Index Of The Blog
Tips to Connect with Your Patients and their Families
It is important to create a connection with both your patients and their families when they come visit. Creating a connection with you patients can lead to a fulfilling relationship that can last for many years to come. This will lead to increased patient loyalty, as well as more enjoyable office visits. A strong connection will make them not question that you are the best doctor for them, or the best pediatrician for their child.
Hear them Out
Every person wants to feel heard. Making sure to be an active listener can help them feel like they are a valued patient of yours. Eye contact and asking plenty of follow up questions can aid in active listening. Patients don’t like it when they don’t think their providers are taking their health concerns seriously. Don’t brush off any of their concerns and make sure to show empathy. Also make sure to listen to the families of your patients as well. Hear out your parents and help give any parenting advice they ask about.
Ask Questions
As their physician, you will obviously be asking plenty of health related questions to the patients. Make sure you set aside time to ask non-health related questions as well. Asking how work is going and how their family is doing can help to create a connection and catch you up on what is going on in their life. Knowing more personal information can give more possible causes for any health issues as well. Encourage other staff members to be friendly and interact with the patients as much as possible. Patients will be impressed when you and the staff remember personal details about them and ask for life updates.
Be a Resource
Patients are looking for someone they can trust. Make it very clear to them that you can be a resource for them for all of their health concerns. Have an area on your website with helpful links and articles for your patients. Highlight articles that you think would be extra beneficial to your patients or their parents. Make it obvious on your website how to contact the office and steps to take in case of emergencies. If you offer extra services such as telehealth or same-day appointments, make sure to highlight this on your page. This shows that you want to be helpful to them in any way you can be.
Keep In Contact
Even after they leave the office, you can make an effort to stay connected with your patients and their families. Sending appointment reminders via email or text is a good way for them to feel more connected as well as decreasing the chance for missed appointments. Emailing patients newsletters can help them feel connected to the office, as well as remind them if they haven’t made an appointment in a while. Always returning patients phone calls and messages promptly shows that you are a reliable contact.
Create a Community
Feeling like they belong to a community at the office can help lead to patient retention. Encourage patients and their families to follow your social media pages. Make sure to post frequently with links to helpful resources and office updates. Being involved in the surrounding community can help bring in more patients and make current ones proud to attend your practice. When people in the Houston area are searching for a Houston pediatrician your practice will likely come up when you have a larger presence in your community. You can do this by having staff attend local events and posting about community events on your social media.
Implementing these steps can help form long lasting relationships with patients and their families. These connections will make the check-ups more enjoyable for your patients as well as you, and will keep them coming back to your office for many years to come.
