It’s a phrase you\’re probably familiar with, but it always seems to come with a bit of mystery. It refers to something seemingly simple, and yet, the details are complicated and likely to cause problems. Apply it to managing patients, and well, it makes sense. One missed call, one unsatisfied patient, one detail about the patient experience could make a big difference in whether a prospect becomes a booked consult, that consult becomes a patient, and that patient becomes an advocate in referring more patients.
With Halloween on the horizon, we couldn\’t think of a better time to talk about 5 ways the devil may be lurking in the details of your practice:
1. Every Second Counts
Phone calls are the hottest leads you can get, with data showing calls are 3x more valuable than clicks to a website. But, a caller who gets put on hold or goes through too long of a process to speak to a live person, will quickly go cold, hang-up, and call the next practice. A survey indicates one-third of people said they’re simply unwilling to wait on the line, even for a second. About 27.6% said they would hold for 1 minute.
Someone who submits their contact information on your website and does not get a quick response will also go cold fast. In fact, a report from InsideSales indicates contact quality rates decrease by 10x after the first 5 minutes of a prospect submitting a form.
When it comes to inbound phone calls and web forms, every second is critical.
2. Capture the Details
We find a lot of practices still not requesting contact information from phone leads. Big mistake. OptiCall trains our expert counselors to capture at least 4 critical pieces of information:
- Caller name
- Phone number
- How they heard about the practice
- And once rapport is built, ask for their email address
Why these 4? They’re gold. They are the most important pieces of information and the easiest to capture in a short amount of time. Knowing the patient’s contact information allows for personalized follow-up if the patient is not ready to book on the phone. Understanding how they heard about the practice tells us what marketing efforts have been performing the best.
3. Be Consistent
When there isn’t a plan, process, or system in place to help field incoming leads, many inevitably fall through the cracks or are mismanaged.
A study by Harvard Business Review not only indicated a vast majority of leads are never followed up on, those that are may only be contacted one time. Practices can’t take a “one and done” approach to following up and expect the prospect to reach back out. An effective follow-up process should include multiple touchpoints over time.
OptiCall’s Capture web lead response program uses a systematic process that includes multiple touch points over the span of one month until the patient takes action. A combination of direct outreach and relevant content over a sustained period of time helps your practice stay connected to the prospect and significantly increases their likelihood of re-engaging when they weren’t initially ready to book. Click here to download the Capture Infographic.
4. Make the First Impression
It takes a lot for a prospect to finally book a consult and come in for the first appointment. This is where making the best first impression and building trust with new patients is absolutely critical. On average, it only takes 5-7 seconds for someone to determine if they trust you and that is based on just 3 factors:
- Visual: cleanliness, facial expressions, attire, body language, etc. – 55%
- Vocals: tone of voice and enthusiasm – 38%
- Verbal: actual content and words – 7%
With the first 2 V\’s – Visuals and Vocals – having the most impact, be sure you\’re putting your best intention forward with every person that walks into your office.
5. Ask for the Referral
What happens after the procedure? At this point, there should be requests for reviews and feedback. But without a process in place or automation to do it for you, patients who are excited with their results never think to share it with their network. Our Medical Marketing Outlook data shows the #1 source of new patient booked appointments was through referrals. Just one missed referral could mean several other patients (and their referrals) that never step foot in your office.
Mind the Gaps (No Matter How Small)
A solid evaluation of your practice could uncover some big problems hindering business growth. OptiCall\’s practice assessments take a detailed approach to understanding the gaps and where you could benefit from improving. Contact us to request your free practice assessment: