subject: Some Customer-Centric Ideas to Boost Your Practice [print this page] Some Customer-Centric Ideas to Boost Your Practice
Consider these tips to increase the loyalty of your customers
Do you genuinely want to build a successful practice? Then listen to your customers
Successful practices of today operate the way customers wanted them to operate, and the successful practices of tomorrow are the ones that start listening to customers today and begin operating the way customers want them to operate not just the way owners want them to operate.
Here are some ways you can grow your practice by focusing on your current and potential patients.
1) Ask your patients what they want
Don't assume you know what your patients want. You might be right every now and then, but you'll be wrong much of the time. The practitioners who truly know what patients want and need intentionally ask their patients for feedback through postcard surveys or focus groups or follow-up phone calls.
At my practice, we frequently invited groups of 10 patients to join us for intensive three- or four-hour feedback sessions. We provided lunch, and we gave each person a gift card to thank them for their time and input. We wanted to know what we could do better, where we weren't doing well, what we needed to do to keep their business, and how we could best meet their needs.
One idea that emerged from a feedback session was to add a 40-second overview telling the patient what would happen during that particular visit. By telling them what to expect, we managed their expectations. When they got what they expected, we built trust. Meeting expectations builds trust, and trust is what brings people back.
2) Pay attention to the convenience factor in your practice
People are looking for convenience, and they will go where they can get the service that best fits their needs. That's why you find veterinarians in PetSmart stores, banks in grocery stores, and optometry practices in Wal-Marts.
I worked at my practice six days a week for 16 years because Saturdays were a day that lots of people could come in. It's not uncommon to find places in the mall that are open seven days a week, with hours that extend into the evenings. Are your hours convenient only for you, or are your hours convenient for current and potential patients?
Your location also matters people are more likely to visit a practice located more conveniently to their retail traffic patterns. Many practitioners don't think about the building or their location. Some buildings will be the tombstones of practices because they're no longer convenient. But if you find a location near the places people already go, you're more likely to attract patients because it's convenient for them it's a customer-satisfying decision.
3) Think about future innovations that can enhance your practice
A few cutting-edge companies are exploring how to give practices an online presence, and we all know that customers can purchase contact lenses online through such sites as 1-800-Contacts.com and VisionDirect.com, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. Most practices have no online presence at all.
Your current and potential patients are increasingly comfortable buying things online and they're no longer using the Internet to only purchase things because of lower prices or expansive inventories. Today, many people find that the customer experience online sometimes EXCEEDS the customer experience at brick-and-mortar stores!
Online presence is just one example of how optometry practices can continue to evolve and change and expand their markets. Be open to new ideas, and search for innovative approaches to serving your customers.
Listen to your patients, and do whatever it takes to put yourself in the shoes of the person on the other side of the counter.
DO YOU HAVE a story of how your practice has benefited by intentionally listening to your patients and seeking their feedback? I'd like to share some of these stories from other people's practices in the coming weeks. Send me your story at info@WalterWest.com for consideration. I always enjoy hearing other people's stories of how they're helping customers and building a better practice!
