As consumers, we have all experienced at least once inappropriate behaviour, indifference, or an insufficient response in public-facing relationships. And that can be frustrating, because you feel neglected at your own expense — sometimes in a context where those costs actually represent compromises or financial effort for you.
And you leave… for another provider of the services or products that interest you.
That is why your team's objective is to offer the best customer-service experience — not only to meet patients' medical needs, but to exceed their expectations and earn their loyalty. Educating patients to choose quality, premium services, or to increase the frequency of visits to the doctor, also consists in offering customer service above that of another provider of other services. Once they have had a pleasant experience, they will want that to become the normal.
Why is customer service important for patients?
Because they are vulnerable and emotional then — with their health and their financial strength in the middle. And the value of dedicated customer service generates trust, openness, and closeness toward the entire team.
Another reason is that their recommendations can bring you new patients from their social, professional, and family circles. And that is the most successful way to grow your patient base and sell your medical services more easily, because half the journey is already done.
And a third very important reason is their loyalty to you. Their first great experience in the clinic only validates the decision that you are their number-one choice; the continuity of those experiences turns them into your long-term patient.
How to create great experiences for your patients
To be remembered by the patient as having the best quality of customer service, make sure you do everything your resources allow.
Implement a system
To offer the best customer service, to monitor it and adapt it to the patient community, implement protocols and scripts. The non-medical team is also responsible for the patient's treatment, not only the medical team. Give reception scripts for the ideal handling of the situations they encounter, so they can cope, do not improvise, and educate a general behaviour among patients — reflecting the mission and values of the business. Give the medical team work protocols so you can benefit from uniqueness, a common direction with the entire team, and the right solutions for everything new that may arise.
Convey enthusiasm
The reception team must always answer the phone in a friendly tone, empathise with the patient's state without feeding it, and offer confidence, support, and a positive mood. We all like to be treated in a friendly, familiar way in places we have been before, because we see that as dedicated importance given to us.
Ask for feedback
It is very important that the patient knows you care about their experience and opinion. You can do this through direct questions at reception at the end of the appointment, or through dedicated forms. Front-desk colleagues' questions about the medical team and the treatment carried out reflect your interest in checking the result of the efforts made, as well as collecting essential information that allows improvement before the next patient — who may not be equally indulgent. Creating dedicated forms encourages responses from those who want anonymity, and from unpleasant situations that need written evidence on the basis of which the people involved can be remediated or corrected.
Follow up
When you have patients with costly or complex treatment plans, ideally your team should come back to them after giving the time needed for a decision. A call for a medical status update (how they feel after treatment X), for additional details toward carrying out treatments (whether they still need a meeting, perhaps with the other family member to detail the proposed treatment), and so on. Regardless of the answer, what matters is that the patient feels the care and attention given. Even if in some cases these are patients who refuse the proposed plan for financial reasons, it is very likely that they will recommend X other patients to you.
Conclusion:
You cannot go wrong. Do everything your resources allow to offer the best customer service, and sooner or later patients will return to you — together with family members or friends.
And do not forget: they do not have the knowledge needed to differentiate medical services at high standards. All they can evaluate is how you make them feel as patients of the clinic.