their specialized in what they do, enabled to deliver personalized and attentive support to their customers, they are there with them, they understand their business, they understand their needs, and they’re always available.
Again, to address it, regardless of what the need may be, the COVID pandemic was huge, it was terrible, but it was an opportunity for them to be there for their customers and continue providing the service, and not just the service, but continue providing the same level of service to enable them to continue providing the care that they needed to provide even more so during those difficult times.
And then three, they embrace feedback from their customers, the good, the bad, and the Ugly, like the saying. They’re always there, they have established a Customer Success Council and it’s composed of their most engaged, knowledgeable customers who advises on their products or solutions, they share the best practices. And quite frankly, they give candid feedback. It’s not always what they want to hear, but at the end of the day is what they want to hear, because their feedback and their insights have helped make informed decisions as they improve their products and services. And they are pretty much the ones helping them guide their path forward as it comes to their products and services.
Criteria for Selecting Customers to Join Your Customer Success Council
Me: Now, in addition to those three things that has contributed to your customer retention rate being at 97.4%. And I know you mentioned a customer council that you say you use to guide you. Can you tell us maybe some of the criteria that you use to select those customers? What type of customer do you look for to ensure that they are the ones that you’re joining your council?
Maggie shared that they offer various solutions. So, they try to get customers that are using different types of solutions, right? Because obviously, there’s different needs that each solution addresses. First, they started with their internal team, and they asked them who are your champions? Who are your stellar contacts that are customers who know their products, they know it well, they’re using it consistently and that’s the criteria. It’s also customers that are using their solutions successfully and consistently.
But they try to get customers who weren’t using it as much or adopting it as they would like them to, to get involved, to tell them why, what are your challenges? What are your staff or your patients telling you about your solutions or their solutions in this case, that is keeping you from using it to its fullest potential?
So, it was really customers that were mostly engaged and customers that they have communication with, but not to the extent like the fully engaged ones, if that makes sense so that we could get both sides of the house, those that are using it a lot and those that are struggling for various reasons, they wanted to hear from them as well.
App, Website or Tool that Maggie Absolutely Can’t Live Without in Her Business
When asked about online resource that she cannot live without in her business, Maggie shared that she would say internally, Microsoft Teams. Prior to pandemic, Interlace Health, they’ve always been a remote company. So, mostly everyone was remote, she’s been remote almost 13 years there. But since pandemic, she thinks Microsoft Teams have kept them very well connected not just internally but with their customers in the hospital setting, that is what they’ve seen use the most is Microsoft Teams. And then internally to keep track of their customers and their data and their metrics and so on, so forth. Everything that they need to know about their customers, they use Salesforce platform.
Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Maggie
When asked about books that have had a great impact, Maggie shared that The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen Covey. She loves that book and it’s been a while, she’s probably going to read it again. And the question got her thinking she needs to reread it again. But it’s been a few years since she’s read it. And she loves how it gives clarity into how trusted leaders do things differently, faster and at a lower cost. She’s a true believer that trust drives everything, and how it produces better results. So, that’s one.
And then the second one not so much a book, because he’s got plenty of books, but John Maxwell, anything, everything John Maxwell, he’s amazing. She first heard him 5 years ago at a Global Leadership Summit. The one thing that struck the most from that Summit was when he was talking about looking for ways to add value to people, he called it be an added value liver. Where he was talking about throughout the day, going from knowing to doing, from thinking and looking to making sure it’s an action. And at the end of the day, ask yourself, “Did I add value to people today?”
Again, John Maxwell, he is someone who she constantly sees his videos, she’s purchased some training, she even purchases trainings there at work for her direct reports as well to see and to encounter and to read and learn from his teachings. So, those are the two that she can think of.
As a Customer, Three Critical Things to Have a Great Customer Experience
Me: Now I know as your role as a Chief Experience Officer at Interlace Health, you are focused on providing the service to your clients. But I’d like to flip the script a little and put you in the in the hotbox where you are the customer. So, when you think about your own interactions with organizations that you do business with, what are maybe three things that are critical for you to actually say, yes, this was a great customer experience.
Maggie stated that the sense of trust. She talked about trust, the book. So, she would say trust, transparency, and personalization, if she had to put it into just three words. This would be her top three that comes to mind right away.
Me: So, trust, transparency, and personalization.
Maggie stated that personal life experience, she’s huge on that. Just, for example, even when she goes to restaurants, the first thing she looks at when the waiter approaches her is their name badge, because she wants to address them by their name. And she always does, it’s just that personal touch and everything that we do, to her, that’s very important.
Me: It’s always the little things.
What Maggie is Really Excited About Now!
When asked about something that she’s excited about, Maggie shared that just with the new CXO role, she’s excited about it because it’s going to allow her to work with the entire organization on the customer journey from the initial awareness to implementation support and beyond. So, she’s excited to continue creating a more holistic customer centric culture at Interlace Health, while developing and implementing a comprehensive customer experience strategy. And Yanique did the bragging, she (Maggie) was going to brag a little bit about their customer retention rate. So, that’s also exciting for them at Interlace Health at the moment, which is that customer retention rate of 97.4%.
Key Behaviours or Competence for Hiring Customer Support
Me: Could you also share with us with, your customer support team that you had built out, how many persons are on that team?
Maggie shared that they have the team, they’re thinking about everyone that’s doing support, a good 10 people.
Me: So, you got 10 people on that support team. And so, I just wanted to know if there are some key behaviours or competencies that you look for when you’re hiring persons for those roles.
Maggie shared that yes, they need competency, they need people that know what they know, that they’re intelligent, and they know what’s expected of them. But she looks more on attitude, because you can teach the skills that they need to know in order to support the customers. You’ll teach them the product and the solutions and all the intricacies right of what they do. But the attitude, that is not something they can teach. So, she hires for attitude. And so, that’s a big one for her.
At Interlace Health, they look for people who are motivated and you have to, in this remote world, you have to be self-motivated. We’re no longer in front of other people to help us get through the day. So, you need self-motivated individuals, absolutely intelligent, competent people, but people that have the attitude, who are going to be there for their customers, because not every single call is a good call, and that’s life. Some calls aren’t always the best calls, but they want people who are going to have the attitude and turn a not so good call into a positive call at the end of the day while we’re helping their customers resolve their problems.
Where Can We Find Maggie Online
Website – https://interlacehealth.com/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiepeña/
Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Maggie Uses
When asked about quote that she tends to revert to, Maggie shared that there’s one that she has that she’s used personally since a very young age. And that is simple, “If anyone else can do it, so can I.” and like she said, that since she can remember going through school, college, you name it, she’s always had that in her mind if anyone else can do it, so can I.
Then she has a second one too as it relates to her professional setting at work and with her team as they’re looking to do something new, whether it’s a new process, a new approach to something, anything new that they’re talking about doing, she always tells them, “Let’s try it, what’s the worst that can happen?” So, those are the two quotes that you’ll hear her say quite a bit depending on the situation.
Me: Perfect. I love the second one, “Let’s do it, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Maggie stated, what’s the worst that can happen? If it doesn’t work, it wasn’t working anyway.
Me: There’s one that goes, “You miss all of the shots that you never take.” That quote kind of reminds me of that one.
Maggie, I just wanted to express our deepest gratitude to you for taking time out of your very busy schedule and hopping on this podcast with us today. And sharing about your journey as well as what your organization is doing and just how it is that you’ve been able to really make customer experience shine in your organization and achieve the high level of retention rate, how it is that you focus on ensuring that your customers are getting what they need, and not necessarily what organization wants to give them but you have something in place where you really use the voice of the customer on a regular basis. And you can see it manifest into your customer satisfaction and retention scores. So, thank you again for joining us today.
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Links
• The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen Covey
The ABC’s of a Fantastic Customer Experience
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