1. Keeping up an Immaculate Presentation of the Office
The office should always have an immaculate presentation whenever a new patient or a recurring patient comes to visit. Think as if your family in law were coming to your house to stay the weekend, what would you do? How would you arrange the place? The plants? The front desk? The presentation of the office should be warm, comfortable, and inviting. The presentation of the office on a day to day basis is going to make your chiropractic office that much more memorable to all of your new and recurring patients. Don't slack off when it comes to presentation. Consider hiring an interior decorator or a feng shui expert for a 2 hour consultation one day to show you how you can improve the appearance of your office. It will make all the difference.
2. Complete Focus and "Presence" with All Patients
Alongside your office's presentation comes your CA's presence and how they relate to the patients…new and recurring. What I mean by this is that every time a patient comes to visit the office, your CA should give 100% of their focus, time, and "presence" to that patient. If they are on the phone, they should acknowledge that patient letting them know they have seen them and will be with them shortly. If they are texting, or on the computer, they should immediately stop what they are doing and give 100% of their focus to that patient. What does it take to impress and acknowledge a patient? Oe minute. That's one minute per patient per day that helps show them you are the chiropractic office they SHOULD continue with. The CA should be treating the recurring patients with just as much, if not more, attention, kindness, and presence, as they would any new patient or prospective patient.
3. Building Long Term "PROFESSIONAL" Relationships with the Focus of the Patient in Mind
This is something to be very cautious with. When done correctly, you can have repeat long term patients for a long time to come. When done incorrectly, your patients could leave your office forever, without a second look back. We have to remember, patients don't come to a chiropractor's office to make friends, they come to get their pain and problems fixed. So the type of relationship you build with your patients should be a 95% professional, and no more than 5% personal one. It is ok to talk about "light" personal topics with the patients such as local events, sports, and activities that THE PATIENT is interested in, but pouring out your weekend club hopping extravaganza with patients, is a huge no-no. Also talking about personal problems, life situations, and "drama talk" will only push your patients further away. The best way to build a long term professional relationship with your patients that keeps them coming back to your chiropractic office month after month, is to learn a few topics that the patient likes to talk about, and let them talk to you about those topics, while you listen and converse back with them on a professional level. Do this correctly, and your patients could keep coming back to you again and again, feeling good about referring your practice to their friends and family.
The majority of successful businesses put a great deal of time, attention and resources into the recruitment process. These organizations realize that the key to building and maintaining a profitable business is highly competent, efficient, and focused staff. In order to create a harmonious, productive, and efficient workforce however, you must consider more than just which individuals are to constitute the staff. There are a number of factors which have a direct influence upon productivity and general workforce positivity which are easily addressed.
The Office
It is absolutely imperative that your office promotes productivity. This means that it must not only be equipped with fully functioning, up-to-date equipment to facilitate the performance of all tasks required but also be a pleasant environment in which to be based. Although the aesthetics may not necessarily have a direct impact upon profits, they will have a serious bearing upon employee satisfaction. Natural light is a bonus and can go a long way towards minimizing instances of depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Equally important is that the furniture you choose ensures that employees are comfortable and all health and safety stipulations are adhered to. If space is at a premium it is advisable to consider office furniture which is tailored to such environments in order to prevent the office space from being cramped or cluttered.
Managerial Prowess
Discrimination on any basis is now subject to government legislation that does not, however, mean that it is not still something which occurs in poorly organized businesses. Fair treatment of all staff is imperative to the development of a healthy 'team' ethos amongst staff. A solid managerial structure is crucial to harmony amongst all employees as well, ensuring that each individual is not only treated as an individual but also pushed to achieve their maximum potential.
Motivation
A well motivated workforce is a focused workforce. Praise and reward can make a world of difference to productivity and efficiency, even if the rewards are just token gestures for good work or hitting a target. Any form of motivation is likely to elicit positive results. A performance based bonus program is an effective way to motivate staff. For more information on implementing such a program, contact Dr. Gay or visit our online members’ site.
These factors amongst others are at the foundation of any successful business and allow for growth and internal career development by nurturing the interests and strengths of all employees. By motivating staff such that they share their aims with the organization as a whole, the chances of all-round success are greatly improved.
In this tip of the week I will share with you how to effectively use your time to market your practice on Facebook to local residents in your area, without getting sidetracked by all of the flashy objects and distractions.
Step 1. Be productive, not distracted.
Many Doctors spend hours upon hours on Facebook answering questions, checking out flashy objects, and wasting time. Facebook is designed to be distracting so more people will spend more time on their site, but in the end, all of the flashy time wasting objects can actually hurt your practice. So understanding what's productive, verses distractive, will help you take the first step to utilizing Facebook in a way that will help you generate more brand exposure and potentially pull in more new patients.
Step 2. Setup your business page for your practice, and don't mix business with personal.
Not everyone knows that Facebook allows you to have a personal profile and a separate business page. In your personal profile, you can talk about personal things like vacations, ideals, and events, but try not to get too personal. You have to remember that your prospective patients, and current patients, will see your personal profile along with your business page, and if you are talking about personal issues that in no way bring value to your prospective patients, then the overall perception of you as a Doctor could be diminished. Keep it light, and focus on adding value. You can setup your business page by going to Facebook.com, and then clicking the small blue link at the bottom that says "Pages." In your business page you want to input as much information about your practice as possible, and offer a subscription to your newsletter or an attractive offer to entice your prospective clients to come into your office and meet you and your staff.
Step 3. Market your business page, not your personal profile
The goal of the business page is to get prospective patients in your local area to go to your page and click the "like" button. The more people who click the "like" button, means the more opportunity you have to spread your message about your practice further out into the community. One way to get people to click your "like" button is to offer them something valuable for clicking the "like" button, and then market your business page on Facebook using the Facebook Ads, which can be found at Facebook.com, and then clicking the "Advertising" button at the bottom of the page. With Facebook Ads you can geo-target your ads to a specific city so you know you are investing your marketing budget in your local area.
Remember, Facebook can be distracting and take you away from what you should be doing to help more patients. The good ol' speaking engagement or patient orientation class will produce more results in a shorter period of time, than a facebook campaign will, but if you spend a maximum of 10 minutes per day on Facebook, you can build up your brand and web presence over time, ultimately reaching out and potentially helping more new patients get better through chiropractic care.
Ten Time-Management Tips for Chiropractors
Chiropractors often complain that they are "working longer hours and making less money," "needing more time off" and feeling "tired and pressured" as they run between their responsibilities at home and the office. Improved time management can help, but many of us are at a loss as to where to start. Although it is rare for a single time-management strategy to work for everyone, chiropractors who are willing to dedicate time and money to changing their work habits often end up feeling happier and more satisfied with their work. Here are 10 time-management tips that most chiropractors will find practical and easy to introduce into their daily lives.
"Papers left in your in-box for too long will seem to mate and have babies."
1. Get Help
Meet with your staff about the problem. Set up a mutually convenient, paid, 3-hour-long uninterrupted (redirect phones) Saturday meeting. Brainstorm about all the ways that time is wasted in your office, both in their jobs and yours. Come up with strategies that might reduce these inefficiencies. By the end of the meeting set some goals (e.g., to allow more of your daily appointments to be reserved for same-day urgent visits) and set a fixed date (often 3 months is long enough) to attain them.
2. Use a Master Schedule
Whether paper or electronic, a master schedule for the entire office can prevent stressful mix-ups and double-bookings. Ensure that everyone in the office feeds into the master schedule and that it contains all your relevant professional engagements (including normal office hours, speaking engagements and education events) as well as special occasions (including statutory and staff holidays). Make sure you have at least glanced at your next day's schedule by 5 pm the day before to avoid being surprised by unexpected tasks.
3. Analyze Appointment Patterns
Sit down with your staff and analyze trends in your schedule, such as slow and busy times of the day, week and year. Then coordinate your schedule to reflect these trends. For example,some doctors tend to perform initial exams during a more quiet time of the week (Friday). Also, many chiropractors fail to allow enough time for acute visits during busy periods of the week. Your staff will also be able to help you identify chronic problems with your schedule. For example, you might never allow enough travel time, or you may continually underestimate the time it takes for certain patients or procedures. Identify recurring lapses and fix them by booking your schedule accordingly.
4. Do Things in Blocks
All too often chiropractors try to be in too many places at once. Maximize your efficiency by cluster booking. This allows multiple patients to be seen one after the other, and holds you less at the mercy of problems.
5. Minimize Interruptions
Every day a chiropractor's time is frittered away in hundreds of brief interactions. But several things can be done to minimize this. When you are not seeing patients with appointments, try to avoid talking to anyone except fellow chiropractors or staff. Everyone else should book an appointment to talk to you (including patients, family members and friends). Have a patient handout to explain this and back up your staff by not making exceptions. We all know the feeling of being buttonholed by patients looking to grab you "for just a minute, Doc ..." Have spaces in your schedule available each week for such patients and insist they come back to see you to address their concerns rather than holding you up immediately. Avoiding "voice jail" (or endless phone tag) can also save precious minutes during your day. If it's someone you really want to talk with, leave a message identifying a time when you will definitely be reachable.
6. Multi-Task
Have a number of examination rooms running at once. Also, have each office equipped to do everything. You won't waste time searching for equipment or running around the office. Try to have your in-box within reach of your desk phone, so that if you do get stuck on hold, you can complete some easy paperwork as you wait.
7. Consider Dictating
I dictate all of my charts. It's fast (I talk much faster than I write), cheap (I pay for it by seeing about 3 extra patients a week) and decipherable. With patient consent, my dictated notes can be transcribed to charts and sent to insurance companies or lawyers, saving further time at a later date.
8. Paperwork
Papers left in your in-box for too long will seem to mate and have babies. Do paperwork daily and touch paper only once, either to file it, shred it, pass it to someone else or direct an appropriate action. If you are asked to complete complicated forms, consider booking an appointment for the patient in question to help you with aspects of the form — you'll be less likely to procrastinate if time is set aside for the form. And make sure that you bill the patient enough for time spent completing paperwork not covered by provincial health insurance. When returning from a holiday, your in-box will often be overflowing. Try booking yourself an extra day to catch up with paperwork before the office is officially open. You'll start your week feeling ahead rather than behind.
9. Use Advice Sheets
Spend some time preparing or collecting advice sheets for common acute and chronic conditions as well as information on support groups, diets and exercise. Spoken advice often goes in one ear and out the other, but pre-printed materials, with the most appropriate sections circled, give patients reminders to take home. Consider keeping printed handouts in outside of the exam rooms. Escaping to retrieve an advice sheet, as brief as it is, often helps to terminate an appointment.
10. Book Private Time for Yourself
Time away from the office is important. When you go home, enjoy life and don't think about your job or take paperwork home with you. Subscribe to a caller-ID service and screen your calls. Don't answer the phone outside of office hours. Ask yourself, "If I were in the Bahamas, wouldn't they find someone else to fix this?" Chiropractors who fail to take enough quality time away from the office often end up being less effective in the office.
Final note
Although inefficiencies can occur in any part of a chiropractic office, it's often the chiropractor who has the most to contribute to fixing the problem. For those who are interested in improving their time-management skills and are willing to spend a little time and money examining their schedule and work habits, there is hope. I hope these 10 tips will help, at least a little.
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