People are setting higher standards for the service they receive, resulting in a greater ask of you and your staff. Research shows nearly seven in 10 Americans now have higher customer service expectations if they were to use a health clinic than before.
And with patient satisfaction becoming even harder to attain, clinics will need to focus on how internal improvements can affect consumers.
Keep reading to learn how you can give patients more value each visit — and grow your practice at the same time.
Make interactions with staff their favorite part of their visit
According to the survey of 2,000 consumers, friendly staff was the number one factor of the patient experience.
In fact, more than two-thirds of consumers (68%) said friendly staff is among their top expectations, more than social distancing protocols (64%), a short wait time (63%), masked staff (61%) and quick responses (55%).
When it comes to the most important aspects of the patient experience, friendly staff was chosen by nearly nine in 10 consumers (89%), outranking quick response (86%) and even staff hygiene (85%).
And whether or not people would want to return to a clinic depends on the quality of customer service they receive (65%).
Take a cue from Dan Latham, CEO of Pulse Medical Staffing. “It’s important to me that we fulfill the needs for both my field employees and my clients,” says Dan.
As a per diem medical staffing agency, Pulse Medical Staffing takes a “fast and furious” approach to quickly offering open shifts and filling them with the right people at the right time. Having qualified staff at the right place at the right team is key to ensuring the patients’ needs are met.
“Deputy has made that easy for me in a way that when I get my clients’ needs, we can share them with our team instantly. And then it makes it easy for our clinical staff in the field to be flexible. And that's what we're all about.”
Constantly work to provide the best care
Your patients come to your clinic because they don’t expect just friendly staff — they expect good care.
Among the 2,000 survey respondents, 87% said that quality care was important to their patient satisfaction.
Communicating your safety precautions to patients is as important as implementing them properly. Patient requirement checklists, vaccination badges, and other measures can go a long way towards helping patients to breathe that sigh of relief that will help make for a successful visit.
But if your staff are distracted on manual tasks or are unengaged, that care can take a dip.
Trying to accommodate all of your patients, addressing ailments, and negotiating with insurance. It takes a toll. And if you want to keep your staff engaged, you need to address their well-being.
Luckily, there are many tools and tips to help you ensure the mental health of your staff. Start a conversation, create a culture of mindfulness, and remember that good patient care begins with good staff care.
Make visits worth the time
For these 2,000 respondents, 86% said that a quick response was important to their satisfaction as a patient.
Your patients don’t want to spend hours in the waiting room or searching for answers. To help ensure you have the right staff on hand to care for your patients, use a smart staff scheduling tool. With a scheduling tool in place, your staff can communicate changes and still provide the best coverage.
Learn from Megan Strickland of University Veterinary Hospital, who simplified their staff scheduling. “I like to see the labor projections and percentages so I can schedule appropriately without putting us too far over or too far under and I can see trends and where I need people the most.”
Long-lasting patient satisfaction
Healthcare is 24/7. Appointments pop up or get unexpectedly cancelled, safety protocols change, and insurance policies can be confusing.
And when your patients come to you, they’re looking to get the most out of their visit.
During a particularly stressful time, how you and your staff interact with patients can be the difference between growing your practice and shutting your doors. To learn more tips about how to keep your patients happy, download 3 Secrets to Improving Patient Satisfaction.
