Episode 74: How to Build a Loyal Patient Base
What was discussed?
Quote of the Day: “To be successful, you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like.” – Mike Gafka
Today’s episode is about keeping your churn level to a minimum. If you’re keeping your churn level low, you’ll be able to grow your practice much quicker. One of the most important aspects of any business is building your customer base.
Here are some statistics on just how seriously customer service can impact your business:
A 2011 AMEX Report shows that 3 out of 5 customers will give up a previous favorite brand if they can get better customer service somewhere else. A 2010 RightNow Report shows 9 out of 10 Americans will spend more if they believe they can get excellent customer service. A 2011 Consumer Report showed that 91% of consumers will not give a business a second chance if they feel that their experience was bad. A reported 2 out of 3 customers have walked out of retail establishments if they feel the service is bad.
Here are some ways to improve your Customer Service:
Offer Multiple Services: Being a specialist in something is a great thing, but offering relevant services can increase customer satisfaction. You can provide complimentary services that are an extension of your specialty.
Create and Build a Brand: If people can easily recognize your name, your practice, who you are and what you do, then they’re more likely to connect with you and remain loyal to you. Customers will develop a sense of trust if they see your brand positively represented in their communities.
Offer the BEST Customer Service Anywhere: Go above and beyond. Build a name that is immediately associated with great customer service. If that means that you have a worry free cancellation policy, then provide it! If your first thought is ‘I could never do that… I’d lose so much money!’ then you’re not thinking about it in the right way! Think about the opportunity that you have to be known as the doctor that doesn’t charge a cancellation fee. If cancelling an appointment with you was an easy and stress-free process, customers are more likely to call you back and set up another appointment. Whatever you have to do, make sure that you’re doing it better than everyone else.
Rally Your Troops: Appoint someone in your office as the Brand Ambassador and have that person go out into the community and build your brand. Appoint someone else in the office as the Customer Service King or Queen and have them make sure that the high standards that your practice has set are being met. Have them make sure that every single customer you have has an excellent experience.
You most likely will be unable to make every single person happy and that’s okay! Your goal should be to make sure that you’ve done everything possible to please your customers. If they still decide they’d like to go somewhere else, you should still be able to say that you did everything you could to make them happy.
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