GOLDEN, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medical Imaging Holdings, Inc., a holding company formed by Galen Partners, today announced it has acquired the Sonora Medical Systems business from Misonix, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSON). The Sonora Medical Systems business will be combined with the businesses of Barrington Medical Imaging and Echoserve, which were acquired by Medical Imaging Holdings, Inc. on September 18, 2009. Galen Partners, a leading healthcare private equity firm, led the transactions and made a significant investment of growth capital into Medical Imaging Holdings, Inc.  Read more »

By Al Hahn

When Sid asked me to write the article, I asked him what he would like me to write about. “Write about a real client experience you have had recently,” he said. OK, here it is. As the title to this article suggests (apologies to Dickens), my clients are all over the map on this score. This surprises me in the current economy.

There is no question that the economy is affecting companies in extraordinary ways. I have been helping many unemployed service marketers to find jobs. Most of them would not even need help in normal times. Generally there is demand for service marketers that is usually not met by the supply of experienced people. Today, however, many need help to find work.

Company financial results are generally down and unemployment is up. This is not a time when you would expect a lot of forward motion and success. Yet when I analyze what many clients are telling me, it seems surprising.

In January, I helped a company pump up their professional services sellers because (while capital equipment sales were way down) they expected good professional services sales this year. Jumping on that particular bandwagon, I am helping another client launch a big expansion in their professional services. In doing some research for that client, I spoke with another company that has seen their professional services do very well, as they are viewed by their customers as essential for surviving this downturn. They do a particularly good job of helping their customers achieve and maintain profitability.

Globalization is a hot topic for service organizations today. This is a complex topic requiring volumes to fully address. However I would like to put forth a couple of strategic frameworks to consider as you consider, or re-consider, your worldwide service operations.

Globalize, globalization, being global, global services etc. are all over utilized terms that we hear every day. I like the definition used by Herman E. Daly, a renowned economist. He argues that sometimes the terms internationalization and globalization are used interchangeably but that "Globalization" means erasure of national boundaries for economic purposes. I also agree with the premise put forward by columnist, Thomas Friedman who says that with instant communications, better transportation and cultural integration, the world is becoming flatter.

In services, we tend to say “We are Global…” when we mean that we are only international. Paradoxically when we adopt a product for another region of the world we say that we are “localizing” the product. In the worst case scenario the term “globalization” is used as a euphemism for outsourcing or off-shoring the work force. If you hear your CEO say that they are going to “globalize” operations, make sure that your resume is up to date!

It is time that you start to re-think what globalization means to your company and how to take advantage of a flatter world. Many international service organizations use the “follow the Sun” methodology to provide support resources 24 / 7. The essence here is to have resources available to support customers during prime local business hours and to provide at least emergency support for customers in the off hours elsewhere in the world. A U.S. based customer calling for service after 5 pm in the Pacific Time zone might well be connected to a response center in Asia and so forth. This is an improvement over the days when you might have had to staff 24 /7 in each individual region or country, but is by no means optimal.

Services marketing and account managers approach organizations as cohesive and rational entities. They expect healthy-looking companies to have clearly defined and consistent service requirements. They presume decision makers know what they want and can reconcile their internal differences for the good of the organization. Experience and anecdotal evidence paint a different picture – one of divided management who lack adequate time and resources to prioritize needs and negotiate internal differences.