Treat Your Patients to a 6-Star Experience

Patient retention is a crucial component to building a great practice, and when you can make your patients feel cared for, seen, and heard, it’s going to solve the problem of high patient churn. They’re going to keep coming back, and they’re going to recommend you to their friends and families. Trust creates loyalty, so instead of aiming for a 5-star experience, take it a step further with these six strategies and separate yourself from the sea of sameness!

1. The Initial Phone Call

The entire patient experience begins with their first impression of the practice, and when it’s an elevated impression, it will elevate the experience. Studies show that it only takes 7-20 seconds for a potential patient to form their impression on a phone call, so it’s critical that you’re intentional about how you use that time:

• Be an active listener
• Be engaged
• Remember your patient’s name and use it often
• Make scheduling easy

Having a great team member with excellent phone skills sets you up for success, because as Kirk says, “The person that answers your phone doesn’t represent your business, they are your business!”

2. Day of the Visit

It’s important to try to see the visit from the patient’s perspective: how will they feel when they walk into your office? If they walk in to see a smiling face that greets them personally, it’s going to feel so much better than a simple, “Name, please.” It’s impersonal, and it gives the impression that you don’t care about them as a person. Learn their preferred name and use it often—it will make all the difference! Finally, nothing is more frustrating for a patient than being reminded to arrive on time, only to not be seen on time. Punctuality is important for both patient and practice, so see them on time!

3. The First Hand-off

When the patient transitions from admin to clinical, it’s important that you walk beside them and engage them in conversation. You want to introduce the patient to the clinician like they’re a friend, so again, make sure to use their preferred name. You can share a quip about the patient, because it really amps up the experience, and then the clinician can pick up where you left off and continue the conversation.

4. In the Chair

The clinical side of the practice can be a scary place, with smells, sounds, and tools everywhere. It’s your job to ease any of those fears and make the patient as comfortable as possible. This is another great opportunity for active listening, because they may have questions, and you can learn if there’s anything they need to increase their comfort, such as a blanket or neck pillow. We have a fantastic resource for Best Practices Association members here that includes guidance on great questions you can ask! (If you’re not a BPA member, you should be!) You can further increase their comfort by being clear and confident as you tell them step-by-step what you’re going to do today and what they can expect. It’s a simple step, but it truly helps them trust you more.

5. Patient Exit

Once the patient transitions back from clinical to admin, it’s your opportunity for another elegant hand-off. The clinician needs to set the admin side up for success, so make sure you’re going through your list of critical things that need to happen before the patient leaves. One of the worst things that can happen is for a patient to leave confused, so review everything that the patient experienced and make sure they understand what needs to happen next. Finally, if it’s your office policy, schedule them for their next visit.

6. Retention

Retention is crucial, because when you have great patients, you want to keep them and continue to care for them. It’s important to examine your follow up system and make sure you’re systematically reaching out to patients and continuing their experience. One extra step is to personalize that communication so you can communicate in their style. If a patient prefers to text instead of receiving a call, make a note in their chart and then show that you were listening by following up via text. 

It's critical to remember that while we’ve spoken about new patients here, you can apply these strategies to any patient experience. New patients are important, but so is fostering and maintaining relationships with existing patients. No matter what kind of patient it is, they will remember how you made them feel more than any other aspect of their visit. Even when there are negatives in their visit, if they feel supported, encouraged, and cared for, they’re going to forget the negatives and focus on the six-star experience they just had!

For a more in-depth look at these strategies, check out this free resource! And for more information about ACT and how we can help you build a Better Practice and a Better Life, reach out to Gina! 

Tune in next time and learn how to differentiate your practice even further!