Just before Thanksgiving last year, I decided it was that time again when I should go in for my regular injectable treatment. I called my local medical spa, conveniently located nearby, and asked to schedule an appointment. I was delighted to know that I could come in as early as THAT DAY. Consequently, I booked an appointment for lunchtime and headed out.
As I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted by two smiling faces who thanked me for coming in. I waited less than two minutes before the nurse came out to lead me into a treatment room. As she was new to me (not to the practice), she told me a bit about her background with the medical spa and asked me exactly what I wanted to achieve with my treatment.
After sharing a laundry list of ‘improvements’ I wanted, she then gave me options as to how I could achieve that look. This is where I was really taken aback. As there are only a limited number of neuromodulators on the market, many practices will offer one that their injectors prefer and mention only that one to each patient (i.e. the patient walks in and for the most part, knows exactly what they’re getting). During my consultation, she went over all of the different types of products I could use and the benefits from each of them. Although their results are often fairly similar I thought this was a unique touch to the service she provided.
Finally, she performed the treatment and walked me downstairs to check out. Once again, I was greeted with shining faces at the front desk. They asked me about if I was enrolled in a loyalty program and helped me to sign up so I could receive a savings for the treatment I had just received.
Only a few days later, I received a call from the practice asking how my treatment went and if I was satisfied with the results or had any complications. The follow through was excellent!
A week after that, I received a complimentary $25 gift card in the mail thanking me for coming in and rewarding me for my loyalty.
Although a quick & simple treatment, my entire experience was exceptional enough for me to decide to return to that medspa for all of my future treatments.
My advice to all aesthetic medical practices would be to follow 5 simple steps (reflecting service from the medical spa above):
- Have flexible hours and work with the patient’s schedule—the more opportunities you give a patient to see you, the more likelihood they’ll book an appointment
- Smile like it’s going out of business—this sounds banal, but would you rather spend your money at a practice where nobody seems happy to see you…or just the opposite?
- Don’t make them wait—the shorter the wait time, the happier the patient (especially when they have a scheduled appointment)
- Ask questions and share information—get to know the patient and let them get to know you. The more you/they know, the stronger your relationship will be (and this will keep them coming back).
- Post-Treatment Follow Up—this starts at the front desk and continues until that patient books another appointment with you. Do everything in your power to get them back: help them save money on each treatment through loyalty programs, thank them for their business during a follow up call, and send them a reminder (or a gift card) to keep your practice front-of-mind. The next time they think treatment, they’ll think about you.
Service like this is the key to retaining a long-term and LOYAL patient base.
Jamie Parrott, President
