By now every dental office knows patient loyalty is important. Patient loyalty leads to wonderful patient experiences, more referrals, and continual business. Despite this, many offices need a little help with ideas on how to increase patient loyalty. These 10 ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, but they’re a great starting point to help your office increase its patient loyalty. Have another idea? Please feel free to share it with us in the comments!
1. Always Over Deliver
Creating a WOW experience for your patients is the first and perhaps the most critical step in gaining patient loyalty and referrals. Think of the last time you left a product review, or a review of a restaurant was it positive of negative. Negative reviews happen all to often if the patients’ expectations weren’t met, but positive reviews are much harder to come by. Positive reviews only occur when the service, the food, or the experience is beyond what your patient expected. What does your office do to over deliver?
2. Ridiculously Good Customer Service
Customer service is so sensitive that it can literally make or break your practice. Treat each and every patient like you would your family, help when you can help, never get mad or agitated and always do as much as you can. Patients will be thankful for your service and will reward you with continuous business and referrals.
3. Treat ‘Em As You Would Want to Be
Ditch scripts and “company policy” in favor of doctor to patient dialogue and real issue problem solving. Your patients want to be treated like people, not production numbers.
4. Try Genuine Transparency
People make mistakes. Hiding mistakes and covering up ill deeds will only come back to haunt your practice. Take the effort to maintain open and conservative dialog with your patients, apologize if you were wrong and do your best to fix your mistake.
5. Love Them and Thank Them
The two simplest and easiest words to build patient loyalty is to say “Thank You”. You’re not the only dental office, but your patients chose you. Regardless of why they chose you, sincerely shake their hand and thank them for their patronage after each and every visit. Your appreciation for your business will go a long way in building a successful doctor-patient relationship.
6. Patient Loyalty Works Both Ways
Remember patients reward loyalty with loyalty. Some patients on the outside will come and go, but your core patients are there for the long-haul. Take care of them at all costs and they will take care of you.
7. Build a Broader Relationship With Clients
If the only time you talk to a patient is when you’re getting paid or providing treatment, you won’t exactly be their favorite person. Create a connection with your patients outside the treatment room, the pay window and the waiting room. Easy ways to do this is to send birthday cards, small gifts or even a personal call to wish them a happy birthday.
8. Send the Message Clearly
If your practice is truly concerned with patient loyalty and patient satisfaction then let your patients know about it. Surveys are an essential piece to any successful patient loyalty program. PracticeMojo automated recall and marketing offers built in surveys with each of their plans. You can learn more by visiting www.practicemojo.com
9. Reward the Remaining Ones
Just as you would reward a patient for a referral, do so as well with loyalty. A thank-you gift, or a special offer, they all go a long way to show your patients that your truly care for them and appreciate their business.
10. Educate Your Patients
Take the time to educate your patients about what they need. When it comes to their teeth, patients know very little outside the fact that they should brush and floss. Some patients might even not know how to brush correctly. Take time during each visit to educate your patients with oral health best practices. Although they might not listen all the time, they will appreciate your helpful approach to caring for their health.
Visit SmartPractice.com to view our huge selection of Giveaways, Occasion Cards, and everything else you need to reward your patients.
What other ways have you tried to increase patient loyalty, any success stories? perhaps mishaps? Share in the comments below.