of typical advertisements

The following is based on many years of experience and the scenarios illustrated are all genuine, as described by hospital representatives whose unfortunate experiences should serve as a warning to others.

(1) Is Your Proposed Supplier Reputable?

The proposed supplier will no doubt present you with samples of items produced previously for other hospitals. Ask for the contact name and telephone number at each of the hospitals represented, plus others if available. You may then speak to these individuals personally, to establish the quality and reliability of the service provided to them.
One hospital was presented with samples which they recognised as being the product of another supplier. On investigation, it was discovered that the representative concerned, had recently left the employ of the other supplier, taking with him a quantity of 'souvenirs' to pass off as his own product, having trimmed off the genuine supplier’s name.

(2) Financial Inducements – At What Cost?

The proposed supplier may offer or agree to provide a financial inducement, in addition to the service. If so, insist that the agreed sum be paid in full PRIOR to the contract being signed, but beware, as such inducements are often funded by a reduction in production costs, resulting in a poor quality product. Furthermore, less reputable suppliers may capitalise on this 'gift', justifying inflated sponsorship rates to potential sponsors, in the name of 'charity'.
A supplier 'promised' one hospital a donation of £1,000, on delivery of the product. The product was delivered but the £1,000 was not. The supplier then drew the hospital's attention to the contract's terms and conditions, which stated that the gift was subject to a specific level of profit being attained. Suffice to say, the supplier denied that the financial target had been achieved and the hospital was unable to prove otherwise.

(3) Is It Really A Free Service?

With today's modern print technology, there is little that can't be achieved. Reproduction of all your requirements should be insisted upon, along with the colour coding of individual departments and clinics if required. You should even be offered the facility of a full colour photograph of your hospital, if space permits.
One hospital insisted that a full colour photograph of their hospital should appear on the cover of their appointment card, which it did, but only on the first of four scheduled deliveries. Shortly afterwards, the hospital received a letter from the supplier stating that due to the 'extra cost' of printing the picture in colour, further productions would have to be charged for.

(4) How Many Adverts Must There Be?

No hospital wants its appointment cards or leaflets looking like miniature Yellow Pages, and the commercial content should not exceed more than 25% of the total print area. After all, the item should be primarily designed for the hospital, not the sponsors. Your proposed supplier should provide you with an assurance as to the limit of advertisements to be featured, plus the maximum percentage of the total print area that they will cover.
A hospital recently sent me a sample of their previous sponsored card, featuring no less than 24 separate advertisements, covering 66% of the total print area. The hospital concerned, was given no indication in advance, and as a result, everyone was extremely disappointed but powerless to complain.

(5) How Long Will The First Delivery Take To Arrive?

Unlike purchased items, which can be produced and delivered in a matter of weeks or days, sponsored products need financial support, which can take several weeks to secure, depending upon the local area, the 'commercial appeal' of the hospital concerned, and the number of cards to be sponsored per annum. Your proposed supplier should provide you with a maximum waiting period, following final approval of the product's design and your return of the signed contract. However, a good tip to ensure prompt delivery, is to 'sign up' as early as possible, subject to your being happy with the terms of the contract. No reputable supplier will deliver a product, prior to you approving it's design. However, only a disreputable supplier would consider securing sponsorship without a signed contract and letter of authority to do so, even if it is in the interest of making an early delivery.
Having signed a contract without checking the terms thoroughly, one hospital had to wait ten months from approving the final design, till their first delivery arrived. Unfortunately, the terms of the contract prohibited the issue of any alternatives in the interim period, unless purchased from the supplier.

(6) Will Other Sponsorship Opportunities Be Restricted?

A reputable supplier will not restrict your opportunities to contract similar companies in relation to the supply of other sponsored items, so long as there is no conflict between the products concerned.
Having established a supply of sponsored appointment cards with a supplier, a hospital discovered that their contract restricted them from signing up with any other company, in connection with totally unrelated products such as leaflets and posters.

(7) Can Deliveries Be Staged?

Subject to your annual requirements, a reputable supplier should offer you the option of staged deliveries. This not only helps with the common problem of restricted storage space, but enables you to amend the design periodically, adding and deleting information throughout the course of each year.
Having approved their final design, one hospital took delivery of a full year's supply of Appointment Information cards, not realising until too late that they had instructed the wrong telephone number for appointment cancellations. Staff in the clinics were frustrated by the volume of DNAs, whilst the telephone never stopped ringing in the hospital's laundry.

The good news is, that of the 300 or more hospitals presently benefiting from such services, relatively few have suffered the pitfalls listed above, and continue to find sponsored patient information a great asset. Therefore, the above seven points and scenarios should certainly not put you off a reputable service, which WILL improve the appearance of your patient information, enhance the image of your hospital/trust, dramatically reduce overall design and print costs, and, with a regular delivery service, save much administration time currently spent maintaining stock levels at each point of issue.

Sponsored patient information should always be totally FREE OF CHARGE. However, it's up to you to choose a supplier that will provide a service that is also totally free of problems.

  

©2003 Calco Publications