As a doctor, patients are your lifeblood. Sure, that’s an obvious statement. They’re part of the reason why you chose to spend almost a decade in school and ultimately end up working within the medical field.
Maybe that’s true, but they’re not the only responsibility you have on your plate. You also have to worry about things like…
HIPAA compliance
Medical claims
Collecting patient payment
Attracting new clients
Marketing your practice
Managing social media
With all of those daily tasks, it’s no wonder physicians are among the highest group of professionals who experience burnout. In other words, it’s easy to get caught up in your day to day and lose track of things that fall outside of what I listed above.
But out of everything you have on your plate, when’s the last time you showed how thankful you are for those who come into your office? If you don’t do this often, realize that 82% of clients will leave if they think you don’t appreciate them.
This means that if you don’t put any time into showing that you care about your loyal visitors, you’d waste all of the efforts you put into improving patient satisfaction.
We’re at a time in healthcare that’s shifting dramatically. There’s a generational shift happening and different age groups want different experiences when going to their doctor. But regardless of what different generations want, they can all agree that showing them appreciation is an important part of their experience.
OK, so we’re now on the same page and realize that you’ll need to show gratitude. The main question then becomes, “How?”
Table of Contents
Plan a Monthly Office Event
We all love consistency. In fact, I’m sure you and your family or closest friends have a night every week that’s devoted to going somewhere specific or doing some activity. Whether it’s grabbing drinks at the same local bar every Friday or a rotating game night every Saturday, we love consistent schedules.
But why not devote a day every month showing appreciation to your patients?
It doesn’t have to be anything outrageous or break your bank. You could offer food everyone enjoys like bagels or pizza to people who come in, even if it’s not for an appointment. After reading that you might be thinking, ”Did he just recommend that a doctor, who should promote a healthy lifestyle, offer unhealthy food to their patients?”
Yes, I know that pizza and bagels aren’t the healthiest options in the world. But if you do plan a monthly event that offers food, you’ll want people to eat what you have. Odds are, most people won’t eat or want kale chips, regardless of their health benefits.
Even beyond the health aspect, maybe you think offering comfort food to show appreciation will make your practice look bad. If that’s your argument, just know that a national gym does something similar and it’s lead to more business.
Planet Fitness devotes two days every month toward thanking their members…
The first Monday of every month they offer free pizza in the evening
The Second Tuesday of every month they offer free bagels in the morning
Although that may sound counterproductive to the gym lifestyle, they point out that one slice of pizza isn’t going to derail an entire month’s worth of working out. It also turns out that they’re one of the fastest-growing gyms in the United States.
Of course, if you go the food route ensure that everything is sanitary. Place the food away from your waiting room and have your staff serve each patient that wants a slice.
So pick a day every month and do a nice gesture for your patients to show that you appreciate them.
Have a Giveaway
Everyone likes the chance to win something. Hosting a giveaway is a great way to show patient appreciation as long as…
The prize is worth it
Entering isn’t complicated
So let’s break down both of those points to ensure that you have a successful giveaway.
First, you’ll need to have a prize that’s similar to the big gift you gave your loved one during this past holiday season. If you’re a dentist, giving away a standard toothbrush doesn’t cut it.
So how much money should you put into a giveaway in order to have the most success? Contests with prizes of $1,000 or more get the most engagement. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend that much money.
It’s no surprise that the more expensive the prize, the higher success you’ll have. So when you’re trying to budget for your patient appreciation giveaway, refer back to what I mentioned earlier. Think about some of the most popular gifts from this past holiday season. That way there’s a high chance that some of your patients either want the prize themselves or know someone who does.
Second, you have to make sure that the requirements you set to enter the giveaway aren’t outrageous. The less you require to enter, the higher chance there is that your clients will want to participate.
Maybe you decide that your only requirement is that participants can only enter by coming into your office. That’s a great way to get as many people to enter as possible.
However, you could also use the giveaway as a way to boost other aspects of your practice.
Maybe you want to boost your following on your social media. If that’s the case, make it a requirement that they need to follow your pages in order to qualify.
Regardless of what prize you select and what your requirements are, hosting a giveaway is a great way to show appreciation.
Offer Door Prizes
Everyone likes surprises. OK, that’s not true but most people do.
So why not surprise your patients with a small gift just for walking through your doors? These are door prizes and they’ve been around for a long time.
They’re especially popular for sporting events because they work. How many times have you wanted to go to a professional baseball game and went out of your way to choose the one giving away bobbleheads?
Even if it’s on a weeknight you’ll still consider going just for the memorabilia. Offering a door prize during a game on a weekday increases attendance by almost 25% for professional sports organizations.
I’m not saying you should make bobbleheads of your staff and give them away as a door prize. Although that’s not a bad idea, it’s a little unorthodox. Whatever you decide to give, my point is to follow through with it.
First, set a date, maybe it’s a certain time of the month when you don’t have a lot of patients coming in. Second, determine a prize to handout. Third, announce what’s happening know on social media or via email so your clients know whats coming.
Of course, patients can’t predict when they’re going to be sick. But they still could come in for something like a physical or general consultation. Let them know that as a possibility in your announcement.
Host an Offsite Party or Picnic
If you want to show patient appreciation outside of your office, host a party or picnic.
First, pick a date. Second, choose an affordable venue, maybe something like a park pavilion. Then, announce the party and encourage your clients to bring food. Next, visit your local dollar store for decorations. Finally, host the party and watch your practice turn into a tight-knit community.
Obviously, if you’re a specialist you’ll have to tread lightly with this idea due to patient privacy rules and HIPAA.
But this is a great option if you’re a general practitioner or pediatrician. Make the event family-friendly and encourage parents to bring their kids.
As an example, Thacker Orthodontics hosts an annual Cincinnati Reds Cookout. On opening day every year they invite their patients, referring dentists and oral surgeons.
81% of top marketers believe that hosting live events will become increasingly essential to their business’s success. Hop on this trend early so that you can set your practice up for success in the future.
Send Thank You Letters
Sending handwritten letters has been on it’s way out for so long that mentioning it as an option is almost nostalgic. Letters haven’t been the most popular mode of communication for what seems like 100 years. But that’s actually made the art of writing letters that much more thoughtful.
In fact, a Kent State University study found that writing and reading thank you letters leads to fewer health problems, decreases in negative feelings, and an improved immune system.
What better way to show appreciation for your patients and further help boost their health than writing thank you letters to them?
Take a few minutes out of a day each week to reflect on the appointments you had. Point out things your patient did throughout the entire process, from scheduling to discharge, which made the experience run smoother. On a different day, mail them out.
Anyone can take five minutes and type out an email expressing their thanks. But by taking the time out of your busy scheduling to hand-write a letter on how appreciative you are of your patient, you’re setting your practice up for success.
Give Out Swag
You wouldn’t think that people would wear a t-shirt with the name of the general practitioner on it. But if you give it to them for free, there’s a high chance that they will at some point.
Swag is always an easy option to take advantage of as a way to show patient appreciation, especially if they don’t have to buy it. More than 80% of people like to receive promotional products with brand names or advertising messages on them.
Of course, then the question is, “Will they wear it or use it?”
Think about what you wear when you go to the gym. Unless you fully devote yourself and spend a lot of money on athletic wear, you put on whatever t-shirt you can find.
This is also what many of your clients do. In other words, giving out t-shirts is a great option because they’ll get worn in public.
When clients wear your practice’s t-shirt, they’re getting your name in front of potentially hundreds of people. Thus, giving swag is a double-whammy for your practice.
Highlight Patients on Social Media
We know social media isn’t going away anytime soon. If you haven’t yet embraced it, that’s OK. Just know that there’s an opportunity for you to interact with your clients.
When they’re sitting in your waiting room or after their appointment, gauge their interest and see if you could feature them as your “Patient of The Week”.
If they are, email them a few fun and simple questions…
Where are you from?
What’s your favorite movie?
What are your hobbies?
What’s your favorite snack?
Also, ask them to attach their favorite picture of themselves to their reply. Once you have all of the content, edit everything together and share it across social media. Tag the patient’s social media account when you post it so that they can share it with their friends as well.
If you choose to do this, plan out a couple of weeks ahead of time so that you can deliver a post every week. Also, ensure you’re not including any patient health information (PHI) in your posts unless given permission by your client.
Donate a Portion to Charity
Charity work is always a great way to boost the morale of your staff and the overall perception of your practice. If you’re already doing some volunteer work or philanthropy that involves your employees, great. But why not include your patients as well?
Other than outright asking your clients if they’re interested in volunteering with you for a cause, there’s one other alternative.
Dedicate a portion of their medical bill to charity.
It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming amount, I’m not asking you to take an unaffordable, indefinite blow to your revenue.
Once you’ve determined the percentage of each statement you want to give, choose a charity. You want to pick one that resonates well with your clients. You could also leave it up to your patients to decide with a poll on your most popular social media. The only potential problem with hosting a poll is that there are thousands of different nonprofit organizations out there and you may receive that close to that many suggestions in return.
Second, choose a month to hold this promotion. Establish a start date and an end date. That way you won’t face huge losses to your bottom line and can forecast ahead of time.
As a bonus, research what different months are in support of and choose the month that best lines up with the charity organization you’re fundraising on behalf of.
Finally, announce the event to your client base. Ensure that you’ve given yourself at least 30 days in advance of the charity month to allow enough time for people to schedule appointments with you during it.
As an example of something similar to this happening in the commercial space let’s look at what Patagonia did a few years ago.
In 2016 the outdoor clothing brand ran a similar promotion where 100% of everything they made during that year’s Black Friday would go to environmental nonprofits. The company anticipated around $2 million in sales. But when the date finally arrived their customer base came together and raised $10 million in sales to back the initiative.
To reiterate, I’m not saying you should write off an entire month’s worth of revenue for a cause. That’s not possible as a small healthcare organization. But, regardless of the percentage you choose, you’ll find that your community will band together to help a cause.
Partner Perks with Local Businesses
If you’re a small practice or chiropractor’s office, you probably share your office with all different types of businesses located in the same plaza or strip mall. This presents a massive opportunity for you.
Reach out to the businesses around you and ask them if they’d like to partner up and create a promotion together.
If there’s a coffee shop next door and you’re a chiropractor offer 10% off a spinal adjustment or a free latte when scheduling a general exam. This approach works with all sorts of customer-facing businesses, all you have to do is think of something that would work for the both of you and pitch it.
If they don’t like the promotion, they won’t shut your idea down. Instead, they’ll rebuttal with one that would fit for more with their business model. What’s important is that, at the end of the day, you both agree on a promotion to run.
This strategy benefits your practice in three ways. First, it establishes a working relationship with other business owners in your area. Second, it incentivizes your patients to come to you in order to get a deal with another business they’re familiar with. Third, it attracts regulars of the business you partnered with to your office, thus increasing your volume.
Establish a Loyalty Program
We all know those punchcards you get from your local cafe that says, “Buy ten coffees get the eleventh free.” They’re a fun little reward you get as a regular. They also happen to be one of the most base examples of a loyalty program that exists.
Now, establishing a similar loyalty program for your practice based on visits wouldn’t make much sense. But that doesn’t mean you can’t come up with something a little bit more creative.
Instead of visits, maybe you base your loyalty program of off how long a patient has had a relationship with your practice.
There are thousands of different loyalty programs you could establish for your healthcare practice and they work. More than half of all consumers say they would consider doing more business with companies for loyalty rewards.
Conclusion
Getting people into your doors is one aspect, keeping them is entirely different.
Luckily, with a little creativity, there are so many different ways you can show your patients.
As a doctor, you’re busy and you want to spend the majority of your time seeing your clients. However, the amount of time you want to spend time thanking them is up to you.
As long as you do some form of it, you’re already ahead of most other healthcare organizations. You’re setting yourself up to keep your current loyal community while impressing your new patients.
