The old maxim ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ couldn’t be further from the mark if you want to ensure your patients have a great experience.
One of the first things I like to discuss with a clinic owner is the impact of ‘Voice of the Customer’ when assessing patient experience. To get the ball rolling, we pondered three questions:
- Has the business of Aesthetic Medicine become more competitive over the past 5 years?
- Is it expected to become even more competitive over the next 5 years?
- How do we maintain a competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded field?
The answer to Questions 1 and 2 are no-brainers. Obviously – Yes.
Question 3 is where things became interesting, and usually leads to a wide-ranging discussion on topics such as: brand and product differentiation; marketing channels; service diversification and the like. Eventually, the conversation works around to customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Unsurprisingly, most clinic owners are of the opinion that good service leads to customer retention and positive word-of-mouth recommendation. Strangely, when asked if they proactively seek direct feedback from their patients, very few actually do.
“What you measure, you can manage” – the McKinsey maxim
A study published in the US Journal of Medical Practice Management analysed 35,000 online reviews of medical practices. It revealed 96% of complaints found fault with the customer service – not the quality of care.
The study showed that only 1-in-25 patients rating their healthcare providers with two stars or fewer is unhappy with his or her physical examination, diagnosis, treatment, surgery or health outcome. The overwhelming majority of complaints cite poor communications, disorganisation and excessive delays in seeing a physician as the cause for dissatisfaction.
‘Our study uncovered a torrent of patient allegations of doctors running behind schedule, excessive waiting time to see a provider, billing problems, indifferent staff, and doctors’ bedside manners. Yet hardly anyone had a beef with the quality of healthcare received.’
Clearly, finding ways to reduce or eliminate sources of dissatisfaction results in the twin virtues of patient loyalty and recommendation; but the first step is to identify them. Who better to ask than the customer?
If you are intending to implement a patient feedback program, take the time to design it properly. If it gives the appearance of being inauthentic, it may actually have the opposite effect to that intended.
Make sure it presents a professional appearance, is concise and deals with the touchpoints that relate to your clients’ experiences.
Things to consider when designing your questionnaire and program:
- Simplify survey instructions.
- Consider making it available via multiple platforms (online, SMS, social media).
- Ensure it guarantees patient confidentiality and privacy.
- Avoid the temptation to ask too many or irrelevant questions.
- Carefully phrase both the questions and response options.
- Use quantitative questions that measure satisfaction performance scores.
- Provide the opportunity to include qualitative commentary.
- Place emphasis on personal interaction aspects of the patient journey.
- Track satisfaction data over time to identify trends or anomalies.
- Share results with your team members, so they engage with the goal of continuous improvement.
One final suggestion: Be prepared to take valid critical responses onboard. These can often be the most valuable learnings and lead to genuine opportunities to enhance the overall customer experience of your practice. AMP
