How often have you watched a health guru lead a discussion or exercise class and found yourself wondering why they look so unhealthy. You don’t want to think about these things but it tends to affect the level of trust or believability the health guru has with you. It’s human nature to connect these dots.
Things are more believable when you can see people are living what they are teaching. This occurs in most professions. Patients judge a practice for a number of reasons and some never go back for a second visit. At Functional Medicine SEO, a division of WPamplify we understand all that goes into creating a thriving practice. Let us help you grow by maximizing your patient’s first impressions.
How Your Patients Judge You and Why It Matters?
Patients can also judge providers in other ways. Bedside manner, cleanliness of office, interactions with staff all affect the patient’s experience and trust in the practice. Patients often judge a provider on external factors, more so the level of skill exhibited by the provider. This is a very important issue and it deserves to be highlighted and acknowledged especially in regard to functional medicine. Society is already questioning our credibility because we do not operate like conventional providers. It is important that our patients find our practice to be credible and that starts even before the appointment begins. Here are a few things to consider from a patient’s point of view:
It Begins With the Accessibility of Your Websites and Scheduling Services
Even before a patient schedules an appointment at your office your credibility is being questioned. Can your website be easily found? When they call, who answers? Must they leave a recording or are they greeted with a welcoming voice? First impressions make a huge impact in business and it’s important as a provider to put effort into making this process high quality.
The First Impression Continues With the First Appointment.
Not everyone is super observant when parking in your office parking lot unless it causes them issues. Most people do not notice trash unless it’s excessive, parking spaces unless they cause the client problems, or the appearance of the building unless it’s eerie. However, these issues speak about your practice even before you get to say hello to your patient. Giving care to these issues shows you go the extra mile for your clients and your care about their safety and experience with you. Providing a clean environment also communicates to your staff since they spend most of their day in your office. Making sure the building is maintained, avoiding things like, ripped, stained carpet, leak spots on ceiling tiles, faulty lighting, and updating office furniture will give your space a fresh well cared for look. No one wants to get their blood drawn in an establishment that is not well cared for.
Your Patients’ Interactions With Staff
Regardless of what they thought of you or how you handled their care, if they experience a difficult or rude staff member they are not likely to continue seeing you. From the front desk staff to your assistants in finance, hiring professionals who take pride in their work and know how to treat patients is crucial to a thriving business.
Your Patient’s Experience Ends With You
Your meeting though it weighs heavily in regard to the whole experience is just a part. It’s important when you are meeting with your patient that they feel like you are listening to them. Too often patient’s feel rushed and like numbers on a list. In functional medicine the level of care is most often the focus of the visit so functional medicine experts have a great deal of experience doing this part differently. Many functional medicine providers take the necessary time that’s required to review things like the patient’s medical history, symptoms, medications, and health goals. They take the time to build the relationship and establish the patient’s trust.
There are many things that influence your patient’s level of trust in your practice. Putting forth extra effort in all these areas will help maximize your patient’s satisfaction, improve the overall work environment, and enhance your level of pride in what you have built.
Contact Us Today!
So many out there do it wrong, let the experts at WPamplify help you get it right! Functional Medicine SEO, a division of WPamplify is here to help you connect with as many patients as you can. We offer services to help optimize SEO and website design strategies to allow patients to better find you. This allows you to help more people get healthy. Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation. We are excited to help you take your business to the next level!
