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MAKE PATIENTS FEEL GOOD

CHANNEL YOUR END-OF-YEAR EFFORTS TO BRING MORE JOY TO THE OFFICE

GINA M. WESLEY, O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O.

IN THE busyness of the end-of-year rush, instead of reveling in what I hope is boosted revenues and a full schedule, explore what you can do to make patients feel good about their eyes, their visits or their contributions to your office.

Research tells us that while our patients may not remember what we said about progressive lens technology, they will remember how we made them feel. Think about the last time you had a great customer service experience. More likely, you recall how you felt at that time. Let’s channel our patients’ limbic system, the part of the brain that gives us those “gut” feelings, and make the end of the year a feel-good moment. Consider the following suggestions.

DONATE IN THE PATIENT’S NAME

Donate to a great cause in your patient’s name. This doesn’t mean you first coerce your patient to buy more or do more. I’m suggesting you donate to the charity of your practice’s choice, but in your patient’s names.

For instance, you can select a patient each day in December. Upon check-out, tell the patient you will donate (e.g., $25,) in his or her name toward (said) charity. Briefly explain why you’ve chosen that charity. Explain that, as that day’s patient, the patient is under no financial obligation — the donation will be made regardless. Then, simply follow with, “Is this all right with you?”

You might even consider selecting two patients a day: one for the morning and one for the afternoon.

GIVE FLOWERS OR FOOD

Have you ever been surprised by receiving flowers for no reason at all? Or, have you happened upon some delicious free food just when you were famished? Let’s put a little fun back in our days! Arrange for a local shop to deliver a bunch of flowers each week. Place them at your front desk, and ask a different staff member each week to pick the patient who gets to go home, or back to work, with the bouquet. If the patient is a guy who balks at the idea, suggest he give the flowers to someone else, such as his significant other.

If you are having a great week, reward the staff with pizzas, and set out a pie for patients to dig into, if they wish.

These two easy, fairly cost-efficient ideas will bring a smile to your staff’s and patients’ days.

PAY COMPLIMENTS

Challenge your staff to compliment three patients each day. This simple, free act makes patients feel special. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top — compliment them on appearance, or a particular piece of jewelry. Tell a weary mom that you appreciated how well her children behaved in the office. Share with a young child that he made you smile today. These easy, small comments can really make someone’s day or bring him out of a funk. There’s certainly nothing lost by being kind.

A WIN-WIN

I guarantee that making your patients feel good will, in turn, make you feel good as well. If we focus on bringing more joy to each and every patient experience, don’t we all win? OM

DR. WESLEY, practices at Complete Eye Care of Medina, a Vision Source practice, which she opened in 2008. She was honored as Minnesota’s Optometrist of the Year in 2011. Email drwesley@cecofmedina.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.