How does your office look? No – really – how does it appear to the new patient? This subject has been on my mind lately since I had a chiropractic visit on Monday. The doctor is great, the staff is fine but the office needs an image update. For so many reasons.
Reason #1 – the initial paperwork was photocopied and had serious copy machine tattoos. And it was repetitive – I’m not sure how many times I need to rate my pain on 3 sheets of paper.
Reason #2 – I was led down a hallway by a team member that didn’t say anything other than “Ms. Duncan, follow me – we’re just going to the end of the hall. Wait in here – the doctor will be right in.” No introduction, no handshake and no small talk.
Reason #3 – I was seated in the doc’s private office for the consultation. This is what I see:
- Messages for the doc with patient’s names and phone numbers
- Morning paper tossed under the desk
- Power tools in the corner (hand drill, not table saw, thankfully!)
- Journals that were years old. I saw a reference manual from 2002 – maybe the human spine hasn’t changed that much but I’d like to think he’s more current
You’re probably thinking that I am very nosy but in my defense – I was left there for about 20 minutes. And I happen to be an administrative person – I can’t help it!
It got better once the doc came in. Very nice guy that came highly recommended. He was obviously a smart guy and had a calming, confident air about him. I believed in his skill and that’s what matters to me. I had already been warned about the mumbling team member. I figured if I can understand anyone with a mouthful of cotton rolls, she would be a breeze. The warning was justified. I had to ask her to repeat herself a few times. So did the guy next to me who was also receiving heat treatment. I was face down, so she couldn’t see my annoyed confused look.
What I liked was that the waiting room had lumbar support pillows for many of the chairs. I’m going to look into those for our office. I know we’re not in the spine business but they were very comfortable and I think our patients will like them.
So the point of this post is to get you thinking about your new patient’s experience. Was your waiting room clean? Did your team members offer high-end service? Are your office forms professional looking? Did you read them once they were filled out? Ask one of your chatty patients for feedback – whether it’s positive or negative, it’s valuable.
Great post Teresa. Definitely valuable. We take that “outside look in” and evaluate all the time. No clipboards-get yourself some black “leather” portfolios, if possible:no glass slider windows to shut people out, use a treatment consult room for privacy. Fresh flowers once a week is an awesome touch! As you said, be professional, yet personable & friendly.
Ah – the infamous sliding glass window! I hate those…so impersonal. I like the idea of weekly fresh flowers!
Every so often I do a walk-through of my office and sit in every chair that a patient would sit in.
It’s the only way to make sure that the chairs are still comfortable, there are no cobwebs in the potlights, and that the dental lights are not full of dust and grime.