Patient VS Consumer

So, what is more important to you, the patient or the consumer. The healer in you would like to say the patient, and in fact good work must be done there. But perhaps there is a different way to look at this so that you are able to progress forward with a different view.

While it is true that all patients are important and deserve a standard of quality service, the idea of service must extend beyond the patient. Perhaps the most clear example of this is the child who is brought to the office by Mom. The child obviously did not spend time looking through the phone book hoping to fall on your practice. It would also be my best guess that the child doesn't have their own checkbook just waiting to be depleted by the gals in the front.

The consumer is as important as the patient when considering service quality in your practice. In actuality there can be little difference between how anyone in the office is treated, from the most obnoxious patient to your favorite staff member (not that you have favorites mind you).

When considering the areas that affect a consumer's impression of the practice, it is important to realize the interrelated nature of many aspects of your office. There is not one area in the consumer's view that can be considered anything but critical to the experience.

It might even be helpful to address this topic by starting with a change in paradigm.

Many practitioners are there to treat whatever is wrong with a person. If I have an ingrown toenail and wind up in your office, your job is to fix the toenail right? If I have a badly neglected cavity on a molar, your job is to fill it with a very expensive substance and make my pain go away.

That is the common view, to fix whatever ails you. Common is not always the right view however.

Perhaps a more accurate and certainly a more consumer friendly view would be one where all staff members and other parts of the practice understand that you are really providing a dental experience to the consumer, not just fixing whatever they come in with.

We know that people make decisions on whether to be loyal to your practice based not on whether they were treated competently, but rather by the service quality. You could be the best dentist in town, but if your staff was perceived as mistreating a patient, you can chalk that person up as a kill (the one time consumer).

OK, you say you really don't need that patient anyway - its just one. Consider for a moment the full impact of that kind of thinking.

A satisfied patient is just that - a satisfied patient. They may or may not return. They will not talk bad about you, but neither will they recommend you. You fixed whatever was wrong and did not violate the basic 3 C's of consumer services in a medical office (competency, courtesy, cleanliness).

Consider what happens when the consumer has a strong emotional experience with your office - good or bad.

If you affected the consumer in a negative way, consider these statistics (1999, Baird, Customer Service in Health Care, Josey Bates):
Your kill rate is directly proportional to consumer satisfaction.
96% of unhappy medical consumers will never complain to you but will be a kill and will tell approximately 13 others about their experience.
For every one consumer that complains there are approximately 15 others who do not.
Most doctors pay between $20 and $150 for each new patient and it is 6 to 10 times more costly to attract a new patient than retain a prior patient.
This should provide proper motivation to anyone to understand the economic implications of consumer service. You and I both know that it is easier to provide a negative experience than it is to provide a positive one.

If you affect the consumer in a positive way, consider what might happen then:
Positive strong emotional experiences create consumer loyalty (2003, Disney, Be Our Guest, Disney)
Positively affected consumers will tell an average of 5 others and become a strong source of referral for life. (1999, Baird, Customer Service in Health Care, Josey Bates)
It is considerably less expensive to retain a patient than to gain a new one and referrals are cheaper than air time. (1999, Baird, Customer Service in Health Care, Josey Bates)
Staff that provide consistent positive experiences are more content in their jobs as well as more personally content. (1999, Baird, Customer Service in Health Care, Josey Bates)
Are you a believer yet? Clearly, if only from a financial aspect, it is most advantageous to provide strong positive experiences to your consumers and it is consumers that you may want to concentrate efforts on, not just patients.

Written by: Mr. Travis A Frederickson
travis@creatingchange.com

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