Traits of Good Customer Service from Health Workers
You’re frustrated because you’re not getting any new patients and your old ones aren’t coming in. You can improve your customer service to help you gain and retain patients. Read on to find easy steps you can take to improve your customer service.
Finding The Right People
Empathy is the first trait to look for when hiring your admin staff. They must empathize with your patients to help and de-escalate problems. Communication is the next skill your staff needs when answering patient questions. Effective communication helps your staff gather info and set appointments.
Patient Care
You’ll find plenty of hospitals and facilities treating their patients with indifference. You’ve experienced getting a number and told to sit because you weren’t in critical condition. You will feel like an inconvenience when seeking treatment in some places.
You can capitalize on this issue by treating your patients with courtesy and respect. Train your employees to smile and look at patients while speaking. They must also be respectful when correcting patients when they get things wrong. Make your patients feel good, and they will come to you instead of those big institutions.
Efficient Scheduling
Online
Your practice’s website sets the first impression. Pick software that is intuitive for easier patient intake. Data gathering and scheduling are paramount when taking in a patient. Make sure your admin staff can get quick access to records to lessen back and forth with patients.
Your website must also allow easy bookings to entice new patients. Send confirmation texts, emails, and reminders to patients after booking an appointment.
Walk-Ins
Your admin staff is usually the first to interact with your walk-in patients. Purchasing intuitive practice management software allows your staff easy access to the database. Your practice management software should allow easy data gathering and scheduling. They can then send you the information for an efficient intake process.
Simplicity
Use Layman’s terms when offering explanations to educate your patients. Don’t complicate explanations because it usually leads to misunderstandings. Be professional and answer your patient’s questions straight to the point.
Gratitude
Thank your patients before they leave your practice. Giving your patients a proper send-off increases the chances of them returning.
Treat your patients with kindness and respect, and they will return to your practice.
Keep In Touch
Staying in touch with your patients will keep you in their memory. It’s not uncommon for you to only see your patients a few times every year. You must reach out to them else they might forget about you and go to another practice.
Here is a list of ways to keep in touch with your patients:
Website
Be consistent when publishing blogs or videos that help improve your patient’s lives. Give them easy tips to follow to improve their quality of life.
Social Media
Be sure to post your blogs and videos on your social media pages to promote your practice.
Freebies
Give out free toothbrushes, pens, and mugs with your logo and contact info a few times a year. The info in these freebies will help you reach out to new patients.
Community
Join health fairs and charity events to allow fresh faces to experience your quality service. Give out your freebies to help those fresh faces find your practice.
In conclusion, improving your customer service could give you the edge you need to get new patients and retain old ones. By finding the right people, improving patient care, efficient scheduling, keeping it simple, practicing gratitude, and keeping in touch, you increase your chances of reaching new patients while retaining old ones.