Sharon and Richard Webb, owners of Webb Medical Systems, Shillington, Pa, have a hands-on approach to selling HME.

Walk into reading medical west in shillington, Pa, and one of the first things you see is three quarters of a Ford Escort sticking out of a wall. And no, it is not time to verify the driver’s licenses of the delivery staff. The former delivery vehicle is there on purpose.

“This way we could really do a hands-on demonstration of a scooter lift,” says Sharon Webb, who owns the company with her husband Richard.

Whether a customer is picking up a simple pair of compression hose or a complicated power chair, no one leaves the store without thorough instruction. Customers who do not understand how to use a product will get frustrated and leave the product to gather dust in their garage, Webb says. “We view our role to be not just retailers but educators,” she adds. “We don’t want anyone to buy something that is not going to be used.”

Putting Ideas Into Action
From the two working stair lifts in the large sky-lit showroom to the wide aisles perfect for test drives, the Webbs’ 6,000-square-foot location is designed to encourage this hands-on approach.

The atmosphere also reflects the old-fashioned commitment of the Webbs to their customers and their profession. It is this commitment that has nurtured the growth of their business, Webb Medical Systems, from a one-employee operation to a company with two divisions, more than 30 employees, and a second location scheduled to open this year.

Webb Medical Systems began in 1971 as Reading Medical Equipment, an adjunct to a local pharmacy in Reading, Pa. The Webbs purchased it in 1981, and in 1986 the renamed Reading Medical West moved to its present location in Shillington, which it now shares with Webb Medical’s Adaptive Driving Systems division. In 1995, the company became Webb Medical Systems.

But the Webbs are not done yet. Earlier this year, they purchased a 5,000-square-foot location in Northampton, Pa, a suburb of Allentown, so they could offer local rehab services and billing. While the new location—which will be called Webb Medical Equipment Co—is only 30 miles from Reading, being part of the local neighborhood is crucial to this market, Webb says.

The company’s steady expansion was not the result of MBA-style business planning. “We really spent most of our time working in the business instead of on it,” Webb says. “We live and breathe this business.” And in the long term, immersing themselves in the day-to-day operations of the company and striving to maintain a small-business ethos as their operation expanded have proven to be a more reliable means of increasing their revenue than number-driven market analysis.

Conveyor Belt of Care
Sharon Webb singles out Webb Medical’s approach to customer service as the foundation for the company’s success. At the heart of this approach is what Webb terms the “conveyor belt of care.” All customers, no matter what they are buying, receive the same level of service and attention from employees.

“Whether someone comes in for an ankle brace or a power chair, they will be very much a part of what we do here,” Webb says. “To offer the same level of service to each customer, regardless of what they are purchasing, and not to dismiss anything as unimportant is the essence of our approach,” she says.

This focus on customer service has paid dividends for the Webbs. Customers’ needs change over time, Webb says, and providing them with great service at the outset will bring them back when they need something else. She points out that those who need a cane may need a power chair someday, and if they were dissatisfied with the service they received when they purchased a simple cane, they will not be back for a higher-ticket item.

“Over the years, we will take the same customer from a cane to a walker to a wheelchair,” she says. “And, quite frankly, it is not unusual for us to be providing a third or fourth wheelchair to the same customer because, over the course of time, his or her needs have changed.”

It all boils down to the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. “We treat our customers the way we want to be treated,” Webb says.

Above and Beyond
Webb Medical Systems’ all-encompassing approach to customer service is particularly evident in the field of mobility, which is a major part of its business. When addressing clients’ mobility needs, the services provided by Webb Medical often extend beyond the limits of the stores, and employees will frequently travel to a customer’s house for a home assessment to ensure that mobility problems will be minimized. “We’ll go out to the house and look at how they are going to transport a product, whether or not the caregiver can handle it, and whether they need ramps to get it in and out,” Webb says. “We’ll even do an electrical ground check. We look at the whole scope of things. For us, mobility is a process.”

And once again, Webb emphasizes the importance of looking ahead as part of this process. “We look at the whole person, not only at their present needs but at their future needs as well,” she says. “We need to know that what we are recommending is going to work 2 or 3 years from now.”

Webb Medical employees also participate in wheelchair clinics in two cities. “This really keeps us on our toes as far as products that will fit very special needs,” Webb says. And, the clinics allow her and her employees to “be part of a decision-making team with the client at the very core.”

Listening attentively to what customers have to say does more than generate customer loyalty; it can also provide the information necessary to fuel business growth. The Adaptive Driving Systems division of Webb Medical Systems was established as a direct result of customer demand.

“We are always asking ourselves, ‘What can we do to make the customer more independent?’ And in a lot of cases with mobility, the customers came to us,” Webb says.

In the case of Adaptive Driving Systems, customers who purchased scooters and power chairs from Webb Medical Systems had asked why they then had to drive several hours to another business to have their cars modified to accommodate their new devices. Adaptive Driving Systems, which both modifies and acquires vehicles, was established in response. “We have a car dealer’s license and are able to purchase a van on behalf of a customer and have it equipped, right down to the electric lockdown for the wheelchair,” Webb says.

The Webbs’ hands-on experience working with their customers also helped them gain the knowledge they needed to succeed when they first entered the HME business. “When we started going to the different schools, going to Medtrade, when we joined The MED Group, we were struck by the infinite variety of products and seating and positioning devices available,” she says. “I would say to myself, ‘I wish I had known about this or that product a year ago. I had a customer who really could have used that.’ So everything we look at is based on our experience with our customers.”

In an age when health care is becoming increasingly bureaucratized, Webb Medical’s clients no doubt feel themselves fortunate to be dealing with a company that still views itself as a “mom-and-pop”shop at heart.

Jesse C. Kauffman is a contributing writer for Dealer/Provider.