Client retention is extremely important. Sure, you can always get more clients. But the fact of the matter is it costs less to retain clients than it does to secure new ones. Plus, there’s a reason that they left and you may need to improve your services as to not lose any more. There are several reasons that clients choose to leave a healthcare practice. It’s the job of clinics and healthcare professionals to make sure that their clients are happy and willing to stay on with them.
Patient retention is incredibly important in the healthcare industry. When you think about it, the average person spends around $10,000 each year on healthcare. Almost $2,000 of that cost was for physician and clinical expenses. That’s a lot of revenue to lose! Clearly, it’s important for you to ensure that your existing clients want to stay on with you.
Wondering why your patients have been leaving? Chances are it’s one of the following:
It’s difficult to make an appointment
If you’re still using the old phone tree scheduling method, it’s time for a change. Patients don’t like having to go through an automated message after automated message before being able to talk to a human. Plus, if they have to reschedule or cancel their appointment, they have to navigate through the entire process all over again. Convenience is more important to your clients than you’d think. Who wants to deal with the pain of scheduling before even getting to see a doctor? A growing number of clinics and practices are choosing to implement online scheduling. This makes it possible for patients to see which slots are available when. They can then simply book their slot through an online portal.
The front staff are making a bad first impression
It isn’t pleasant to wait for over an hour to see a doctor. However, it’s a lot better than your front staff making a bad first impression. Office staff are often overworked handling patient scheduling, reminding, and feedback, among other tasks. This makes it difficult for them to spend time ensuring that the patients in the waiting room are being tended to. Fortunately, many mundane administrative tasks can now be automated, leaving front staff available to make a great first impression on those waiting for their turn.
Communication is poor
It’s important to spend time reaching out to your clients if you want them to stick around. You want to be the first name that pops into a patient’s mind when they need a flu shot or treatment for an injury. Make sure your clients know that you care about them by reaching out. You could do this by creating a social media presence and creating valuable content, sending regular newsletter updates with special offers, and even celebrating their birthdays with special greetings or small gifts. This type of communication will remind them that you’re there and willing to serve them whenever they need you.
Your competitors are doing better
A single bad experience with your service may send clients seeking better care elsewhere. The internet also makes it possible for customers to browse and leave reviews. Good reviews are fantastic, but it’s important to remember that you’ll probably get poor reviews from time to time as well. If you have more negative reviews than you have good, chances are a potential customer will look elsewhere for their medical care. You need to take care of your reputation so that one bad experience won’t send your patients elsewhere. When someone has had a bad experience, apologize and do whatever you can to make it better. Customer loyalty will do a great deal for your retention rate.
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