Closer Communication with Front-Line Medical Personnel
Minor problems with endoscopes can be avoided through correct use. The first step is to educate endoscopy technicians. Endoscope malfunctions can be costly, but the biggest problem is that equipment becomes unavailable for use. Yet endoscope technicians may not have a clear understanding of what is meant by "malfunction prevention," and they cannot be expected to follow minutely detailed instructions before starting every procedure. Either endoscope technicians will need to be more alert to potential problems when they inspect their equipment in the context of day-to-day operations, or Olympus will need to step up its training in malfunction prevention. We tell our members to work closely with service engineers, because they have first-hand knowledge of how equipment is used in front-line situations. Service engineers can help technicians to improve their sensitivity to problems with their equipment by providing input based on the information that they gather while visiting a variety of sites. The Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Technicians Society asked Olympus to create a data base of equipment malfunctions, to provide information about repairs and costs, and to disclose their repair processes. Olympus has met all of these requests. In the future we hope that Olympus will also provide feedback based on information received at its customer advice centers.
Kimihide Tamura
President, Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Technicians Society
Comments from engineers involved in the early detection and "treatment" of endoscope faults
Fumio Watanabe,
Group Leader, Filed Service Planning Group, Service Department, Production and Service Division, Olympus Medical Systems Corporation
We have started to make scheduled visits to our customers. They are always pleased when we call on them, even if their equipment has not suffered any problems. We are expanding our FSE team with the assistance of Olympus Medical Engineering. Users can only appreciate the true value of our endoscopes when we can offer the right combination of functions, quality and service. That is why I believe that Olympus has been very wise in making service a priority.
Kenji Koyata,
Team Leader, GI Marketing Group, GI Sales Marketing Department, Sales Division, Olympus Medical Systems Corporation
We can't build relationships with only manuals. That requires face-to-face contact on-site. By communicating regularly with technicians, we can foster reciprocal trust. When we repair faults, it's also important to explain the causes. Technicians play an extremely important role in endoscope examinations. I am always thinking about how we can express our thoughts to them.
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