Patient Retention Is Inextricably Linked To Employee Quality

By Geoffrey Cooling

I read an interesting article lately, To Be Customer Centric, You First Need To Be Employee Centric. The article by Shep Hyken was spot on really, it clearly set out what matters when it comes to your business success. Basically every part of your business needs to consider its actions and processes against customer impact. In this way your company can become customer focused as opposed to process focused.

I have worked for both customer focused and process focused companies in my working life. The customer focused are nearly always the most successful and the happiest. The article also put forward the concept that in order for this to occur your business also had to be employee focused. I would also tend to agree with this concept, employees need to be both happy and engaged. If this is in place, it changes the employee customer relationship.

What Does It Mean To Your Business?

These concepts have a large effect on Patient retention and referral in your Practice. You need to ensure that every part of your business is customer focused. In order to do that you need to ensure that all of your staff are customer focused. That they are willing to go that extra mile to ensure that your Patients, your customers are amazed by your service. As I have said before, satisfied customers are just not enough anymore.

What Does It Mean For Hiring?

This concept needs to be at the forefront of your mind when you are hiring. Patient retention strategies are made up of differing processes and procedures. But they are delivered by people, people are what makes your Patient retention strategy effective. Remember that when you are hiring, hire people with the right attitude. Because if you do, you won’t have to force it onto them.

With The Right People

You can then set the processes and procedures and know that they will be consistently delivered in a manner that will amaze your Patient. You can also allow freedom to react to situations within reason knowing that your employee will do the right thing. The right thing for the Patient and your business. There is nothing like being able to trust someone to use their initiative. If you can do that, you can be happy that you have in fact hired right.

When you have laid the right groundwork, with processes, procedures and most importantly people. You are set to amaze your Patients, your customers, amazed Patients will be advocates for your Practice. Not only will you retain them but they will refer other Patients to you.

Regards

Geoff