5 Ways to Improve Patient Recall at Your Practice
Attracting new patients to your practice is only half the struggle for healthcare professionals. Once you’ve secured a new patient, you then need to figure out how to bring them back into your office for follow-up or regular appointments.
Patient recall not only helps you provide your patients with the care they need, it also increases revenue at your business. Existing customers typically account for 65% of a company’s overall business. Plus, patient retention is less costly than acquiring new patients.
Looking to improve patient retention and recall rates at your practice? Try these 4 tips to create a patient retention strategy that works for your business.
5 Customer Relationship Management Strategies to Improve Patient Recall
1. Create a professional website.
Your practice’s website serves as a representation of your business. If it is out of date and missing information, both current and potential patients may fear that your practice isn’t credible.
A thoughtfully designed, optimized website will allow patients to easily locate your information online so that they can call to make an appointment, access educational resources, check patient records, or otherwise interact with your business.
[Directory listing image or example. I’m sure we have one of these already created]
2. Standardize your business listings.
When a patient wants to make an appointment with you, they may stumble across your practice’s business directory listings before your website. That’s why it’s important to take ownership of your directory listings and standardize your NAP (name, address, and phone number) across the web.
A Google My Business Listing is especially important for your practice. This listing will populate on the right hand side of your Google search results page when accessed via desktop and as the top listing when accessed via mobile device. Many web users won’t scroll very far past this result, as 67% of clicks go to the first five search results on Google.
This listing also enables users to click-to-call or navigate to your practice directly from their smartphone. An old address or incorrect phone number could mean that you miss out on a recall appointment.
Not convinced your practice needs business directory listings? Check out this article.
3. Provide excellent customer service.
Have you ever been to a restaurant that served amazing food but had a rude or disinterested staff? That experience probably deterred you from visiting that restaurant again, right?
Even if you provide quality patient care, your clientele may be less likely to return to your office if you don’t prioritize great customer service. In fact, 53% of patients value exceptional customer service in a healthcare provider. Consumers are also willing to spend 17% more at a company that practices this essential business strategy.
Set yourself apart from your local competition by paying extra attention to your customer service and patient relationship management protocols. Take a peek at this blog post for inspiration.
4. Maintain communication with patients.
Take time to create a patient relationship management strategy that includes communication with your clientele. Patient communications, such as appointment reminders, educational resources, social posts, and email updates, can help keep you at the forefront of patients’ minds.
About ⅔ of patients like to receive appointment reminders from their healthcare providers, whether this be via phone, text, or email. These days, text by far outranks other methods of communication, with 79% of patients claiming they prefer texts from providers.
Regularly scheduled email content also allows you to update patients on your services, offer special discounts, and provide informational resources that will help them through their health journey.
Consider employing an automated patient relationship management system that saves your staff time on tasks like appointment reminders or confirmations.
5. Create a pleasant office environment.
Create a clean and comfortable environment so that both your patients and staff will enjoy their time at your office!
Healthcare offices can often be rigid and uninviting, but they don’t have to be. Try adding a splash of color to your walls or place decorations throughout the office. In the waiting room, offer conveniences for your patients, like charging stations, water, and refreshments so that they feel more at ease. These little luxuries can go a long way.
Download our free tip sheet for more helpful patient recall tactics
To learn more ways you can improve patient recall at your practice, download our free tip sheet! We will list four more methods that will help you bring more patients back into your office. Each tip is easily actionable, meaning you can put them into play at your practice starting today.
Get your copy by clicking the image above.
Take control of your practice’s marketing plan with these helpful articles.
Why Your Local Business Needs a Professional Website
Tips to Convert Website Visits Into Clients
How to Maximize the Efficiency of Your Local Directory Listings
