Are you in one of these situations when it comes to scheduling your new patients?
1. It’s too much trouble to keep calling and texting.
2. New patients aren’t responding.
3. If you’ve got a third-party scheduler and the results are lacking.
Watch this video and see a new way to schedule your new patients.
Tag: Scheduling
Anything relating to improving scheduling in a practice or improving show rates.
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How AI Scheduling Actually Works
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Stop Following Up On New Patient Leads
Tired of chasing up on new patient leads?
Those days are over!
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What’s Really Happening On Your New Patient Calls
The number one place that new patients are turned away is that your front desk via phone. So much depends on the quality of how that first call is handled that I can make or break your yearly growth.
Monitoring your front desk staff’s handling of new patient inquiry calls can be critical to your practice’s success.
Regularly reviewing recordings of these calls, when legal and with the proper permissions, can provide valuable insights into how well your staff implements their training and interacts with potential patients.An anecdote involving a healthcare professional illustrates the importance of this approach:
The practice owner had recently hired an expensive ($17,000) consultant to train their front desk staff on the latest techniques and scripts.
The training seemed successful, as the staff performed well in role-playing scenarios, and the practice experienced a slight increase in new patient schedules and show-up rates.The practice owner believed their staff was handling calls well, as they had observed them in person.
However, when they reviewed several random recorded calls the next week, they discovered that the staff’s performance was not always as good as it had appeared.In one instance, a potential patient called to inquire about a weight loss program for herself and her husband.
The front desk staff put her on hold for three minutes(!), ultimately causing her to hang up and resulting in the loss of two new patients who were ready to start the program.This example highlights the importance of regularly checking your staff’s performance when they are unaware they are being observed.
It’s a business reality. If you monitor it, you can manage it – and If you manage it, it will improve.
Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.
To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.
To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.
Find out more at:
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How To Get Your New Patient Leads To Respond
Nothing is more frustrating than having a new patient inquiry who won’t answer your calls when you call to schedule them for their first appointment. You can waste hours of time calling and calling and calling and eventually begin to wonder if the person is real or not.
I’m going to bet if you got a phone call right now from an unknown number you probably wouldn’t answer it.
Most people wouldn’t.
Realize that is how you look to a prospective new patient. Just because the person submitted a form on a web page or left you a voicemail does not mean that your phone number is in their contacts list.The fix is simple.
Text the lead before calling them: Send a message saying, “Hi, Josie. This is John at Dr. Smith’s Office. You asked for an appointment. I’m going to call you in about 1 minute from this number.”
This increases your chances of getting a response by up to 50%.Beyond this, you can set up a system that sends automatic follow-up “nurture” messages to the person every few days for several weeks.
This re-engages the lead, reminds them of their need, and encourages them to call your front desk to book an appointment. Sometimes people request an appointment and then things come up or change. Just be persistent.
If they needed your help last month they’ll still need your help next month if they don’t get care.To take it to the next level, implement marketing automation software or a CRM. This keeps track of the prospects you have so that none fall through the cracks.
There are many options available, from MailChimp to more advanced software such as Infusionsoft.
Alternatively, you can use an agency that already has a system in place. You’ve probably heard of Go High Level and other variations.Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.
To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.
To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.
Find out more at:
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How To End New Patient No-Shows (Hint: It’s Not Your Marketing)
Joy! The prospective new patient responded to your marketing and set an appointment but when the time came they were nowhere to be found.
What went wrong and more importantly how do you reduce or eliminate no-shows in the future?Detailed research shows that even with identical marketing campaigns one practice can achieve an 80% or 90% show-up rate with new patients while another might only see a 5 or 10% show-up rate!
With paid marketing the initial relationship is based almost completely on the skill of the person doing the scheduling.
The most effective new patient schedulers accomplish the following when scheduling a new patient:
1. Hope.
Empathizing with the patient and assuring them that they have made the right decision in contacting the practice and that there’s a good chance something can be done to improve their condition.
2. Authority.
The scheduler talks up the credentials and reputation of the practitioner so that the prospective new patient views them as a type of celebrity and feels fortunate to have an opportunity to meet with the doctor.
3. Scarcity.
By offering limited appointment slots, they increase the perceived value of the appointment and thus the likelihood of patients attending and keeping them.
4. Curiosity.
This is established by carefully not answering the person’s questions on the phone call but rather assuring them that all their questions will be answered during the office visit. Psychologically, the need to have questions answered is a powerful motivator.
5. Friendliness.
By generating sincere rapport with the prospect so that by the end of the scheduling conversation the prospect feels that they have a new friend already at the practice.
It’s all taught in the New Patient Scheduler’s Course put out by The Customer Factory exclusively for clients.
Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.
To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.
Find out more at:
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Why Practice Owners Regret Using a 3rd Party Scheduling Service
Outsourcing appointment scheduling to third-party services may initially appear as a convenient and cost-effective solution. However, numerous practice owners have come to regret this decision due to the negative impact on their reputation and patient relationships.
The most significant issue with third-party schedulers is the potential for misrepresentation of your practice. As the first point of contact, these interactions are crucial in shaping a potential patient’s impression of your practice. Often 3rd party schedulers’ unfamiliarity with your practice’s culture, location, and demographic may lead to misunderstandings, awkward interactions, and an inauthentic experience for your patients.
For example, 3rd party schedulers don’t know simple details a local would know. “Are you next to the Chic-Fil-A?” is a question that would leave them stumped.
Patients may perceive these shortcomings as indicators of poor service or unprofessionalism, harming your practice’s reputation before the patient even walks through the door.
By contrast, investing in your own in-house scheduling staff allows you to maintain control over your practice’s representation and ensure a high standard of service. Properly trained in-house staff will be familiar with your practice’s culture, location, and demographic, providing an authentic and seamless experience for your patients.
Factually, your own staff will always be more successful at starting that relationship with a new patient.
Practice owners should focus on hiring and training their own in-house scheduling staff to guarantee an authentic, professional, and consistent patient experience. This strategy not only protects your practice’s reputation but also sets the stage for long-term success and growth.
Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.
To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.
To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call.
Find out more at:
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How To Turn “Bad Leads” Into New Patients
These simple changes can maximize the leads you are getting from your new patient marketing.
No matter what types of leads you are getting from your Facebook paid ad campaign there are some simple things you can do to maximize every opportunity, even if they are poor quality!
1. Respond to the leads immediately. All qualities of leads have a cool-off time that is measured in minutes, not hours, and certainly not days. Have a dedicated cell phone to receive all leads and be sure to reach out to any web-based leads as quickly as possible, even on nights and weekends. If you add a $10 scheduling bonus you’ll have your staff eager to take the phone home.
2. When responding, text first, then call. Most people won’t pick up when an unfamiliar number calls. It’s amazing how many new patients fail to connect that call they are getting right now is from the request they made just a few moments ago.
The way to beat this issue is simply to text them first something like “Hello Joe, This is Julie from Dr. Jone’s office. I’ll be calling you in a moment from this same number to set up the appointment you requested.” This will dramatically increase the number of people who pick up your call.
3. Be persistent. People get busy, get distracted, etc. So be willing to reach out up to a dozen times or more to the same lead. Most sales experts say that even the hottest leads need persistent follow-up. Good follow-up does make your office look “desperate” but rather it shows you care enough about them to keep reaching out for the connection. After all, they did ask for your help.
Of course, there are many more things to know in order to create a consistent flow of qualified new patients for your practice.
If you want to know how million dollar practices get their ideal new patients, watch my new webinar “The Social Media Strategy that Attracts Qualified New Patients Who Show, Pay, And Stay” Click Here
To save time, many practitioners choose to partner with my agency, The Customer Factory.
To find out if our marketing program is a good fit for your practice visit our website and book a 15-minute Discovery call. You could have new patients coming in as soon as this time next week.
Find out more at: