Team Work: The Key to Effective Internal Health Care Marketing
Many people believe that marketing for a health care practice is easy, because good health care is something that everybody needs. However, with so many different options out there, it can often be difficult to make your individual medical practice really stand out. This is why we teach our McCauley Marketing Services clients the vital customer service skills that they need to compete. According to an American Express survey, 78% of consumers opt out of sales transactions because they receive poor customer service. This means that even if a customer really needs a specific service (as is the case with most health care patients) they will most likely choose to go elsewhere if they are put off by their experience. Any reputable, board certified physician is going to provide the same level of basic care, so providers must differentiate themselves through internal marketing.
Internal marketing is based on the idea that customers’ attitudes toward a company are based on their entire experience with that company. In a health care context, this would mean that the patient does not measure their experience solely by whether or not they “get better,” but by how they are treated throughout their entire visit. From the time they initially call to schedule an appointment through their treatment and recovery, a patient will interact with the doctor and his or her staff numerous times. By making sure that each of those customer relationships are positive, a practice can increase the likelihood that a patient will return in the future or that they will recommend the practice to others. By working together as a team, a medical spa or health care practice can use internal marketing strategies to optimize their patients’ experience in several different ways.
Effective Management and Communication
Any successful internal marketing plan needs to start from the top, and if a doctor or practice manager wants to provide an exemplary patient experience, they need to train their staff to provide that experience. The key lies in providing clear and consistent communication. Make sure your staff knows exactly what is expected of them and that there are consistent protocols in place for handling everything from patient complaints to social media management. A disorganized workforce and inconsistent patient communication are easy ways to lose business.
Consistent and Conscientious Patient Care
The goal of internal marketing is to align every aspect of a company’s internal operations in order to ensure that every member of the staff is providing value to your customers. In a health care practice, that means that you need to pay as much attention to what happens on the initial phone consultation and in the waiting room as you do to what happens in the exam room. Unfortunately, a staff composed of trained medical professionals is often too busy to devote the necessary time and attention to patient satisfaction, but making sure that the patient is happy with their service is the best way to ensure that the patient will come back. Make sure that you incorporate a uniform customer service protocol into your everyday routines by training your medical service staff in mundane tasks, like answering phones, taking appointments, and tracking patients so that they are all on the same page.
Don’t Underestimate the Value of Following Up
Good internal health care marketing does not end when the patient leaves your office. Follow up phone calls and emails can be a great way to maintain contact and ensure that your patients think of you when they need assistance in the future. It can often be extremely beneficial to engage the services of a full time marketing company, like McCauley Marketing Services, to handle your reputation management by monitoring various on-line review sites, responding to inquiries on social media, and assisting in other staff training and communication. This will give your staff the opportunity to do what they do best while still maintaining your connection with your patients.
Marketing for a medical spa or health care practice poses many unique challenges, but the team at McCauley Marketing Services has specialized in meeting those challenges for more than twenty years. If you if you would like to learn more about what we can do to help your practice, please schedule a meeting with McCauley Marketing Services. Or, for more healthcare marketing tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.