So far this month, we’ve talked about how Profession, Patients, and People give our patients a reason to come back to our practices. Next, let’s dive into Shareef Mahdavi’s fourth driver: Place.
The environment you create and the experience guided by your staff have the greatest impact on what happens for your patients in your practice. Do you run an efficient practice? Have you streamlined paperwork and processes to take as little time as possible? Time is the new currency. The more you respect your patients' time, the more loyal they will be to your practice.
Further, what does your place feel like? Is it clean and tidy? Is the carpet stained? Do the walls need a fresh coat of paint? How are patients greeted? Do you still call that front area of your office the “waiting room”? Are the chairs comfortable? Do you offer refreshments? I challenge you to walk through each room in your place and ask these questions:
- What do I see?
- What do I hear?
- What do I smell?
- What do I touch?
Here are a few examples of how you can transform your practice by engaging your senses:
- In my practice, we were inspired by Ritz-Carlton, which has a proprietary scent. While avoiding any potential allergens, we experimented with essential oil diffusers to create the smell of a relaxing spa.
- There is a great little boutique near where I live. All my staff members have mentioned how tense they feel in that space because there is no background music, and they need to whisper as they shop because the space is too quiet. Does your space have this issue?
And what happens when we fail? Because we will. Hopefully, it's not often, but do we allow our staff to "make it right" quickly? Are there barriers to fixing problems, such as needing to talk to at least one other person before they can act?
Ritz-Carlton gives every employee a $5,000 allowance to make a problem right or create a “wow” moment for each guest. In my practice, we were having issues with a lab and the amount of prism needed in a patient's glasses. Finally, taking another page from Ritz-Carlton’s playbook, I told my staff, "Just make it right. Whatever you must do. Even if we have to switch to a different lab."
What if, like Ritz-Carlton, you gave every staff member (not just managers or team leads) the ability to make a “wow” moment? Not only will your patients be happy and loyal because you helped them solve a problem, but you also give your staff members the opportunity to be exceptional.
Next week in our final installment of this series, we’ll review the last two pillars of customer loyalty: Promotion and Price.
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