Latest HSV Customer Survey highlights areas of focus for 2025 financial year

HSV’s 2024 Customer Survey has provided an insight into what is most important to our health service customers.

The survey showed that overall satisfaction with HSV’s performance remains high at 73 per cent, while 70 per cent of respondents are confident in the value we deliver. These figures are in line with last year’s results and reflect the shift from COVID-19 response to business as usual, together with changes in the health sector operating environment over the last year.         

The survey was sent to over 1,800 contacts from 162 health service customers, and 256 valid responses were received. HSV Head of Customer Relationships, Sergio Lacchiana contacted all 29 individuals who provided additional feedback and queries.

HSV scored well in the areas of communication, customer relationship management, best value procurement and training.

Areas where health services would like to see improvement include distribution centre operations, cost reduction, contract notification timelines and product substitutions. While these areas tended to reflect the needs of specific health services, we recognise improvements would bring more widespread benefits.

Feedback indicated that our customers considered suitability of products or services, cost reduction and supply chain surety to be the most important issues.  

“Since the survey was conducted in February 2024 there has been significant change in the sector, and cost reduction has become an even bigger focus for all,” says Director Customer Engagement, Alfred Matthews.

“This reinforces our focus on considering cost reduction and looking at dollars saved for the requests and activities HSV is engaged in.”

There is also more acknowledgement of the importance of modern slavery and our work to educate health services and suppliers about modern slavery risk mitigation, with a twenty-point increase in satisfaction in this area.

HSV continues to work on addressing some concerns raised by health services.

“In 2025, we will introduce a state-of-the-art warehouse management system at our two distribution centres that will improve customer service, safety, stock visibility, inventory and order accuracy,” Alfred says. 

“To encourage more local suppliers to participate in HSV collective agreements, we have developed additional information about our online registration process aimed at improving communication and simplifying the process for local suppliers.”

HSV is developing actions based on the survey feedback, taking into consideration the Victorian Department of Health’s recently announced Health Services Plan. Focus groups will be held with health services to share the survey results and discuss next steps.