Online Scheduling: It's Time to Reinvent Your Practice
Matt Prados
| DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
There comes a time when it's very clear that, no matter how comfortable and familiar something might be, a change is needed. In the chiropractic field, when it comes to running a practice, the phrase "business as usual" will destroy the patient experience and limit the practice's success.
Online scheduling and time management are crucial for any business owner. But if your business is appointment-based, like most chiropractors, you absolutely need online scheduling, and here's why.
Patients are people ... and people are busy. Expectations have been raised. Rules have changed. And instant gratification is in high demand.
For the chiropractic industry, technology has not kept up with the growing demands of consumer expectations. As a result, the majority of patients still have to schedule their appointments by phone – leaving receptionists or office managers scrambling to play catch up. The patient experience suffers because of it.
Who wants to be on hold? What is your hold time? How do patients in office get neglected because your team is on the phone handling all the calls? There's a solution. Providing online scheduling is a simple way chiropractic practices can provide an exceptional patient experience.
Keep Up With Consumer Demand
Online scheduling is a huge differentiating factor when searching for a chiropractic practice. It's not enough to be the nearest practice to that person's area anymore. When given the choice between chiropractors with a similar experience, proximity, availability and patient satisfaction ratings, 80 percent of patients reported they'd switch providers for convenience factors alone, according to a study done by NRC Health.1
This is why technology is the key to pushing the chiropractic industry forward. Millennials, Gen Z and beyond are not only the most tech-savvy generations; they're also the most tech-dependent. Emerging generations do not know a way of life without smartphones, iPads, laptops, etc. As a result, they will choose whoever can make the booking process the fastest, simplest process for them.
People want to reserve their appointments when it's most convenient for them. In today's busy and fast-paced environment, that can often mean booking appointments after hours. Not offering online scheduling directly results in lost leads and a backlog of work to come back to in the morning.
By making it easier than ever to take charge of their health, more patients will come and keep coming back. Think about it: Do you want to call a restaurant and ask for a reservation? Or do you want to use OpenTable instead?
Create a Captivating Patient Experience
There's a reason the hospitality business has boomed in the past couple of decades. People crave experiences. The patient experience goes beyond what happens at the physical appointment. What happens before they get through the door and after they leave is just as important.
Turning the process of finding and booking a "regular old patient visit" into a patient experience that caters to the needs of the patient will create an unforgettable memory. It will leave the patient wanting more.
No one wants to sit on the phone for 20 minutes trying to schedule an appointment, much less leave a message and wait 24 hours for a returned call. No one likes to wait.
Online scheduling gets the practice staff off the phones and present in the moment. When they don't have to deal with scheduling changes, appointment reminders, paperwork, etc., they can get patients in and out as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Adapting to the changing landscape requires a shift from "business as usual." Deploying the right type of tool that facilitates the experiences modern consumers crave, like convenience, is the critical piece of the puzzle that must be solved to create the ultimate patient experience.
Increase Your Bottom Line
Why has it been so hard for chiropractic practices to keep up with technology, even when all the signs say go for it?
Every business owner has a bottom line. Far too many practices focus on reducing costs to increase their bottom line when it really comes down to two simple priorities. For a practice owner, it has to be the perfect blend of investing in patient satisfaction and the patient experience to grow their practice, which will increase their bottom line.
Eliminating back-and-forth communications and reducing wait times will create happy patients; and happy patients will refer their friends, family, etc.
Online scheduling is the fastest and simplest way to eliminate unnecessary phone calls, reduce no-shows and cancellations, and save your practice thousands, if not millions, of dollars per year, while simultaneously attracting new patients – and generating more referrals.
Additionally, I have seen drastic increases in new patients from existing online marketing efforts when online scheduling is available vs. "the request an appointment" form you've been told is online scheduling. It's not!
Practice Pearls
People are busier than ever these days. They don't have time for phone calls, and neither do chiropractic practices. It's a research-backed fact that automated appointment reminders are far more effective for getting people to show up – and show up on time.
The future of chiropractic practices lies in working hand-in-hand with technology. It's time to recognize the practice of 1991 isn't going to cut it when it comes to the growing expectations patients have in 2022 and beyond. A digital transformation will help practices reach more patients and improve the quality of life for their community by giving them the opportunity to take charge of their health.
There's no doubt that online scheduling and the patient experience will shake things up in 2022. Those willing to prioritize these two areas will give their practices a competitive advantage.
Reference
"Effortless Care Experiences." NRC Health white paper, June 2018. Read Here
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