You can’t count on a stagnant patient roster keeping your practice afloat for very long, so it is important to not only keep the patients you have but to also keep new patients coming in. Here are some leading strategies for both that you may have overlooked.
First Impressions Count
When you think of your first contact with a new patient, you may be thinking of the first time they speak with the receptionist, or perhaps the first time you get them in your chair. These days, you have earned or spurned a customer well before you ever meet them.
These days, the first contact a prospective patient has with your practice is going to be your website. Nearly your entire customer base will have found you through an online search.
With this in mind, what sort of impression are you making on your prospective customer? Are you keeping a clean, intuitive, and regularly updated website, or has it been a few years since you even logged into that Geocities mess? Creating a responsive and informational site can be a crucial first step to attracting new patients, and creating more engagement with your existing patient base.
Your site should also feature device scalability so that you can present a clean and easily navigable format regardless of the screen size it’s being read on. Look into SEO techniques, if you serve a big urban market, for example, and need help capturing a larger share of it.
Hire Friendly Associates That Love Your Patients
This is an obvious one, but you would be surprised how often it is overlooked. Hire dental hygienists, assistants, and receptionists capable of proper office etiquette, who can welcome and service your patients in an effective and sincere manner.
With this as a basic requirement, they should also be representative of your neighborhood and enthusiastic about helping your patients.
The worst thing that can happen to a patient is to walk into an office, and not be acknowledged or greeted as a welcomed member of your practice’s family.
Engage Your Patients And Get Their Candid Feedback
It is important to be able to gauge your performance, and customer feedback is one of the best ways to gather information on how you are serving or failing your patients.
When setting follow-up appointments, have your front desk staff ask some probing questions about their experience. If you have an opt-in text message or email communication, solicit replies and feedback through that channel.
Once you have this feedback, don’t ignore it! Many times feedback is asked for, freely and honestly given, only to be ignored or never acknowledged. If you improve a process or implement a new one due to customer feedback, let them know.
Even if you don’t use the feedback, a phone call or email to let them know you read it and that you appreciate them taking the time to provide their insight can do wonders toward building a great customer relationship.
A Little Effort Provides A Great Return
With a modicum of effort to refine your online presence and some effective and local hiring, you can start to give your dental practice a fresh opportunity to gain new patients. Your existing patients will notice your drive to improve and will feel more welcomed and loyal.
Keeping your customers at the heart of all your decisions will help keep your interactions genuine and your appointment slots full. If you need help finding great dental freelancers, create an account with Stynt!