6 Ways to Improve Your Healthcare Franchise’s Customer Experience

By: Christine Dura

One of the most significant things that can set your healthcare franchise apart from the competition is customer service. With the recent increase in demand for convenient, cost-effective, and quality healthcare, medical franchises are opening at a rapid pace. Even if another location opens near yours, there is one thing that can make the difference in a patient’s decision: exceptional customer experience. Here are six ways to improve your location’s customer service and overall experience.

1. Customer Focused Always. As with any other business, your healthcare franchise should be focused on the customer at all times. Your patients should feel like your staff is focused completely on them and their needs from the minute they walk through your doors. People have a variety of choices when it comes to healthcare today, so making sure they feel comfortable and confident in their decision to choose your services comes from staying customer focused.
2. Communicate. Communication is key in every good customer experience – especially with it comes to a healthcare franchise. Being clear in your communication of policies and expectations – whether for making appointments or going over co-pays and billing can make the difference between a bad and good customer experience. In addition, healthcare providers should focus on being clear and communicative in diagnosis and treatment procedures. Medical care can be confusing, but patients seek out providers who are able to boil it all down and help them understand what they need to do to get better.
3. Cleanliness. This is straightforward – keep your healthcare franchise clean. Beyond safety for the medical procedure or appointment rooms, keep the rest of the building clean, too. A tidy, fresh-smelling waiting room with ample amenities can be incredibly inviting. Think about the customer experience and how they’ll feel when entering your establishment.
4. Make It Right. Mistakes happen, but if they do your staff’s reaction to them is key. Working with a patient to right a wrong is very powerful. Communicate and be apologetic, especially if the mistake was the fault of your healthcare franchise and even if it wasn’t. The customer is still always right, right?
5. Be Courteous. Most likely, the appointments at your healthcare franchise will be scheduled same day or a few days in advance, but if anything changes with a set appointment be sure to notify your patient immediately. Being courteous is crucial to the customer experience. This goes for appointments and for interactions while patients are in the office. Have fresh water and up-to-date reading material for your customers to enjoy in the waiting room.
6. Ask for Feedback. Improving the customer experience at your healthcare franchise comes through feedback. After a patient’s appointment, send them a quick follow-up survey soliciting their honest feedback on how you can improve your business and their future experiences. If you don’t know what people like and don’t, then there’s no way you can improve to please.

Loyalty to a specific healthcare franchise is bred through a great customer experience. Focusing your energy on making sure your patients are happy with their experiences is key to success and client retention.

OrthoNOW is the first and only Orthopedic franchise. Contact Christine Dura at Christine@orthonowcare.com for more information about franchise opportunities.

Christine has over 25 years of quantifiable executive management and franchise related leadership experience within the US and internationally with notable franchise startups in the service, technology, retail, food, health and wellness, financial service, medical care, technology and professional services.   As a Senior Franchise Executive and Entrepreneur, Ms. Dura has been both an individual contributor and has successfully led world-class teams.

Ms. Dura excels at partnering with all core business operations to significantly increase the company’s foot print, expand market share, and generate sustainable revenue and EBIT gains.  Her proven successes, combined with her Master Degree in Training and Development, have shaped Ms. Dura’s uncanny ability to identify opportunities, build mutually rewarding partnerships and produce remarkable results. 

In addition, as a four-time Master and Unit Franchise Owner, Ms. Dura is in a very unique position to leverage her experiences and reputation at all levels in franchising along with her vast personal and professional investor network to drive immediate and long term results.   As OrthoNOW’s Chief Development Officer her role is to identify critical gaps in franchise growth and implement strategies to drive results. Her unique background allows her to leverage past experiences and solid reputation to spearhead OrthoNOW’s national expansion plans.