Marketing Your Practice
Published in the March/April 2004 issue of MD News magazine
Jessica Munday, President

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Philip Kotler, one of the leading experts in the marketing industry, stated in his book Kotler on Marketing that, "Marketing is defined as the science and art of finding, keeping and growing profitable customers." And secondly, "Meeting customer expectations will only satisfy customers; exceeding their expectations will delight them."

Seems like common sense but all too often we must stop and remind ourselves about the importance of good customer service. Without it, ultimately we would all fail. Today's society continues to raise the bar on service. And the demand for higher quality, added services and greater convenience seems to grow stronger and stronger with each passing day.

So stop. Take a moment to notice the interaction between your staff and your patients and you and your patients. Do you get the sense that your practice goes above and beyond? Do you feel that your patients are advocates for your practice? Do you treat your patients as a partner working toward a common goal of improving their health?

There are ways to determine how effective your practice is in the area of customer service. One approach that highlights the encounter between a customer and the service is a customer contact audit, which is a flow chart of the points of interaction between the customer and the service offered.

Some questions that you might ask yourself during this audit include:

1. Is a patient properly acknowledged during each interaction? Do you state their name - for example, "Hello, Mrs. Smith" versus just an impersonal "Hello?" Do you make eye contact? Do you shake their hand? Subtleties can make all the difference.
2. Is your practice accessible? Are patients always put on hold? Does the nursing staff return calls within a set time? Can your patients set appointments within a reasonable amount of time? Call your office to make an appointment and evaluate the interaction from a patient's point of view.
3. How long do your patients typically have to wait? Is the waiting area comfortable? Is parking an issue? Have someone objective come and sit in your waiting room for 15 minutes and provide you with feedback.
4. Are there ways you can make the most of technology to better serve your patients? Are you truly utilizing the Internet to do business better? Posting new patient forms to your Web site can be a relatively simple way to make life easier for your patient.
5. Do you allow your patient to ask questions during their visit? Or do you find yourself doing all the talking? In order to be a good communicator you must be a good listener too.

¹E. Berkowitz, Essentials of Health Care Marketing, 1st ed. (Aspen Publications, 1996), 204-205.