Creating Patient Loyalty

Staff Meeting Presentation Series

Staff Meeting Goals

• Explain the importance of patient loyalty to our mutual success

• Review proven techniques to increase patient loyalty

Eye Care Market Facts

Fact Implications

1. There is one eye doctor dispensing glasses and contacts for every 4,000 people needing vision correction in the U.S.

2. Surveys show most patients are “satisfied” with the competence and friendly service their current eye doctor provides

→ There is no captive market for our service→ Our patients have many acceptable

options for their eye care

→ Merely “satisfying” patients will not differentiate our practice from others, or cause patients to seek us out

3. Few patients can remember any exceptional service their eye doctor ever performed

4. In urban areas, most “satisfied” patients will switch eye doctors if they move more than 15 minutes away from the office

→ Eye care is a routine, forgettable experience for most patients

→ Unexceptional service is unlikely to produce referrals

→ We must go beyond “satisfaction” to retain patients and gain new ones

Eye Care Market Facts (Cont.)

Fact Implications

• Creating “satisfied” patients is not enough

• Creating loyalty is a must

Traits of “Satisfied” vs. “Loyal” Patients

Loyal

• Service meets expectations• View service as competent,

but ordinary and unexceptional• Seldom or never talk

about the service to others• Never initiate a referral

of the practice• Likely to switch if a more

convenient provider becomes available

• Service exceeds expectations

• View the service as memorable• Likely to tell “stories” about

the practice to others

• Likely to recommend the practice to others

• Likely to be a patient for life

Satisfied

Creating Patients for Life

Lifetime Value of a Patient

Not including:

• Revenue from other family members

• Revenue from referrals

Annual Lifetime Value of Patient

Professional Fees $55* X 40 $2,200

Vision Center Purchases $150 X 40 $6,000

* Based on average for all Wal*Mart and SAM’s Club affiliated doctors

Universal Mission Statement for Service Companies

Treat every customer in such a memorable way that when the transaction is complete, the customer tells someone else how great it was

From “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless: Customer Loyalty is Priceless”

Jeffrey Gitomer, 1998

• Do we achieve this standard?

• What do our patients say about us?

• Are we satisfied with competent, unremarkable service?

For Discussion:

“Word of mouth is the lowest cost form of promotion...and the most compelling.”

– Michael E. Cafferky,

Let Your Customers Do the Talking

• Most eye care practices are great at efficiently processing patients

• Few excel at truly servicing patients

• Great service is mainly about relationships and feelings, not efficiency and logic

Service Standards

Basic: Expected, creates satisfaction

Exceptional: Unexpected, creates loyalty

• Technical competence• Timely, efficient service• Courteous, friendly treatment• Provide functional solution

to vision care needs

• Made to feel like the practice’s “most important customer”

• Sincere concern demonstrated for both the patient’s personal ocular health and emotional needs

• Most technically advanced products dispensed

For Discussion

• Do our patients feel treated as welcome, honored guests?

• Does every patient leave the office and Vision Center with all of their questions answered and concerns addressed?

• Does every patient leave knowing they have been presented the very latest and highest performance products available to satisfy their needs?

Best “Policies”

• Never use the word “policy” with patients

• Tell each patient upfront what to expect

• Always make patients believe they have won any dispute• “You never win an argument with a customer”

• Say “YES” first

• Find the solution that satisfies

How to say “YES” First…

Example: Patient calls and asks for a copy of his CL Rx.., but the assistant sees that the Rx is expired and the last exam was 1 year 6 months ago.

Response A: Say “NO” First

• “I’m sorry Mr. Smith, but there is nothing I can do. Your prescription is expired. Our policy is to not provide any lenses if you have not had an exam within one year. You’ll need to make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam and contact lens evaluation.”

Response B:Say “YES” First

• “Mr. Smith, you’re in luck! I can get you in tomorrow for a check-up, and then your prescription will be up to date. I can also offer you a free pair of lenses to hold you over if you need them.”

Patient Relationship Basics

Greeting the Patient

• Smile

• Maintain eye contact

• Address the patient by name

• Attend to the patient’s comfort

• Demonstrate you consider the patient an honored guest

• Ask each patient about any vision problems they are experiencing, any unanswered questions they have, and about the solutions they are seeking

• Listen• “There is a big difference

between listening and waiting for your turn to talk”

Patient Relationship Basics (Cont.)

During the Pre-Testing

• Briefly explain each procedural step in layman’s language• Avoid jargon, acronyms, technical terms

• Avoid rushing

• Respect the patient’s time

• Reinforce the doctor’s expertise and concern for the patient’s welfare

• If the patient has a complaint, take personal ownership

• Thank the patient for allowing us to care for their eyes

Forbidden Phrases

• It’s our policy…

• We don’t, we never, there’s no way, we’ve done all we can…

• Sorry we’re closing in five minutes, please call back tomorrow

• That offer ended yesterday

• I don’t have the time right now to check for you

• I don’t handle that, you’ll have to talk to…

• I’m just doing what I have been told to do. I’ll lose my job if I…

• You should have…

• We have no record of that

Loyalty Generating Phrases

• It’s great to see you

• I’ll be happy to

• My pleasure

• Certainly

• Thank you

How to say NO…(if you really have to)

• “In order to be fair to everyone…”

• “In order to protect your eye health…”

• “In order to provide the excellent service we stand for…”

Service Recovery

• Snafus and service disconnects are inevitable

• When service fails, the event should be turned into a positive, recovery story

• Recommended approach to service recovery

Fix the Problem Offer Something Extra

+• Offer make-up gesture

• Future discount• Gift

• Erases the negative and makes the experience positive and memorable

• Listen & apologize… “Oh, that’s horrible.”• No excuses• No delay• No referral to higher authority• Achieve total satisfaction

Our Mission Statement

Treat every customer in such a memorable

way that when the transaction is complete, the customer tells someone else how great it was

From “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless: Customer Loyalty is Priceless”

Jeffrey Gitomer, 1998