Before You Spend More on Marketing, Inspect What Happens After the Inquiry
May 30, 2020
More marketing can create more inquiries. When the process that follows is slow, unclear or inconsistent, additional spending sends more prospective patients into the same gaps.
In 2020, I mystery shopped 98 aesthetic practices from New York to Beverly Hills. I called, submitted website forms and sent texts and emails to inquire about treatments and consultations.
I considered the interaction successful when the response gave me enough confidence and direction to schedule. Fifty seven percent of the practices met that standard. Forty three percent did not.
The research was conducted in 2020, but the findings provide a useful framework for evaluating the patient inquiry process today.
Some Inquiries Never Reach the Right Person
Practices often give prospective patients several ways to make contact, including phone calls, website forms, text messages, email and social media.
Each additional channel creates another place where an inquiry can be missed.
During the mystery shopping project, some calls went unanswered, website forms received no response and other inquiries were answered several days later.
Every inquiry channel needs a clearly assigned owner. Staff should know who monitors it, how often it is checked, where the inquiry is documented and who is responsible for the next step.
Staff Cannot Explain What the Practice Is Promoting
A prospective patient may contact the practice because of a service featured on the website or in a campaign.
If the staff member responding cannot explain the service, the consultation process or the appropriate appointment, confidence drops quickly.
Several practices in the mystery shopping review promoted services their staff could not explain clearly. The marketing created interest, but the response made scheduling difficult.
Before promoting a service, make sure the staff responsible for inquiries understand what is being offered, who it is appropriate for and how the patient should proceed.
The Response Creates the Wrong Impression
Prospective patients cannot see what is happening behind the scenes. They judge the practice by the response they receive.
Countless rings, an abrupt answering service, an uninterested tone or a poorly written message can change how someone sees the entire practice.
Review the language used across calls, texts and emails. Staff should sound informed, attentive and consistent with the experience presented through your marketing.
Marketing and Operations Need to Support the Same Promise
A polished campaign may promise a highly personal and responsive experience. The inquiry process has to carry that promise forward.
If marketing emphasizes expertise and thoughtful care, the person responding should be prepared to answer questions and explain what happens next. If convenience is part of the message, scheduling should not feel unnecessarily difficult.
The handoff from marketing to the practice should feel continuous to the prospective patient.
Every Inquiry Needs a Clear Next Step
Answering a question does not complete the inquiry process.
Staff should know how to identify the appropriate appointment, explain what the patient can expect and ask whether the person would like to schedule.
When the prospective patient needs more time, the practice should have a consistent process for documenting the inquiry and following up.
Without that structure, interested patients can disappear even when the initial response was friendly and accurate.
Inspect the Process Before Increasing the Budget
Before putting more money into advertising, test every public inquiry channel from the prospective patient’s point of view.
Call the practice. Submit the website form. Review the automated responses. Check what happens after hours. Follow the steps required to schedule.
Then look beyond the number of inquiries generated. Determine how many receive a response, become scheduled appointments and arrive for the visit.
The mystery shopping review showed how quickly the value of marketing can be lost after an inquiry. Looking across marketing, staff response, scheduling and follow up reveals whether the practice needs more demand or better handling of the demand it already has.
Ready to Strengthen Your Practice?
If your marketing is producing inquiries without enough scheduled patients, I can help you identify where interest is being lost and strengthen the process that follows.
Connie Kurczewski is the founder of Elevated Practice Consulting and Strategic Advisor to Dermatologists and Aesthetic Physicians. She advises physician owners on staffing, leadership, operations, marketing, sales and patient experience.
