Audiologists: Maximize Your Patient and Referral Source Satisfaction or Get Trampled by Your Competitors

for audiologists

Perhaps you think the economy will soon get better, so there is no long-term concern over your shrinking bottom line. Wake up! Those who are really in-the-know understand the economy is going to continue to slide. Thus, no matter what marketing actions you take, if your patient satisfaction is not as good as your competitor's, you better do something about it now because people are going to scrutinize you more than ever before they'll give up their precious dollars.

Now, more than ever, you must regularly conduct patient satisfaction surveys to ensure patient contentment is high, and patients continually rave about you to your referral sources. It is vital that you analyze the results of your questionnaires, fix every problem patients express, and contact all patients who are dissatisfied, salvage them and make them happy.

Here are some important points for you to know and apply.

When to Survey Your Patients

All patients should receive a satisfaction survey at the conclusion of their services. For hearing aid buyers, could mean when they leave the office with their new instruments, or when they return for a follow up, if your policy is for patients to return soon after receiving their products. Ask patients to complete your questionnaire in your office prior to leaving your office. You can place a box in the reception area and give patients the decision to remain anonymous, if they so choose. Typically, about 2/3 of patients who complete these surveys will provide their names.

The main reason why patients should complete the survey prior to leaving the office is that patients rarely respond once you allow them to take the form home. In addtion, allowing patients to mail back completed questionnairs adds bias to the findings, as you don't know why those who do not respond choose not to.

If you do not get patients to complete the questionnaire prior to leaving your office, the only alternative you have is to call your patients. You can either delegate this task to your front office staff or hire a reputable telemarketing company. The question is whether you want to absord the added expense, especially when having patients complete the form in your office is so easy.

Follow Up

It is vital to follow up with patients who complete questionnaires. Those who are satisfied should receive a thank you letter. Patients who were not should be contacted by phone to better understand their issues. Your staff then needs to do whatever possible to resolve any dissatisfaction when their discontent is rational.

As the owner of your practice, you should take completed surveys seriously. If your survey results are consistently high, providing the results to potential referral sources makes for a powerful tool.

Keeping Your Referral Sources Happy

YOU SHOULD ALSO CONDUCT SATISFACTION SURVEYS ON YOUR REFERRAL SOURCES. We recommend doing this twice a year. Their survey responses can allow you to solve problems before they result in losing referrals. Conducting these surveys also indicate your practice is concerned and can thus help solidify existing relationships.

You should also measure the quantity of referrals received from each source on a monthly basis. When a practice's referrals drop, take action. What initiatives you choose depend on your relationship with that referral source. It could mean taking their office manager to lunch, meeting with the doctor to discuss any issues, sending the office staff or the doctor a nice thank you gift, buying their staff lunch as a thank you, etc.

Take Action Now

You can no longer afford to have anything less than a flawless reputation. If you ensure your status becomes and remains impeccable, you can launch marketing campaigns targeting physicians and prospective patients that will blow your competitors away. As the economy worsens, this could make the difference between flourishing and bankruptcy. Do it now. If you need help, contact us.

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E-mail: info@marketingstrategy.com

Article written by Marc Aronson. Copyright © 2012, Business Builders. All rights reserved. No portion of this report may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means (including e-mail or fax), without written permission from Business Builders.