Reinvesting In Your Customer Service Post-COVID
The Importance of Customer Service Post-COVID
For now, COVID-19 continues to play a large role in day-to-day life. As we look at a Post-COVID world, however, it’s important that healthcare practices reinvest in an essential component of their businesses: a personal connection with their patients.
Customer service is one of the most important business strategies a healthcare practice can invest in. In the aesthetic and dental industries in particular, successful practices can strive to make care feel personal, even in a “distanced” world.
With a post-COVID future *hopefully,* on our horizon, we urge practices to keep in mind three vital customer service approaches. Each intends to keep patients happy, which in turn can lead to practice growth and success.
Post-COVID Approaches to Customer Service:
- Clearly communicate safety protocols to make patients feel comfortable coming into your practice
- Provide top quality, safe, patient care throughout the appointment process
- Follow up with patients to ensure they are content with their level of care (and to encourage them to come back)
How to be transparent about safety protocols
Healthcare has made the safety of their customers its utmost priority to ease their patient’s minds during the pandemic. Providers follow protocols that keep patients, their families, and healthcare staff safe.
Without a clear pandemic ending, patients have uncertainty about safety protocols. “Post-COVID” seems like it will be slowly evolving time period, not a sudden landmark. Meanwhile, healthcare organizations must keep patients informed about changes. Depending on your practice, safety updates may include:
- Policies about PPE
- Clarity regarding mask mandates for patients and employees
- Updates and procedures regarding social distancing
- Continued emphasis on cleanliness, health, and safety
How to provide top-quality patient care
Although increased safety is vital to customer satisfaction, social distancing, masks, and PPE have made it difficult for healthcare workers to interact with patients in a personal way. A dental practice lobby interaction may look vastly different to pre-COVID terms of care.
And, a dental or medical spa appointment already had the potential to cause anxiety for patients. Practices that retain patients over time offer quality customer service, hospitality, and help make patients feel as comfortable as possible.
Customer service starts may start on the phone, continue interactions with front desk staff, and move into time spent with nurses, hygienists, or physicians.
So, how do you interact with your patients to make them feel comfortable?
- Send appointment reminders via text, email, or phone call
- Make it easy to follow-up appointments
- Have staff wear name tags and use patient names
- Ask patients questions about their day
- Offer a warm tone of voice
- Create a positive atmosphere at every touchpoint
Following up and checking in post-appointment
Although in-person customer service is important, we shouldn’t undermine the necessity of the virtual aspect of clientele services. Following up after a client appointment is an integral part of a positive customer service experience.
One of the key components of a follow-up is to reach out to make sure they had a great experience. Receiving feedback ensures your practice is implementing exceptional customer service. If a patient has an issue or leaves a negative review online, proactively address the issue. Make sure to respond to the patient and seek ways to mitigate the problem.
Receiving customer feedback is also a great way for patients to feel engaged, heard, and appreciated. With each client, there is an opportunity to expand clientele and take on new patients.
Referrals are a key part of business, specifically for med spas and dental practices. If your patients are happy with your services and feel comfortable with your staff, they will recommend your services to their friends and family, maximizing your organization’s growth potential. Make this process easy for patients. Help them find you on social media, Google My Business, or other online platforms. This helps you stay connected. And, it also offers an easy place for them to leave referrals and lead connections.
Elevate, Scale, and Sell Your Healthcare Practice Post-COVID with Skytale Group
Customer service in the age of COVID-19 has been difficult. Still, it remains imperative for healthcare businesses to engage with their customers in meaningful ways to continue to be able to grow. Need more ways to elevate your practice? Are you looking to grow or scale? Contact Skytale to learn more about how we serve the dental, med spa, and healthcare industries.
