All too often when we put our business hat on in private practice our focus goes to marketing, networking, promotions and other ways to bring in more new cleints. This is an important part of business for sure. It is essential that time is also put into your systems and proceedures that affect your client retention.
You only need to look at the number of case files you have and then the number of people you are seeing regularly to realise that a small increase in retention would mean a large number more active cleints over time.
So what is the best way to increase retention?
- Find out what really matters to them? What is important to them, Why are they here, why now? We call it the motivating factor. Often people are in physical or emotional pain or know they have a physiologival issue for a long period of time before they present to your office. So why now?
- Inspiration and Education. Visit by Visit education, Handouts, Physitrack,
- Systems and Procedures to make it easy for them. Online booking, Pre-booking, Progress exams,Recalls,
- Ensure they see value in what you do.
If Clients are coming back but your problem is they are only averaging 4 to 6 visits.
In most cases you are working on signs and symptoms and not really getting to the deep cause of the health concern. People what big picture answers and inspiration to what is possible and then they NEED little steps to get them there.
- You either don’t understand the time it takes to heal or you are not communicating it properly. How long does it take to heal the cause?
- You need to increase the time frame of your recommendations. You might not be sure how many visits it will take but you need to give a realistic time frame. ie.” It will take 6 to 8 weeks to get you stable but we expect you to start to feel better in the first 2 to 3 weeks.”
- Your treatment may not be effective
If your problem is long term Retention.
- It’s all about education about the role preventative and proactive treatments have in a persons lives and the lives of their families. More handout, more Socratic questioning.
- DO you use the HS written Progress exam form for a progress exam 6 to 10 visits. The PE is not to measure clinical progress entirely because this is done each visit in a way, the PR is a time to see where the patient paradigm of health is at so that you know what needs be said, given, demonstrated and re-educated so that they understand the importance of what we do.
- Inspiration. Through stories of other clients and general chit chat you need to inspire them to what is possible. Patients need to be inspired to think beyond their current symptoms and limitation to a new world of possibilities.