Saying Thanks
Do you communicate with patients after a sale? Here are several reasons to do so, as well as three examples of what some of your peers do to follow-up. The point? To turn a transaction into a relationship.
Tip: Prospective clients will be more likely to trust you if you have case studies that include the patient’s name and their actual quotes.
According to BDC (Business Development Co.), there are six reasons to do so.
• Boost sales. Happy customers are more likely to come back and buy from you again.
• Increase retention. Satisfied customers are more loyal.
• Generate referrals and testimonials. Prospective clients will be more likely to trust you if you have case studies with the patient’s name and actual quotes.
• Improve performance. Customer feedback will help you improve your products or fix service problems.
• Innovate. By listening to customers’ needs and problems, you are gathering invaluable intelligence to create new products or services.
• Differentiate. By following up, you’re doing something most businesses don’t bother with and that sets you apart from the competition.
What and Where
Here’s how three ECPs follow up with patients, both immediately after their office visit as well as over time.
• Contact us. In Syracuse, NY, Stacy Daniel, owner of Frameology Optical, sends a handwritten note. She both thanks them and lets them know if they have any questions or concerns to please contact her.
• Email. Eric White, O.D., owner of Complete Family Vision Care in San Diego, CA, sends every patient a thank you email. “It is the cornerstone of creating a connection that makes them feel appreciated and special, and in turn creates loyalty,” he told Eyecare Business magazine.
He does this every business day. “At the end of the day,” he explains, “I send a cut-and-paste thank you email thanking them for the opportunity to be their eye doctor. I add something personal we talked about, so they know it’s really me, not a third party. I end the email by asking them to leave a Google or Yelp review for me.”
• Tips. Lisa Frye stresses that consistency is key. “Make saying thank you part of your process and let the message resonate throughout the office…from pretest to time with the doctor and/or optician, and again at checkout.”
The key, she adds, is keeping good notes about patients. “Remember important details of their personal needs. Addressing those will bring in families.”
How do you follow up and communicate with patients? Tell us about it and share in the conversation on Facebook here.
Erinn Morgan
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