Cover Story
Vital signs
How Larry Dentice built a culture that keeps Toshiba America Medical Systems one step ahead of the competition
By Brooke Bates
Smart Business Orange County | December 2009
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Larry Dentice is one of a very few fish in a very small pond.
He heads Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc., a company that markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems in a field with three major competitors.
In such a small sphere where competitors often leapfrog on product differentiation, it’s especially crucial to stand apart in another way.
“What’s important is to really try to differentiate yourself in the marketplace,” says Dentice, the general manager and senior vice president of the $650 million company. “Our No. 1 differentiator over all of our competitors is what we do in after-sales support and customer satisfaction.”
So he has to keep his 1,300 employees focused on that and continually improve their ability to deliver superior customer service. That philosophy is woven through the company’s culture, starting with the mission: “To become the industry leader in customer loyalty by delivering quality products and services through long-term, customer-focused relationships.”
But last year, another player encroached on the company’s status. After holding the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction for six years, Toshiba saw service ratings for its flagship CT scanners drop.
Not wanting the company to lose its differentiator, Dentice sprung into action. By relying on the customer-centric culture he’d already built, he turned the ratings around and led Toshiba back to the top.
“It wasn’t an option,” he says. “As the head of the company, I directed that we’re focused on customer satisfaction.”
Here’s how he used employee education and metrics to build a culture that helped him drive customer-focused results.
