3 Tips to Improving Customer Service in Your Practice

When I think of health care the first thing that does not come to my mind is outstanding customer service. Too often patients are treated like obligations rather than customers. When you consider how much money is spent per night in the hospital, you would think they would be receiving better service than a 5 star hotel (and better food).

One thing that I know for sure is that practices with outstanding customer service retain their patients longer and have greater customer satisfaction rates. But, how do they do it? Well, in this blog post you will learn 3 ways to improving customer service in your practice so that your 5-star experience will garner you 5 star reviews online. 

• Know your insurance network. I’m a doctor but also a patient of a large HMO in California. One of my biggest pet peeves is how little transparency there is in health care in terms of costs. I can’t tell you the number of times I have looked up a doctor online and found their listing on yelp is not the same one on their website nor the insurance company’s site. The most important thing you can do for new patients is let them know before they step foot in your door if you are in their network. So make sure all of your online listings are updated and this includes your own website. 
• Spruce up your waiting room. More often than not, patients have to wait a little while before they see you. Well, your waiting room can either welcome or warn patients about your practice style. If you want to create an inviting environment, consider having a selection of teas available for your patients to sip on. Another great idea is having updated magazines. Those are toxic to the brain. Find unique magazines rather than the obvious selection of fashion and tabloid reads.
• Ask for feedback from every patient after every visit (and make it easy for them to give it to you). Using software you can automate this by having after visit surveys sent to your patients via email or text. Once you get a review you can have it to posted to Yelp or Google.

Hopefully these tips are a helpful reminder for your practice to continue flourishing. Problems in customer service are more often than not opportunities to improve and grow. So take every opportunity you have to learn from your patients and keep looking for special touches to make them feel special.