While the healthcare sector attracts some of the most advanced technologies in the world, the patient-facing side always feels a little behind the times. Quite rightly, medics focus on medicine, but this puts them at a disadvantage compared to rivals who also pay attention to service.
If you’re not quite sure how to improve patient service at your clinic, this post can help. We run through some short- and long-term strategies you can use to improve outcomes for everyone who comes to you for treatment.
Improve Communication
One of the best approaches is to simply improve communication. Making it more straightforward for patients to hold a dialogue with you can dramatically improve the perceived quality of your services.
For instance, you could:
- Enable more two-way communication between staff and patients using apps or chat technology
- Provide appointment information via email and SMS several times before the scheduled date and time arrives
- Use SMS to send patients follow-up reminders to return to the clinic or take their medications
Improve Recruitment
You can also boost customer service in your clinic by improving your recruitment tactics. Hiring end-to-end healthcare talent solutions instead of adopting a scatter-gun approach makes it more likely you’ll get patient-centric professionals on your team.
Remember, the people in your organization ultimately determine service quality. The more talent you have available, the better you can meet patients’ needs.
Refurbish Your Waiting Areas
Another way to radically improve patient service is to refurbish your waiting areas to make them more comfortable. Instead of copying what other clinics do, give patients the things they really want. Top of the list include free water, Wi-Fi, games for kids, and toilets.
Also, take the time to set up a system that informs patients of delays. Use overhead displays to apologize for any inconvenience and display estimated wait times.
Use Some Sort Of Feedback Mechanism
You can also improve customer service by implementing various feedback mechanisms to help you quickly learn more about what they think of your services. Try to make the service anonymous so people are more willing to come forward with genuine opinions.
If you notice a pattern, act on it. Send a notification to colleagues that you need to change your processes. Once you implement something new, inform your patients, encouraging them to return to you for more treatment.
Protect Patient Data And Privacy
Another way to improve patient service is to do a better job of protecting their data and privacy. Keeping their information confidential inspires confidence and encourages more people to join your clinic via word of mouth.
You can also be proactive in this area by explaining to patients their rights. This approach inspires trust and confidence in your service.
Implement Telehealth Services
Finally, you can get into your patients’ good books by implementing telehealth services. These allow patients to access your team remotely and can make scheduling more efficient. You can see patients one after another in a queue all while attending to them individually at pace.