Tips Of All Sorts

A couple of years ago we noticed that although we’d had a great year as far as new patients were concerned, our return visits seemed to have flattened out. Patients seemed pleased with the service, success rates were high, but it still felt like we were gaining new patients but not growing.

The problem, of course, was in the scheduling.

If your office is reasonably busy, a great booking strategy can increase your profitability almost overnight. If you’re not-so-busy, there’s good news here as well: Effective booking drives return visits like nothing else.

Here’s how we worked with our staff to create a more effective appointment strategy.

Strike While The Iron’s Hot
There will never be a better time to book the patient in question than right now. Whether they’re on the phone, or standing at your front desk, do it now. The patient who doesn’t book now is going to come back fewer times. Or never. It’s that simple.

Tell, Don’t Ask
You need to approach booking from a place of confidence. Adopt the attitude of assuming patients will book/rebook. Why? because your inner confidence is reflected in how you speak, in subtle ways that shift the likelihood of success.

• Wrong: “Did you want to schedule a follow up?”
• Right: “Let’s schedule your follow up.”

Small difference in words. Big difference in outcome.

Leverage Our Love of Routine
Humans tend to be creatures of habit. We like consistency. Giving your patients recurring appointments in the same time slot makes it easy for them, and gives them a sense of ownership in the process.

• Wrong: “When would you like to come back?”
• Right: “If this time slot is convenient, I can get you in at the same time on Wednesday at 10:30.”

If you can’t offer the same time, offer the same time of day: “We can get you in again on Wednesday morning next week.”

Narrow the Options
While you’re at it, consider offering just two options for any appointment. It’s easier for everyone. There’s some surprising research that shows that people buy more when their choices are not overwhelming.

• Wrong: “What day is good for you?”
• Right: “We have an opening on Wednesday at 10:30 again, or Thursday at 2:15.”

Don’t Create Islands
When you’re offering up those two time slots, pick them carefully. Cluster your appointments back to back. You’ll work more effectively than if you schedule appointments haphazardly over the day, and you won’t end up with tiny windows that people who might need longer appointments, like new patients, can’t fit into. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a day full of holes, but not being able to see a new patient.

Create Scarcity
Many people (like me) don’t want to book a follow up if it’s too far in the future. Others just don’t want to commit ever. What gets me every time is the idea that if I don’t book, I might not get an appointment.

• Wrong: “Okay. Call us in three months.”
• Right: “The schedule tends to fill up quickly. We should book it now so that we can be sure to get you in.”

Remind People
I also don’t like to book too far out because I’m afraid I’ll forget. Reassure your patients by giving them an appointment card, and by telling them you’ll call a few days before the appointment to remind them.

Step On a Crack
We also have a monthly protocol for catching those stray patients that might fall through the cracks. Every month, we print a list of every patient whose birthday is in that month. That report shows the patient’s status (active, inactive, etc.) and when their next appointment is. Every active patient who doesn’t have a next appointment is examined to make sure we haven’t lost someone along the way.

If you know the annual value of a patient, it’s not hard to see that the few minutes it takes to scan through a few pages of names is well worth the time.

Protect the Schedule
All your best scheduling efforts are in vain if your patients don’t respect their appointments. Read our master list of tips for reducing no-shows, cancellations, and reschedules so that your booking strategy pays off.

Implementing most of these strategies is as simple as educating your staff. This list is essentially the blueprint that we used to write up a short booking policy for our front-line people. Use it if you find it helpful. What works even better is to use this list as a starting point for discussion - have your staff read it over, and then discuss any additional ideas and adjustments they might have.

Then, of course, let us all know in the comments!

Related posts:

1. No “Islands” – A Patient Booking Strategy for Your Alternative Health Practice
2. Reducing Cancellations and Reschedules
3. How to Reduce Cancellations, Reschedules and No-Shows: Our Strategy
4. Avoiding the Pitfalls of Advance Patient Scheduling
5. Charging for Missed Appointments

Last Modified : April 8th, 2008
Filed under : Uncategorized
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