With most of the new (and old) entrants in the ambulance aggregator business focusing on B2C, they are losing a chunk of the profits available in B2B. In this article, we explain 9 benefits of (and 4 reasons for) being in a B2B ambulance aggregator business – for both ambulance operators and the aggregator.
AMB life - The latest entrant to B2B ambulance model. Image Credit: AMB life
The state of ambulance services in India presents a grim scenario. While three out of five are deemed as unfit for use, the remaining are two little to reach even the recommended WHO standards. With so many ambulance operators why is the situation not improving? In some states, the number of ambulance per one lakh person is way above the WHO standards (see image below) but still they fail to reach people in times of need. The case in point is Karnataka. Though there are more available ambulances than the recommended standard yet people find it difficult to get them when they are most needed. In this article, we will explain the reason behind this and the way forward.
Number of ambulances per 100,000 people. Image credit: downtoearth.org
The usual (and unusual) suspects
Have you been through a situation when you desperately needed to book an ambulance? If you have been, you are not alone. All of us have been through this one time or the other. But each time, we have encountered the same problem – where’s the ambulance? Such is their availability that hardly a day passes by without a story of failed ambulance service. But what’s the real problem? With so many healthcare startups, government and private ambulance operators in the business of making ambulance accessible, why is that it’s still out of bounds of many? There are few usual suspects. Few common reasons. (psst: if you are not interested in going through the reasons, skip to the benefits below.)
- Uneven distribution – Generally the cities get better share of ambulances than the towns and suburbs. The service is virtually non-existent as we keep on moving away from the main road and towards the dusty earth roads. But everyone needs the ambulance service. While it’s true that cities offer better business environment and should have a larger share of private ambulance carriers and startups, the concentration is limited to few select cities.
- Too much in too little – too many cooks spoil the broth is a common saying and is true for every case. Due to presence of a large number of service providers in a relatively short area, competition gives way to chaos and availability is flung out of the window.
- Highly disorganized and fragmented – in absence of any single platform wherein all ambulance providers can register and be hired, most of the customers and patients find themselves in lurch. A typical procedure for booking a private ambulance involves first searching for the best options, zeroing in on those who are near to you, getting their contact details and finally contacting them. If you are in luck, you might get them to reach them on time. If not, well, it’s no surprise. In fact it’s so tedious that many prefer their own private vehicles over booking an ambulance.
- Visibility is hard to come by – not everyone is strong enough to sustain themselves on adverts. And to be able to make yourself visible to customers you need to reach out to them. The double whammy of huge expenditure and stiff competition means that most of the private ambulance operators rather choose an organic death for their business than providing it with costly lifesaving marketing.
Why choose B2C model of business over B2B?
The simple philosophy is this: There’s some resemblance of security in number and at any time, there will be more people than companies. The primary target of any B2C company is the common people and it is much easier to impress them than convince a business conglomerate. The cost and time incurred on marketing is much lesser in direct marketing. But there’s a huge downside. While there are more customers in B2C, there’s more revenue in B2B. The failure to recognize this trend is the primary reason why the private ambulance operators often incur losses in their ambulance hiring business.
Why you need to move over to a B2B aggregator model?
The B2B market is less crowded and is more beneficial than the usual razzmatazz. Other than its inherent financial worth, it is a nobler concept ethically especially in ambulance service sector. If it’s about saving lives, why not do it together? We list some of the benefits offered by AMB life’s B2B directory of ambulances.
Improved accessibility – The first rule of any business is to not keep the customers waiting. By bringing every private ambulance operator on one platform, AMB life provides patients with a single point source of contact between the service seeker and service provider. They are also able to make a more informed decision quickly. So, if you have been earnestly seeking customers on your own, why not get on us and make yourself better accessible.
Bigger customer base – By streamlining your availability AMB life increases your outreach to bigger ready-to-buy customer base.
Better profit margins – The more the merrier, they say. Bigger the customer base, more is the revenue. Your ambulances that have been running red since now are sure to get a reprieve. Get on the bandwagon and redeem your failing ambulance business.
Better feedback mechanism – Many a times patients complain about the quality of services being offered by a service provider. But in the absence of any feedback mechanism, they go scot free and continue making money at the expense of needy customers. This is an equally obnoxious nuisance both for the customers as well as for honest ambulance operators. By providing an option of rating and reviewing the services, AMB life not just helps in rewarding the quality ones but also helps in rooting out the unscrupulous ones.
Single point hiring source for customers – AMB life seeks to build an interconnected network of ambulance services and their associated business around the globe. By doing so we provide our visitors with an option to choose the best services depending on their choice of location and feedback. This not just saves them the trouble of having to scout ambulances on their own in times of emergencies but also allows them to do so at the comfort of their bed.
Every service at one place. Image credit: AMB life
Customer behavior and pattern – In modern world of IOT and big data, raw data is gold and consensual raw data is worth rubies. By registering on B2B aggregator platforms like AMB life you don’t just get access to tons of data on customer behavior but also are better placed than your peers to analyze their pattern. These is of great help in further streamlining your services and structuring its expansion. Data collection and integration assists a lot in providing personalized healthcare service including patient commute (see image below).
Image source: Rock Health
Strengthens the regulatory framework – In this article we explained why many ambulance operators don’t adhere to regulatory norms in India. We also explained the mandatory requirements for getting an ambulance registered in simpler terms. Alongside patients, aggregating also provides government agencies with a single portal wherein they can regulate their affairs. If you are intent on doing your business honestly, why run pillar to posts to get the certificate from authorities. Let them come to you.
Consolidation of healthcare facilities – As already explained in the reasons above, fragmentation and disorganization is one of the primary reasons hampering the growth and business of private ambulance service providers. With AMB life, you get a platform wherein you can consolidate everything that you offer and make them available for the customers. This not just saves you the trouble of having to advertise individually for every services but also increases their visibility and accessibility. On AMB life you can register both your main services as well as your ancillary services like oxygen systems, hearse van etc.
Less competition – Once you are out of the melee and on our portal, you make yourself stand out from the crowd. By being visible to customers you not just get access to them a lot easily but also get a chance to consolidate your brand by promoting your services to them especially the repeat customers.
Note: This article was written for AMB life
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