This study was performed on the marketing strategy utilizing 149 volunteers from one hospital from the Daejun area and one from the South Choonchung Provincial area for one month from May 1 to May 30, 2003 and the results are as follows.
1. As for the demographic characteristics of volunteers, most were in their 60s (60 to 69 years) at 37.6%, graduated from high school at 45.6% and were Christians at 50.3%.
2. The task that volunteers thought most necessary at the hospital was caring for those patients with no family at 35.6%. Volunteers prefer to be involved with work supporting various departments at 19.5% and others at 16.8%. They least preferred to work at information desks at 13.4%.
3. From the aspect of marketing, the values of utilizing volunteers involved "C¸ the economic aspect, "e｀ aspect of drawing customers, "e＇ aspect of customer satisfaction and "e^ aspect of promoting the image of hospital and public relations. Volunteers were a big asset to the hospital according to how volunteers were utilized from the marketing aspect. Thus, it is important to maximize the effectiveness of volunteers by fully supporting and utilizing volunteers.
4. As for the views of volunteers on hospital images, most thought that the hospital was somewhat passive at 31.8%; and 23% thought that hospital personnel were doing the best for patient care and doing the best for patient care and the development of local community; and others were the lowest at 0.3%. As for the trend of volunteers on making referral to the hospital where they were volunteering, most would make patient referral at 62.0%, followed by making active referral at 20.3%, indifference at 12.7%, and refusing to make referral at 5.1%.
5. Volunteers are Customers inside the hospital and potential customers as well. Thus, making and promoting the tie with volunteers are potentially good to create various synergic effects (advertising the hospital, drawing customers, and promoting customer satisfaction), from the marketing aspect.
6. With the strategy of promoting customer satisfaction by providing additional services utilizing volunteers, hospitals could prevent losing customers and increase the rate of revisits and should actively advertise the hospital by utilizing volunteers.
These results show that volunteers could be used to secure the image of hospital as a friendly place and act as a factor for increasing customer satisfaction and marketing effect.
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