ImageFIRST is the largest and fastest growing provider of healthcare laundry services to medical practices throughout the continental United States and Puerto Rico.” It provides more than 5,500 medical offices with healthcare laundry services weekly, a number that is rapidly growing,” according to Jay Juffre, the company’s South East Regional Vice President/National Service Director. With 36 locations and over 600 trained associates, ImageFIRST maintains a 95% customer retention rate – the highest in the industry.
Juffre joined the company in 2011 because he had genuine regard for its corporate values of honesty, safety, respect, and remarkable performance. “Our associates embody these values daily. Their focus is on exceptional customer care and they take pride in helping the clients to achieve their goals. He also credits the success of his company to the staff’s dedication to the welfare of the patients and ability to communicate this concern to the clients. “When a client understands there is an honest desire to meet their needs, then they are apt to remain loyal. This sense of trust is important to our Associates and is one of our company’s priorities,” he says.
Every day, it is the team’s responsibility to make sure the goals of ImageFirst are achieved like providing premium products that increase comfort, whether they are linens or apparel. The items they supply include: spa quality sheets, pillowcases and towels, plush fleece blankets or simply high quality, bright-white sheets, towels and blankets. They also can even provide cubicle curtains. Apparel for patients ranges from high-end gowns and plush robes as well as waffle robes to surgical gowns. Professional garments for staff like scrubs, lab coats and warm-up jackets also are available. “Our clients know that whatever Imagefirst delivers is going to be comfortable, clean and safe,” affirms Juffre.
In addition to worry-free service, his clients get unmatched value through transparent billing and a well-managed inventory. Customer Advocates ensure on-time and accurate deliveries so that the right quantities of the right products are there when a client needs them. If for any reason the client finds themselves running short, ImageFIRST offers same day linen rescue.
Customers attest to the quality of service provided.” I enjoy dealing with ImageFirst for a number of reasons,” says Jared Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Tenet Healthcare’s Good Samaritan Medical Center. “This company has built a team of professionals that are responsive, thorough and very reliable. It is a team that ensures first rate service on all products and services and a high quality product is always provided.”
Juffre and ImageFirst clearly understand that in the healthcare business, you must be prepared for the unexpected to occur. He takes pride in how his company is using technology to be more responsive. “We’ve launched our Instant Service Application for the smartphones. This app enables clients to instantly connect with ImageFIRST and has made a real difference,” he explains.
Its use of technology is something he believes keeps his company out in front of the other laundry service providers. “In addition to the introduction of the very popular cell phone app, we use UHF Radio frequency identification (UHF RFID), a wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data, to identify and track our garments all of which have been tagged with a chip.” This combination makes instantaneous inventory reporting simple and productive. It also assures that everything picked up is returned.
“ImageFirst could not be successful without respecting our customers attention to the bottom line. We ensure that the price paid for each item is reasonable. When combined with our balanced inventory management, this allows us to help manage their total linen cost,” adds Juffre. “We show how much each item costs, how many were used and how many are being billed.”
Jay Juffre expects that ImageFirst will grow with the healthcare industry as it continues to introduce innovation in the services it provides. “We will meet and exceed the needs of our clients through our innovation, understanding and genuine concern for the welfare of their patients.”
