When it comes to your dental practice, the patient experience matters most! Considering your first-hand customer experience can help you retain your current patients to help maximize your revenue.
A recent study showed that when a practice loses a patient to another provider, their business could lose up to $200,000 over the lifetime of the patient. Losses could be even bigger if issues with the patient experience happen at every step of the patient experience and continue to go unaddressed. Having a great patient retention strategy is crucial for generating consistent profitability for your practice.
Every patient interaction is an opportunity to make a positive impression and improve patient satisfaction. From the first phone call to treatment and follow-ups, every step of your communication process with your patients is valuable. Here are 12 tips on how your practice can increase patient retention and loyalty.
- Ensure positive communication with your patients.
Communication is one of the most important factors in ensuring patient satisfaction. Your patients will interact with your front desk staff, the care team in your clinic, and even your customer care support, so it’s important that each point of contact offers a positive experience. Poor communication can negatively impact how your patients perceive their experience. To avoid any negative feedback, make sure your team is properly relaying information and resolving concerns in a compassionate way.
- Communicate between visits
You can connect with your patients better by offering more than just in-office interactions. Engage your patients more between each visit by sending personalized healthcare tips via text or a newsletter to encourage customers to take control of their care while keeping your practice top-of-mind.
- Make appointment scheduling simple
Allow your patients to arrange appointments online via your website or mobile app using digital technology. Making the booking process as simple as possible will help eliminate frustrations before patients step foot in your practice. Automated appointment confirmations and reminders via SMS or email can also help reduce no-shows and serve as an additional touch point.
- Create a professional website
About 70% to 82% of people look up health related information online, showing how important it is for your practice to have an online presence. Create a professional website and provide helpful health information for your patients between their visits. Having a great website with valuable content that’s easy to navigate is an easy way to help retain customers.
- Address long wait times
No patient likes to wait in the waiting room for a long period of time. The shorter the wait time, the happier patients will be. Implement automatic appointment scheduling and reminders to keep everyone on time and on schedule.
- Provide surveys for your patients
Your patients want to know that you’re constantly working to improve their experience. Post-visit surveys allow you to see any patient concerns with their experience and address any issues immediately. Patient surveys can provide valuable feedback from your patients that you might not get otherwise.
- Improve your online reputation
Having a positive reputation can impact your patient retention and acquisition rates. Encourage feedback from your patients and respond to any reviews on social media or review sites. The majority of people consider patient online reviews when choosing a healthcare provider.
- Have friendly, professional staff
Provide your patients with the best in-office and customer service experiences to boost your retention rates. Any bad interaction with staff can cause even the most loyal patients to leave. Train your staff to show genuine concern and friendliness when speaking with patients. Answering patient questions and listening intently leaves a positive impression on your patients and helps establish a strong connection with them.
- Consistent and Professional Social Media
Consistency is key in social media marketing. For your audience to recognize your brand, you must be consistent. Being with your brand allows you to grow your audience engagement and reach. There are 4.62 billion people on social media and 78% of dental practices use social media to attract new clients. Social media can also be used to strengthen the relationship with your existing patients and serve as an added point of contact with them between appointments.
- Respond to negative reviews professionally
If you see a negative review online, respond to the patient directly and provide your contact information to resolve the issue offline. Quickly addressing negative reviews will help protect your reputation and allow others online to see your efforts to address concerns from other patients.
- Be available by phone
It is important to make sure you have someone in the office to pick up all the calls that come in during office hours. Being reliable and available to speak with patients when they need you plays a major role in having happy patients. If you receive any calls after office hours, respond as soon as the office opens the next day.
- Send personal birthday and holiday messages
Sending personalized birthday and holiday cards shows your patients that you are thinking about them outside of their appointments and time in the office. Patients appreciate it when they see you go the extra step to make their experience even better at your practice.
Establishing positive experiences for your patients throughout their journey impacts the likelihood of a patient staying with your practice for all of their dental needs. Not only do happy and satisfied patients refer other patients to you, they provide a consistent revenue stream for your medical practice.
