Close to the customer: Customer advisor interns at Asklepios clinics
The idea of job shadowing
During her mentoring program at the Ecclesia Group, she came up with the idea of sitting in directly at a clinic in order to gain an even better understanding of the work processes and obtain important information for customer care. Ultimately, Ronja Simonsmeier was given the opportunity to get to know the processes on site at Asklepios. This enables her to adapt to the customer's needs in the best possible way. It was particularly exciting that, in addition to seven days in the administrative area, she also spent a day in a clinic in Hamburg.
A day at the clinic
The highlight of the internship was the day at the perinatal center in Altona with eight delivery rooms, where around ten children are born every day. Ronja Simonsmeier mainly accompanied the medical service and spent time in the central coordination room. “Here I talked to midwives, gynecologists and the anesthetist about their work in the delivery room. I was also able to accompany discussions about birth planning. I also gained an insight into risk management and learned about emergency simulation in the delivery room and in the emergency department,” she reports.
She was even allowed to go into the operating room during a planned caesarean section. “It was a really formative experience! Everything went well and it was very emotional to witness the moment of birth,” she says enthusiastically. “I was also pleasantly surprised at how quickly the mother was cared for again afterwards and the procedure was completed. The child was also examined quickly and handed over to the parents. Overall, I found it very reassuring. Everything was so routine and everyone knew their tasks.” This unique experience not only deepened her understanding of medical procedures, but also provided valuable insights for her daily work, where she has to assess the risks of customers. Ronja Simonsmeier was later able to contribute her experience to a discussion with an insurer about insuring gynecologists and describe exactly what was at stake. “My knowledge gave the discussion a new basis,” she reports.
– Ronja Simonsmeier, Kundenbetreuerin der Asklepios KinikenI think that even one or two days at the customer's premises can help to understand the customer's way of working and thus to be able to adapt even better to the customer's needs
Optimized collaboration and new perspectives
The work shadowing enabled Ronja Simonsmeier to better understand the internal processes at Asklepios and to further optimize cooperation. She was also asked to identify areas where the Ecclesia Group could provide even more support to customers with its services and thus take on tasks for Asklepios. She accompanied the contact person for insurance for seven days and saw the unfiltered processes she received. "Many inquiries reminded me of the processes we receive every day in our department. This enabled us to fine-tune our daily collaboration," says Ronja Simonsmeier.
In other words, it was about promoting understanding of the customer's internal processes. As a result, she also gained insights into business planning, for example, and learned how employees process the evaluation data they receive from Ecclesia. The overview of the information available on the Asklepios intranet, for example, also offers the opportunity for further networking. "This allows us to process our information in an even more targeted way and provide appropriate advice," explains the insurance expert. Contact with each other was also a focus of the job shadowing. Above all, it was about getting to know each other and growing closer together. "I had the opportunity to get to know our contacts on a different level, for example over lunch. This benefits cooperation and communication becomes more open," she reports. A regular exchange with Asklepios ensures that current developments and important changes are discussed regularly.
For Ronja Simonsmeier, the work shadowing was a complete success. "I think that even one or two days at the customer's premises can help us to understand the customer's way of working and thus be able to adapt even better to the customer's needs," she emphasizes. The Ecclesia Group attaches great importance to being close to its customers in order to ensure the best possible customer service.
About the person
Ronja Simonsmeier began her dual studies at the Ecclesia Group in 2017. After completing her training, she completed a mentoring program in the North region and successfully completed her bachelor's degree. Since then, she has been looking after the Asklepios clinics as a key account (for five years). At the same time, she completed a Master's degree in Business Administration with a focus on management in the healthcare sector and corporate management at the University of Hamburg.