The intersection between health and beauty is a complex corner of the market. Reconstructive surgery patients are often seeking a procedure to help with a birth defect after a traumatic accident, and are covered by insurance. Others are electing to have surgery for cosmetic purposes and will pay cash. With two such different segments of the population seeking out your services, it can be difficult to know how to grow your business.
Thankfully, there are some simple ways to find new patients and bring them in the door for consultations. Put these ideas into practice and there’s no limit to how much your plastic surgery organization can grow!
Create – or Clean Up – Your Online Presence
There’s no way around it: our society is glued to their collective phones. Virtually every task we complete, be it grocery shopping, scheduling a babysitter, or even starting our cars can be done from our phones. It makes sense, then, that most people’s first interaction with your practice is virtual. A website is no longer a digital outpost of your business – it’s a modern storefront. Your site should reflect that paradigm shift.
If you haven’t done so already, make sure your website is mobile-friendly, up to date and easy to navigate. The content matters too; work with a writer who is well-versed in the best practices of search engine optimization, or SEO. Let them in on what you’d like to communicate to your current and prospective clients and your copywriter should be able to take it from there. These simple steps can help boost your visibility when people search for plastic surgery practices in their area. Plus, creating a useful medical blog helps establish you as a trustworthy source.
Reviews should also be addressed. Collect as many positive reviews as you can to build credibility and trust. Negative reviews don’t have to be scar on the face of your business. Instead, look at them as an opportunity to show your commitment to customer service. Respond to bad reviews with patience and grace. Apologize for their experience and offer to follow up with the reviewer privately. This can shift an awkward situation into one that shows new patients you’re open, honest and willing to hear feedback.
Increase Your Availability
Traditional business hours can be incredibly limiting for cosmetic surgery practices hoping to grow. Patients are busy during the weekdays, and by the time they get around to calling your office, your staff will have already left for the day. Those who work the night shift may have similar challenges getting ahold of a real, live person at a time that’s convenient. If you’re hoping to attract new patients, you’re going to need to increase your availability.
While hiring an administrative assistant to cover the phones 24 hours a day might not be practical, working with a live receptionist service for plastic surgeons offers you many of the same benefits. In addition to having a professional representative on hand to take calls at any time of night or day, you’ll also gain access to new segments of the market. Our bilingual receptionists can speak with callers fluently in English or Spanish. Increased accessibility means inevitable growth for your practice.
Prioritize Referrals
When it comes to building your patient base, there’s nothing quite as valuable as word of mouth. You can spend thousands on expensive marketing campaigns and not see guaranteed results. Referrals, on the other hand, can drive patients to you directly, with good odds that they’ll go through with the procedure they’re inquiring about. A positive word or two from a satisfied patient can go a long way in convincing friends and family to learn more about your offerings.
Create an incentive for those satisfied patients to share their experience with the world. A referral program can mean discounts, freebies, and gift cards – the choice is entirely yours. Regardless of how you reward patients for their referrals, it’s a good idea to have a program in place. Be sure to do your research on local laws and regulations surrounding such rewards, though. You’ll want to follow any standards to ensure your rewards are legal!
Personalize the Patient Experience
Too often, medical settings are depersonalized. In hospitals and emergency rooms, this makes sense: urgency, not customer service, is key. In the reconstructive and cosmetic surgery industry, though, you’ll want to cater to patients a bit more. No two patients have the same story, concerns or reasons for seeking you out. Embrace the individual, and you’ll leave patients raving about your practice.
Personalized care looks different for everyone, but addressing a patient by their first name and remembering details about their life is a great start. Not only will this personalization help them feel more comfortable in your office, but they’ll also become more confident in the care you provide. Connecting with each patient on an individual level can help you forge relationships and bring patients back for future visits.
HIPAA-Compliant Administrative Support for Cosmetic Surgery Practices
If you’re looking for an affordable and easy way to grow your plastic surgery practice, consider partnering with MAP Communications for HIPAA-compliant administrative support. Not only will you open up the lines of communication to new markets, but you’ll also have more free time to spend on the daily operations of your practice. Get started today with a free, week-long trial!
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