Every industry is going to throw competition at you at one time or another. In medicine, every patient is an important part of the whole. They should be treated as such. If a patient feels like the relationship with their health care provider isn’t strong enough, they’ll look for a better fit. So, here’s how you ensure you never leave them wanting.
Figure out what they want
It’s important to open yourself up to feedback directly from your patients. It can be painful, especially at first. There will be some disgruntled customers who will seek to make it painful. For most of them, however, their grievances are genuine and their connection is made all the stronger by businesses that work to address them. So, make sure you’re soliciting feedback online, both directly and indirectly, as suggested by THEBALANCE.com. Email patients or post surveys on your social media.
Keep the channels open
Reaching out to them isn’t all you have to do. You have to be open to when patients reach out to you, as well. Social media is one of the best tools there is when it comes to being immediately available to patient queries. Make sure that you’re present on the most popular and well-trafficked ones. That way, when customers have a question, they can easily find your account and ask for answers. Social media is changing health care by removing boundaries that have stopped patients from getting the information they need. Social media might not be able to replace a face-to-face, but it can be the stand-in you need to stay linked to customers.
Never miss a beat
Communication is crucial. Not just for feedback, but for creating a loop of information that keeps you and customers current. Reminding them of appointments is just the start. Sending them notifications for a check up or even just saying hello if they haven’t been in for a while is important, too. Managing all your customer data is essential to setting that system up. Customer relationship management providers like INTOUCHMD.com can make it significantly easier for you, too.
Know what the competition is doing
Besides the patients, you need to be paying closer attention to your competition, too. That’s because many of them will be actively working to take clients from you. A lot of them will be doing it through marketing campaigns online. Pay attention to these campaigns, see what they’re saying and what they’re offering. If they’re offering something you’re not, consider focusing on offering that for a change and making it a highlight of your marketing. If they’re missing something, then make sure you offer it instead, creating a niche to differentiate yourself from them. Otherwise, your patients can get distracted by something that sounds novel and helpful and decide you’re no longer the service that fits their specific needs.
Maintaining a customer relationship is about being attuned. Being attuned to their wants and needs through soliciting feedback and being easy to reach. Being attuned to their demand through customer relationship management. Being attuned to the market by watching your competition. If you lack the insight to know the factors weighing on the relationship, you’ll never succeed in keeping it strong.
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