CLINICAL

  OPTICAL

FOSTER MAGIC MOMENTS

CREATE AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION THROUGH EXCELLENT PATIENT EXPERIENCE

DAVE ZIEGLER, O.D.

A FAVORITE quote of mine comes from Walt Disney, and it goes like this: “People spend their money when and where they feel good.” Many people have visited Disney World, and you don’t hear many visitors complain about the price. People have rationalized the experience at Disney with the high cost necessary to deliver it.

For a patient to associate positive feelings with your practice, tap into their emotions. Encourage positive, personal interactions among consumers, staff and O.D.s. Everyone should leave your office feeling listened to, cared for and respected. So how do you put that into practice?

TREAT THEM LIKE A GUEST

Nobody does this better than Disney. When you feel like a guest, you come back often, and money is not that important.

When your patients enter the office or call, they should be welcomed warmly and sincerely. I know that sounds obvious, but stand within earshot of your front desk from time to time, and listen to what really happens up there.

Visualize a sign around the neck of every patient who walks in your door, it says: “Make me feel important.” Encourage your staff to do the same. Read those words every time you see your patients, and then say kind and genuine words to lift them up.

CONNECT EMOTIONALLY

Find ways to connect emotionally with your patients. Shake their hands, greet them with a smile and use their names several times while you’re talking with them. At every touch point, find ways to relate to their needs and wants. For example, when you discover that your presbyopic patient is experiencing eye strain and headaches on his or her computer, you can recommend task-specific computer glasses and connect emotionally with him or her by saying: “I can imagine that it must be very frustrating to end up with a headache every day after work on your computer.”

When it comes to our experiences, emotions trump everything. In practice, that may mean recognizing the fear that a patient has when his or her vision is reduced. It also may mean connecting with his or her happiness in buying new glasses. Whatever emotion he or she brings, it is incumbent on you and your staff to respond accordingly, which makes the patient feel good.

MAKE THE EXPERIENCE FUN

An eye exam can be both informative and fun; it depends on how you do it. When patients are selecting glasses, get all sorts of people involved in the buying process. For example, invite another optician to tell the consumer how great he or she looks in the top-choice frame. These types of situations result in memorable experiences. Walt Disney Co. calls these “magical moments,” and you need to look for ways to provide those to your patients. When you focus on the patient, it makes him or her feel important.

As you do business with various companies and organizations, notice what they do that makes you feel good. Talk about these with your staff, and encourage staff members to share their consumer experiences at office meetings. When you and your staff collaborate like this, everyone can work together to provide a memorable patient experience that makes people feel good. OM

DR. ZIEGLER is a senior partner at Ziegler & Leffingwell Eyecare in Milwaukee, Wisc., and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Email him at daveaziegler@gmail.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment.