As the owner of a small healthcare practice, scaling your business can be difficult on your own. With so many different responsibilities to handle to successfully run your business, you aren’t left with much time to focus on scaling when you’re distracted with day-to-day operations and admin.
Common tasks like scheduling appointments, answering the phone, responding to emails, and interacting with clients face-to-face are time-consuming and can affect your ability to run an efficient medical office.
There are always ways to be more productive and efficient, and identifying and implementing those strategies is key to business growth.
For example, if you gain more time to focus on your clients, you will increase client satisfaction, which will get you better reviews, more testimonials, a positive reputation, and in turn, a longer list of clientele. According to Forbes, 84% of companies report an increase in revenue as a result of an improved customer experience.
How do you start? By implementing the following three tips to help you free up more time to focus your efforts on your clients and scale your practice so you can focus on revenue and business expansion.
Create client-friendly scheduling
It’s important to consider when your potential clients are available during your hours of operation.
Since the typical workday is 9 a.m.-5 p.m., you may want to tweak your practice’s operating hours to make appointments more accessible to your clients’ schedules.
The more you can do to help your clients easily find times to schedule appointments, the more appointments you’ll be able to secure.
Sure, some clients are able to take time off during their workdays to come into your office. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all potential clients have that luxury.
Implement an appointment reminder system
When a client misses their appointment, not only does it waste your time, but it also leaves revenue on the table.
To help reduce missed appointments and last-minute cancellations, implement a reminder system that reminds your clients of their appointments 48 hours in advance. The reminder, or automatic confirmation system, can be sent via text message or voicemail.
This way, you can decrease the chances of no-shows while increasing appointment confirmations.
Pro tip: look for software that’s fully customizable and easily integrates with your calendar. If your calendar is working for you, there’s no need to adopt a new system.
You should consider software that has a reliable customer support team so, if you ever need last-minute support, they can have your back and provide the assistance your clients are looking for.
Try an appointment setting software to help you smoothen out your practice’s scheduling process and efficiently schedule future appointments even while you’re in one.
With an appointment software implemented in your practice, you’ll quickly notice:
- An increase in efficiency
- An increase in capacity
- Improved quality of service
- More time to focus on your clients
Additionally, your clients’ trust and experience will improve, and consequently, contribute to your practice’s long-term growth.
Improve your phone systems
Let’s consider how a client may feel when their calls aren’t answered when they’re attempting to book an appointment.
The best way to do this is by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. It can be very frustrating to try to cross something off of your to-do list quickly (like set an appointment), only to be met by voicemail. In this instance, you’re most likely to try calling a different practice or provider instead so that you can cross this off and get on to your next task.
According to Harvard Business Review, 85% of patients who don’t reach you on the first call will not call back. Instead, they’ll call your competitors.
As a business owner, this situation can have a significant negative impact. Not only have you shown poor customer service to a potential client, but you’ve also thrown a revenue opportunity out the window and sent your lead straight to a competitor.
To help with this problem, invest in a virtual receptionist.
A virtual receptionist can help you:
- Avoid lost revenue by capturing every call the first time and ensuring your practice’s growth isn’t stunted.
- Boost your return on investment by saving you money compared to a traditional receptionist.
- Give you back time to focus on what really matters—scaling your business.
- Improve your clients’ satisfaction by creating a human connection that makes a difference.
Wrapping up
Client retention can be challenging. It doesn’t have to be.
Investing in an appointment setting software and a virtual reception solution will help eliminate friction within your practice and provide various benefits to your practice and clients. These cost-effective solutions are the perfect ingredients for growth. And they can be easily outsourced.
Here’s a recap of the three tips for scaling your healthcare practice:
- Create client-friendly scheduling
- Implement an appointment setting reminder system
- Improve your phone systems
They will increase your operational efficiency, save you time, allow you to take on more clients, and improve overall client satisfaction.
It can be difficult to scale your practice on your own. Luckily, with the affordable technology available today, scaling is possible and doable. Stop putting your efforts into tedious, time-consuming tasks. Invest in technology backed by a knowledgeable and supportive team and start growing your business!
Is your healthcare practice ready to grow? Get in touch with us today and find out why Smiledog is a good fit for you, your business, and, most importantly, your customers.