Just as the oxygen that flows through our body, attached to the haemoglobin in our red blood cells, keeps us alive, it is a constant flow of returning patients that keeps your practice alive.
Research by Fred Reichheld from Bain and Co have shown that a 5% increase in retention of patients leads to a 75% increase in profit.
Here are my top ten ways to improve your recall procedure
1. Pre-book your recalls Your patients are much more likely to remain loyal to you and return for their examinations if they have show a commitment, and the strongest commitment they can make is to pre book their examination. Without an appointment already booked they are more likely to be seduced by the marketing from other local practices.
2. Collect accurate patient contact details. Some patients may not schedule their appointments or not rebook at the time of a cancellation or in a few cases just fail to attend, in these instances you will want to contact them, ensure that you have all their contact details necessary such as personal and mobile telephone numbers, personal and work e mails, and home address. Your patient’s circumstances may change between appointments so ensure you have a robust procedure for ensuring the patients contact details are accurate and up to date. I was an associate in a practice that was owned by a delightful gentleman who felt it was rude to ask for patients telephone numbers, unfortunately he dropped dead very suddenly and our reception team were unable to contact patients to let them know and rearrange appointments, patients were then attending their patients as normal only to be told their normal dentist had died and they would be seen by a locum, as you can expect, the receptionist had to deal with a lot of angry, sad and distressed patients. As time went by and the word spread the receptionists were then besieged by angry patients who felt they should have been contacted by the practice, only we couldn’t because we didn’t have their details.
3. Have a sheriff and a deputy This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. The point of this little ditty is that for you to have peace of mind that your recalls are being done accurately and on time, the task must be allocated to one person who has overall responsibility and they must know and understand that it is their role. Holidays and sickness happen, so it is best practice to allocate a deputy to step in when the sheriff is not there, ensuring your book stays full.
4. Schedule the time. “You will not find the time you must prioritise the time” In many practices, recalls are sent out erratically or when to books are filled with white spaces, this reactive approach to recalls has a very damaging effect on your cash flow. Whether you are designing your ideal recall protocol or implementing it, you must schedule to time in a management diary to guarantee that your recalls are sent out as regular as clockwork. I would also encourage you to block out specific times in your appointment books to use for examinations only.
5. Make it compelling for your patients to attend. When your patients attend for their routine examination, it may not be a joyful experience, they may feel guilty that they have not been flossing, they may be frustrated that they have the expense of dental treatment at a time they have other demands on their cash flow, and dentists often compound these feeling by telling their patients off. Is it any wonder that they are sometimes reluctant to attend. What our patients don’t know and what we as professionals are often cautious about sharing are the incredible benefits to their health and well-being that regular dental examinations afford. What would it be like if in your recall letter you shared details of all the 32 points* of your routine examinations and how it may just save your patients life.
6. Make it easy for your patients to book their appointments. Your patients will only book their appointments if the value and benefit of the visit is greater than the obstacles to attending. What you and your team could do is discuss what all the possible obstacles could be for a patient booking an appointment and work out how you can eliminate them, to make it easy for them to book an appointment. A common obstacle is only being able to call at lunchtime or after hours because of their work restrictions and then reaching an answerphone. Have you considered staggered lunch breaks so your reception can be accessed throughout the day, telephone answering services or online booking?
7. Create a system Is your recall protocol chaotic that is done differently depending who is implementing it? Does your recall system allow patients to leave your practice easily or does it actively retain them? I was approached by a dentist who in desperation pleaded with me “ Jane you have to help me my appointment book is empty.” I asked him to tell me what his recall protocol was and he said “we send a letter when they are due for their six month examination.” To which I replied “And then what?” His answer “Nothing.”
It was no wonder that his book was empty. Your patients will think of you as their dentist even if you have not seen them for five years or more, when do you stop treating your patients as if they belong to your practice? I would encourage you to have a robust recall system that reminds your patients about attending for regular examinations, before their recall is due, at their recall date, 1 month, 3 month, 6 months 9 months, 12 month, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months and even 48 or 60 months after their recall was due. What difference would it make to your appointment book, your cash-flow and more importantly your patients dental health that you assumed they were and treated them as if they were a patient that belonged to you unless or until they told you differently?
8. Make sure your recall dates are accurate. In my practice I had a situation that I noticed that my appointment book was getting thin, and my manager was noticing that the recall numbers were dwindling. When we investigated, we noticed that we had a very efficient team member who was moving on recall dates and not understanding the implications of what she was doing. Whether you recall from exam date or end of a course of treatment, that is for you to decide, and ensure that you ensure that they are accurate and only get moved on when your protocol says they should, this will ensure that you can follow up and write customised letters depending on how overdue you patient is. Only clear a recall date if you are certain that you are choosing to archive the patient and you are actively removing them from your database.
9. Send messages in multiple formats Your patients lead busy lives and they probably have many ways you can contact them, some of which they respond to more effectively than others. You will want to use a blended approach, that uses a combination of telephone, text, e mail and letter and possibly facebook or other forms of social media. Each has their advantages and disadvantages and different price point. Email is cheap however it may be lost in spam or deleted without being read, text is inexpensive and conveys very little information, post is expensive and has the advantage that you can make the stamp work very hard for you using piggy back marketing
10. Make your patients feel welcome Many studies have shown that the most common reason for your patients to desert you and join another practice is the perceived indifference they receive from you and your team. So when your patient does return for their regular examination, be genuinely delighted to see tam again and make them feel welcome. Remember without them returning and paying your bills neither you nor your team will have any wages.
• For more details of The unique 32 point lifesaving examination, call me on 07989757 884 or e mail Jane@IODB.co.uk
If you would like more advise on how to create a robust profitable recall system or improve other aspects of your practice because I can help you find
More patients
More money
More time
A more reliable team
A better quality of life
Rapid and sustainable results.
E mail me Jane@IODB.co.uk or call 07989 757 884
I look forward to hearing from you
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