July 2021--With growth, optimization, and ROI at the forefront of every boardroom agenda, dental leaders find themselves under immense pressure to do more with less. All in a very competitive sector where reputations and patient retention can be threatened by the click of a mouse or a keyboard tap.
Regardless of what the economy or market does – retaining your patients is a priority. It’s consistently relevant to achieve your goals for patient retention using data and technology.
And the best use of your patient-facing technology is to analyze your new patient data. Comparing your retention data with your acquisition data can reveal demographic trends and more to help you retain patients over the long haul.
Maybe it’s better to say that coming up with new and fresh ways to keep patients on the schedule isn’t as compelling as the initial acquisition.
But the statistics pack some motivation:
Sure, a well-executed dental marketing plan for 2021 and beyond will likely bring new patients in. But how consistently they schedule or how quickly they become inactive or leave must be considered in the plan.
Becoming more intentional about keeping your dental patients will naturally result in two things.
Here are a few patient retention strategies to implement.
The digital age is now. And it’s not likely to diminish.
The days of paper shuffling and asking your patients to do the same are…well…done!
Your practice(s), organization, and certainly your patients won’t tolerate the hassles.
Start with how you onboard patients.
Basic appointment information, insurance claim forms, billing data, and more can be digitized. Why?
Give patients a simple, secure way to schedule
Online scheduling and virtual access to your expertise via teledentistry are becoming the norm.
Use online “channels” to build and deepen patient relationships
Your social media savvy patients will reflexively reply, comment, and share what they find helpful to their lives (and health). You must be present online, so you’re aware when they do.
It’s easy to be all high-fives when a patient schedules. But the greater props are due when active follow-up deepens your relationship with them.
Patients trust you or they wouldn’t schedule. Their trust is sustained when you make it clear that you’re invested in their ongoing (lifetime) oral health decisions.
Patients somewhat expect to be treated efficiently. Their time in your office will confirm your team’s efficiency.
Quality customer (patient) service is an extension of your dental practice workflows. Speed is admirable, but it mustn’t be at the expense of patient satisfaction.
Patients will reward your efforts to provide a satisfying dental experience. Synch each department across your practice(s) or organization to ensure patients are consistently satisfied with your services.
Check out the following resources to gain insight into how you can improve your engagement-focused systems:
Improve Your Dental Front-Office Productivity By Maximizing Your Team and Technology
3 Tips on Optimizing your Dental Practice Operations with Software Solutions
The Jarvis Analytics platform helps assure that you’re tracking the important metrics and staying on track during your morning huddles and overall practice or DSO goals.
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