Hello Everybody,
When I originally created the proposal for project CDSWEB I had a tentative schedule and target audience determined which allowed me to identify the key requirements for the site. Since then I have created a focused design which has changed not only the primary purpose of the site, but the project schedule as well.
The original purpose I had for proposing project CDSWEB was to update the company website in order to create online marketing campaigns that would ultimately result in obtaining new clients. The reason I wanted new clients is pretty simple.
More Clients = More Money
So I sat down with a theory and MS Word and began typing up my target audience. It ended as follows:
- Potential Clients
Medical Doctors and Practice Managers researching potential companies to provide medical billing services. - Existing Clients
Medical Doctors interested in obtaining monthly statistics, data, news, and reports. - Patients
The Existing Client’s patients interested in obtaining customer services and making payments online.
The theory I had was pretty simple. Create a good website and begin online marketing and social networking campaigns to attract potential clients. Add functionality to the website to improve reporting services for existing clients. And finally create patient services like an online customer service center and online payment options.
I started to think about who would really be using the website the most and what some of our intentions were in our organization and my idea of the primary target audience began to change.
I decided it was time to go to the boss (my dad) and see what his suggestions and ideas where on the subject.
After a sit down with him my primary target audience had made a dramatic change. It flipped completely upside down and began with patients, went to existing clients, and ended with the potential client group.
Why? The patient group will, at least initially, be the largest group of users that the website has.
The patient group is much larger in quantity than the other two groups, the patients will have a constant reminder that the website is available as the web address is printed on every patient statement, and as online bill pay systems continue to grow more popular everyday patients are likely to use the web to find alternative payment methods.
The idea that an online payment system could increase collection rates across the board for every existing client would mean there is potential for much more money to be made from increasing the functionality of the site for patients than could be made from gaining an additional client. So it looks like the project proposed needs to be altered to make it more beneficial to the company.
So rather than continuing on with project CDSWEB and moving into the design of the website it is time to sit back down and redetermine the websites focus and create a new project schedule.
Do you have experience in developing your project audience. If so please use the comments below to tell me your opinion on our decision, and what you would have done differently.
Tags: Target Audience
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I wish you best of luck for your project.