Scan Your Office

First impressions are very powerful and set the tone for the interaction that follows for your patients.

Go to the front door of your office. Pretend that you are visiting for the first time, and enter your office the way your patients do (many doctors enter through a back door, and rarely see their office from a patient’s perspective).

Notice the way your office makes you feel; is this a place that you feel comfortable in, and instantly at ease? What is the energy like, is it calm and welcoming? Are the floors clean, the surroundings un-cluttered?

If you don’t “feel the love” when you walk in…it’s time for a little reception area makeover. Call the cleaning crew, get rid of the clutter, paint a wall or two, and maybe get some fresh flowers or a plant to breathe some life into the space.

You want your patients to spend their first visit falling in love with you and your practice; not wondering when you last shampooed the carpets.

If you are virtual, check your website home page for the same thing. Keep your call to action focused on one or 2 things: opt-in (give you their name and email address so you can continue to communicate with them), or call your office for an appointment.

Script Your Communication

Know exactly what your staff is saying to your patients and when they are saying it… from the very first phone call the potential patient makes to your office right down to paying for their treatment plan. Nothing should be left to chance. Provide your team with a guide of what they should be saying, and then role-play with them so they feel comfortable and confident in delivering the message.

Use Systems and Standard Operating Procedures

Have a protocol for how everything is done in the office i.e.: first visit: script, paperwork checklist, first visit procedures checklist, checkout procedures checklist…have everything itemized so that the patient experience is predictable and repeatable. Keep the patient in the loop too, you can (and should) tell the patient what is going to happen on each visit as well.

I cannot emphasize enough how extremely important good staff training is…from front desk to back office. I recently had an experience at my dentist’s office that is worth mentioning here, to illustrate this point.

Here’s what happened.

Last week, I had impressions taken at my dentist’s office. When the assistant removed the tray, it cut my gum. It actually hurt like heck, and my gum was bleeding! But when I told her about it, she said “Oh you can hardly even see it, that’s nothing! Lets do the next one”… The next one!??? I still haven’t recovered from the first one!

Okay, so I was super annoyed, and to be honest, I was more upset at her reaction than having been injured. A simple apology would have worked wonders and turned the situation around. Instead, I was feeling like a bit of an overreacting-prima-donna-hypochondriac who was making mountains out of molehills.

The experience left a bad taste in my mouth (literally); and quite frankly, I was thinking maybe it’s time to find a new dentist with a more caring staff!

The way your staff communicates in this type of situation can make a HUGE difference in the patient experience, and the overall impression of your office. It can affect both your clients’ buying decisions, and their loyalty.

Survey Your Patients

Stay current with the changing needs and desires of your ideal client and your client base. Know what they like about your office, and ask them what you can do to improve their experience.

There are quite a few easy to use online tools to poll your patients. And don’t be offended if you do not get a lot of responses, that’s typical. But I will say that you will get more responses if you offer them a gift (yes, like a good old fashioned bribe) if they fill out the survey.

Your bribe, umm, I mean gift, should be something they really want, and something with high-perceived value. Here are some ideas:

• A digital download of healthy holiday recipes, or
• A free guide to “supplements that burn fat and build muscle, no workout required”
• Ways to supercharge your efficiency at home and at work”.
• “Healthy hacks, seven ways to incorporate more vegetables in your kid’s diet that they’ll never notice.”

When you survey your list, you are keeping your finger on the pulse of what your tribe is looking for, and ensuring you are providing the services that keep your patients coming back to you for their health needs.

Have Regular Staff Meetings

A happy staff makes for happy patients. Connect with your staff on a regular basis. Make it a priority to have a team meeting every week, even if it is just a brief department update.

Encourage and foster an open communication policy, so that your staff feels comfortable to discuss any issues that may be affecting their work environment, and avoid them building up any resentments. Eventually that energy will turn into an attitude that the patients will feel.

For additional help with having Staff Meetings that rock, click here to download my staff meeting agenda form; complete with time to allocate to each topic so you can have ultra productive meetings that stay focused and don’t waste anyone’s time.

By incorporating even a few of these strategies in your office, you will create an atmosphere that encourages patient longevity and loyalty. In the long run, this will save you thousands of dollars in the cost of acquiring new patients.

Do you have strategies that you use to keep your patients coming back and connected to you? If so, I would love to hear what’s worked for you.