by Ginny | Sep 18, 2007 | Practice Leadership
Don’t you love it when you walk into a business where you’ve been a loyal customer for years and the people working there recognize you and greet you like family? Everyone loves to be welcomed like Norm from Cheers. We’ve all had that great welcome from our local bankers, grocery store clerks, salons, restaurants and pharmacies. For many of us it’s the reason we return again and again.
Now contrast that feeling with the one you get when you enter that same business where you’ve been a loyal customer and the staff ask you to spell your name so they can take your reservation or let coworkers know you have arrived. Even a nice smile and greeting doesn’t make up for the fact that you are now a stranger in a familiar place.
This loss of experience and interruption in customer service is one of the indirect costs of turnover that most business owners don’t calculate. Your patients feel this loss when you lose good people. If you’re serious about improving patient service you need a retention plan…you need to learn how to lead your team and how to stop the drama that drives the good people away…staff and patients.
by Ginny | Aug 8, 2007 | Practice Leadership
You’ve probably heard the old adage that a happy customer tells two friends but an unhappy customer will tell ten. We’re all human and sometimes despite all your efforts things will not go smoothly in the office. Be prepared to turn those frowns upside down by having gift cards on hand to show how serious you are about your commitment to great service. A gift card for a coffee or book shop will have patients feeling understood and appreciated. In a time when health care can be so impersonal, set your practice apart as one that cares.
by Ginny | Jun 8, 2007 | Practice Leadership, Team Development
10. Know Your Patients and Greet Them By Name when they arrive in the office and at every point of contact during their visit. Most practice management software stores patient photos so even a new team member can recognize patients.
9. Engage Your Patients in Conversation. Don’t just confirm their arrival and ask them to have a seat. Follow Walt Disney’s advice and treat patients like they were guests in your home.
8. Honor Their Time. Make it a point of practice pride that patients are seen within five minutes of their appointed time. Your patients will love it and they’ll arrive on time too!
7. Come into the Reception Area to Greet Your Patient – don’t call their name from the doorway! The clinical team can preview patient photos so they recognize patients.
6. Be Aware of Your Tone of Voice. Professional behavior doesn’t mean you need to be dead serious. You don’t want a call for a hygiene check to sound the same as if you were announcing “iceberg ahead.†Patients hear everything so be aware and be consistently friendly and upbeat and involve them in your conversation when possible.
5. Remember Their Special Days. Make it a point to notice if a patient’s birthday or anniversary occurs near their appointment date and recognize it with a cupcake or card.
4. Let ‘em Eat Cake. Have patient appreciation day once a month in the practice and treat everyone to coffee and donuts or cheese and crackers. Make it a party!
3. Celebrate the Holidays. Fill the office with poinsettias in December and Tulips at April and have patients take one with them. They’ll be so pleasantly surprised and will talk about you to their coworkers and friends!
2. Send Cards. Have each team member choose a patient each day and write a personal note about his visit. “It was great to see you today John and to hear all about your cruise to Alaska.†It takes two minutes and makes a huge impact in the community.
1. Call Patients After Treatment. Doctors, many patients have questions after treatment and don’t want to bother you. A two-minute call in the evening will make a huge impression that will distinguish your practice as a cut above the rest.
by Ginny | May 24, 2007 | Practice Leadership
At the start of your morning meeting have each team member choose a name from the previous day’s schedule and commit to writing a quick note to that patient. Doctors, lead the way for your team by also making a personal commitment to writing a note. A hand-written note congratulating a patient on a special event or accomplishment, wishing them a great vacation or just letting them know you enjoyed the time you spent together will help you all be more in touch and build better relationships with your patients. Imagine the impact this will have on your team as they engage patients each day. Imagine the impact it will have in the community over time. It takes two minutes a day and this is internal marketing at its best.
by Ginny | Apr 20, 2007 | Practice Leadership, Team Development
The biggest irony in the hiring and recruitment process is that just when you are understaffed you have more work than ever to do. Don’t wait until you need to hire to start preparing. Start right now and you’ll reap the rewards and lower your stress too.
Create ads and telephone screening guides for each position in the practice that allow you to attract and quickly sort through the resumes you receive to choose the best potential candidates to invite into the office. Prepare behaviorally based in-person interview guides that will spotlight the candidate who will be the best fit for your practice.
Check out our Resources for Managing People Well at www.ginnyhegarty.com A hiring system along with interview and training guides are all ready to go.
Our client, Dr. Bill Linger had this to say “Don’t hire or train another employee without these guides! We’re blown away by how this system has transformed the way we choose and train new employees. With this approach you can immediately separate the winners from the pretenders. We’re saving time, we’re making better hiring decisions and there’s no more baptism by fire for our new hires. This system is terrific.â€
by Ginny | Mar 2, 2007 | Practice Leadership
10. Say, “Thank you†and mean it! People love to be appreciated and they really love when you mention the little things they do that make a difference. You might even keep some “Kudos†chocolate bars on hand to give out with your thank yous. Remember to praise your team in front of patients too.
9. Remember their special days. Everyone appreciates it when her birthday or anniversary is remembered and celebrated.
8. Gather co-workers together for a special bonding sing-a-long of a light rendition of “You Light Up My Life†or “We Are The Championsâ€, etc. Lead the team yourself – It’s just plain fun!
7. Bring the team together and choose “Your Song†or “Your Cheer†that you can use for two-minute pep rallies and office celebrations.
6. Public Praise is Great: Have a surprise break in honor of a team member or the entire team. Bring in bagels or fruit or brownies and have a 10-minute celebration.
5. Put up a Bravo Board so everyone can praise each other. Office Magic has recommended this for years and it works! You and the team members can write and post notes of praise for coworkers. Once a month put all the notes in a basket and choose one to win a special prize.
4. Volunteer to do a team member’s least favorite task once a month. The team will love seeing you pitch in and you can milk it for all the attention you can get.
3. Surprise a team member or department and have their cars washed! Who doesn’t love a clean car?
2. Dinner’s on you. Give a deserving team member a certificate for one take-out dinner for their family on you. Have them choose a day and select from a list of restaurants. and you’ll pick up the tab. They can pick up dinner on the way home and have a relaxing evening with their family.
1. Give out Freedom Cards. It’s hard to give days off, so give an hour or two off with pay to recognize top performance. One week’s notice should be required to redeem the card.
*Some of these ideas are taken from The 24-Carrot Manager by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton.
