As dentists, our lifeblood is ensuring a perpetual patient base. How do we harness the power of online communication to drive both business volume and value?
Patient relationships are built on ongoing communication. This is often referred to as one-to-one or relationship marketing. As Arthur C. Sturm, Jr, author of The New Rules of Healthcare Marketing, said, Nothing is more “relationshippy” than healthcare maximize it! Utilizing new online tools can help strengthen the relationship between you and your patients, resulting in tangible benefits across your entire practice.
Online communications systems are a new and useful tool to enhance patient relationships. They integrate seamlessly with your existing practice management software and provide a link between you and your patients. Leveraging this technology can help you attract new patients, retain existing patients, reactivate lost patients, reduce no-shows, and measure patient satisfaction. An online system will demonstrate its worth by measuring results automatically and calculating your return on investment.
FROM DEALERSHIP TO DENTISTRY TAKING A TIP FROM THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD
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Illustration by Nathan Zak
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Strange as it may seem, the dental community can learn much from the automotive industry about relationship marketing, ie, communicating with clients to increase customer satisfaction. A 30,000-mile check-up is not so different from a 6-month hygiene check (in terms of communication).
According to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, each year $60 billion in unperformed maintenance is lost. Ready to venture a guess on what this figure might look like for dentistry? Current estimates suggest $20 billion in unperformed dentistry each year. So how can you as a practitioner tap into this unmet need and potential revenue?
The automotive industry found the solution in online communication systems from companies like Demandforce (demandforce.com). Demandforce provides integrated online technology that enables automotive repair facilities to communicate more effectively the right message to the right customer at the right time. This technology is now being applied to the dental market to enable practices that use it to communicate more effectively with their patients, leading to improved patient satisfaction. The results show that more satisfied patients will gladly refer their friends, come in more frequently, show up for their appointments, and provide valuable feedback to the practice. (Note: This article describes actual results from several dental practices who have used the services of Demandforce. Other companies that provide online communication services include UAppoint [uappoint.com] and Smile Reminder [smilereminder.com]).
How can an integrated online patient communication system help your practice?
ATTRACT NEW PATIENTS
Service industries, regardless of how sophisticated their marketing, still generate most customers through word of mouth. Regular communication increases satisfaction, and satisfied patients will readily refer friends and family-if asked. An online patient communication system makes it easy to ask for referrals and automatically tracks the referrer, who is referred, and even revenue generated by that referral. You can thank the patient in a timely manner and quickly follow up to increase the likelihood that the referral becomes a new patient.
“Asking for referrals is something a lot of doctors aren’t comfortable with”, says Matthew Keyser, DDS, San Francisco, Calif. “The (online communication) system works on a couple of levels without us even moving a muscle. Referrals are solicited automatically, and when a referral is made, information is sent out about the practice. At their own discretion, people can decide whether to look into the practice and request an appointment. People may miss their phone calls, but they rarely miss an email.”
New-Patient Results Dr. Keyser
Demandforce deployed: 18 months
New-patient referrals: 113
New-patient visits: 50
Direct revenue from new-patient visits: $20,000
Overall revenue generated by Demandforce: $47,133
RETAIN EXISTING PATIENTS
It is far easier, and much less expensive, to retain patients than to attract new ones. Some estimates are that it costs 10 times more to gain a customer than to retain one. To keep our patients with us, and keep them happy, we need to satisfy their needs with exceptional dentistry, and then “Wow” them with phenomenal service.
Most practices provide hygiene reminder cards as a courtesy to their patients, a time-consuming endeavor that requires the office to run reports, label postcards, add postage (already higher than last year), and make a mail drop. Online systems automatically send continuing care e-mails to patients overdue to be seen and make it easy for them to request an appointment. Statistics show that 65% of people who request an appointment on-line do so after normal business hours. Online communication accommodates patients needs and lifestyles, and helps free up phone lines in the office; some practices report as much as a 35% reduction in confirmation calls. Staff can spend more personalized time with patients during their visit, with fewer distractions.
“I had been looking for a tactful solution to help improve patient communication, says Paul Huddleston, DDS, of Seattle. The recare reminders and appointment confirmations keep our calendar filled, and our patients feel we care and are attentive. The beauty of it is it’s all automated.”
Retention Results Dr. Huddleston
Demandforce deployed: 9 months
Active patient visits through
continuing care reminders: 58
Direct income from continuing care reminder visits: $14,307
Overall revenue generated by Demandforce: $42,000
REACTIVATE LOST PATIENTS
Online programs can generate friendly reminders to patients who haven’t been seen in the practice for 12 or 18 months. They also offer the option to provide a tailored incentive program to motivate patients to appoint. This feature has proven enormously effective in recapturing lost patients.
“It’s helpful with those who’ve slipped through the cracks,” says Paul Gibberman, DDS, of Alexandria, Va. “It’s a nice way, without being overly intrusive, to interact with patients who may not remember us very well, and it gets them back into the practice.”
Reactivation Results Dr. Gibberman
Demandforce deployed: 5 months
Lost patients reactivation visits: 21
Lost patient visit revenue: $6,820
Overall revenue generated by Demandforce: $34,276
REDUCE NO-SHOWS
Online reminders are proven to reduce no-shows; half of all missed appointments were simply forgotten. And any time a commitment is made in writing, even with a click of a button, it is more likely to be honored.
“We gave up on confirmation calls. Patients weren’t responding,” says Wendy Shultz Spektor, DDS, of Seattle. “E-mail confirmations are the only way to reach todays busy professionals. And they love being able to request appointments online.”
No-Show Reduction/Appointment Generation Dr. Spektor
Demandforce deployed: 9 months
Online confirmations per month: 260
Online confirmation rate: 60%
Overall revenue generated by Demandforce: $63,213
(Demandforce generated an unprecedented 37 online patient appointments in the first 4 days.)
MEASURE PATIENT SATISFACTION
Today, online systems, smoothly integrated with the practice management system, can send patients a thank-you e-mail immediately following their visit to let them know they are appreciated. Included with the thank-you e-mail is an online patient satisfaction survey. Approximately 20% to 25% of patients complete the survey. When the patient responds, results are sent instantaneously and alert the practice to any low scores. This opens the door to provide a turnaround for any patient who had a less-than-ideal experience in the office. Research shows that dissatisfied patients whose issues are resolved develop greater loyalty and are more likely to refer than those who were initially satisfied. Used judiciously, survey results can help practices pinpoint and shore up weak areas, and provide very specific praise and reward for superior effort.
“Our staff loves seeing the satisfaction surveys,” says Lynne Herring, office manager for Barry Mulick and Associates in Seattle. “When we get a low score not often, but it happens I call. Patients always thank me and are impressed that we take the time to read them and respond.”
Patient Satisfaction Results Barry Mulick and Associates
Demandforce deployed: 12 months
Patient surveys completed: 682
Average patient satisfaction score for the year: 96.72%
(In November, the practice experienced an unprecedented 99.08% satisfaction rate.)
MEASURE PROGRAM RESULTS
With an online system, you have your finger on the pulse of your practice. Statistics are tracked and available to you on a real-time basis, all without running a single report. Online systems offer data points throughout the patients experience with the office. They can track each communication, when it was sent, whether and when it was read, whether and when the patient presented at the practice after reading the communication, how much revenue was generated, and how satisfied the patient was with the office experience.
Any program a practice embraces must be consistently and accurately tracked so return on investment is clearly understood and measured. Only then can a practice evaluate whether continued investment is worthwhile. Some online systems are so confident in their ability to deliver results, they even guarantee a return on your investment or the next month is free.
“Since implementing the system, we’ve seen an amazing improvement in our work flow,” says Cynthia Brattesani, DDS, of San Francisco. “I’ve made my production numbers every month since I started using the system. And my patients love it. It shows them we really care.”
Overall Measurement Dr. Brattesani
Demandforce deployed: 9 months
New patient referrals: 68
New patient visits: 22
Completed patient satisfaction surveys: 332
Percentage of patients utilizing the online system: 90%
Hygiene down time (no-show rate/cancellation and reschedule): reduced from 9% to 4%
Overall revenue generated by Demandforce: $30,217
CONCLUSION
Your practice management system contains a wealth of valuable data. An online system can help you extract that information and use it to make powerful, personal connections that improve your practice results and provide a higher quality experience for your patients.
Note: All income figures represent actual revenue generated, not billed charges.
Dr. Lavine practiced periodontics and implant dentistry for more than 10 years, and is an A+ certified computer repair technician as well as Network certified. He is the president of Dental Technology Consultants, a company that assists dentists in all phases of technology integration in the dental practice. He can be reached at drlavine@thedigitaldentist.com, (866) 204-3398, or by visiting his Web site at thedigitaldentist.com or his technology blog at thedigitaldentist.blogspot.com/.
