Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are often used by sales teams to manage and track their activities with prospective, existing and past customers. In recent years, they have made their way into healthcare where they help facilitate patient acquisition, care and retention through a variety of actions. Following are some of the ways a CRM system can benefit your practice or medspa.
1. Enhance the patient experience. CRM systems support and streamline the patient experience through features, such as automatic appointment reminders, access to and delivery of pre- and postprocedure instructions and email templates for continuous communication from the provider or practice.
These types of digital tools are something today’s healthcare consumers have come to expect. Accenture’s 2019 Digital Healthcare Consumer Report found that:
- 68% of patients say they are more likely to choose medical providers that offer them the ability to book, change or cancel appointments online
- 70% of patients say they will choose medical providers who send emails or text messages when it is time for preventative or follow-up care
- 57% of patients expect doctors to send automated text, voice or email reminders urging them to schedule appointments or take medications
2. Guide strategic marketing investments. By tracking leads and identifying the channels through which prospective patients come to your practice, you are better able to determine where to allocate your marketing investments across outlets such as Instagram, Facebook, Google Ads, SEO/organic search, patient referrals, etc. Further, you can follow the return on investment (ROI) per referral source and adjust your marketing budget accordingly.
3. Maximize patient retention and identify issues quickly. Once you are tracking conversion rates from new leads and inquiries to booked consults and repeat appointments, you have a valuable metric: your retention rate. This data helps you finetune your facility’s budgeting and practice protocols. Additionally, utilization of a CRM helps you identify lost sales and missed appointments, which allows you to investigate and make improvements moving forward.
Some CRMs use “sniffers” to catch mentions of your practice and/or providers online. This alerts you immediately to negative comments or reviews, so you can reach out to address them quickly.
Originally a pre-med student, Vahe Tirakyan had dreams of becoming a plastic surgeon. But once he started working in the industry, he realized there was a need for good business leadership in the medical field, especially in privately owned practices. He is CEO of MD Logica, a practice management consultancy, as well as a speaker and author covering business, marketing and strategy. Contact him at [email protected].
