Are you interested in running a world class practice?
What does success in business look like to you?
There is one undeniable certainty about how to create a world class practice. At the heart of every world class practice is customer service excellence. There should be no business strategy you put into practice that doesn’t lead to better customer service. Customer service is at the heart of everything you do and at the heart of your business success.
As the owner of your practice, you lead the way to creating a world class physical therapy practice. Unless you understand and hold high the values of customer service excellence, you cannot create a world class private practice.
The paradox here is that private practices think they are delivering customer service excellence but fail to see that there is much more to it than clinical service excellence.
What is a World Class Physical Therapy Practice?
A world class practice delights its customers by giving them a great experience in the clinic, giving them exactly what they are looking for and what they need.
Research tells us that most clients would tell a service professional they want the following:
Reliability. “Do what you say you are going to do and be on time about it.”
Accessibility. “Be there when I need you.”
Impact. “Help me get the most helpful and highest impact services from you, and help me translate these services into personal success.”
Fit. “Be a good fit for the specific needs I have. If you’re not the best fit, help me find a provider that is.”
Importance. “Make me feel like I am, as a client, important to you and your team.”
Service. “Deliver great services.”
Prudence. “Be careful and do your homework before you suggest a course of action for me.”
Research. “Stay on top of the developments and trends in your industry and mine.”
Listening. “Understand me so that you can come up with ideas that are relevant to me.”
Teaching. “Help me to understand what you’re doing, so I can apply it.”
Business Management. “Run an efficient operation and constantly improve, so I don’t pay for your inefficiency.”
Relationship Management. “Be pleasant and fair, and work with me through communication breakdowns. In essence, treat me like a person.”
Are you surprised by this? This is what I mean when I say there is much more to customer service excellence than clinical service excellence.
How does this look, then, in a world class physical therapy practice clinic?
A world class physical therapy practice delivers excellence in customer service by doing the following:
- Offering strong leadership to its team of employees so that everyone is working toward the same end — delivering customer service excellence.
- Managing and organizing the business so that it operates smoothly on a day to day basis.
- Continually seeking feedback from its customers and finding ways to improve its services.
- Communicating with customers so that they can make the best choices for themselves.
- Creating an environment that is conducive to everyone’s health – relaxed, comfortable, enjoyable, and optimistic about the future.
- Delivering what customers really want!
What Has Happened to Customer Service?
Physical therapists are one of the most dedicated groups of professionals I have encountered. By and large, practitioners are doing and offering their best. Clinical services are high quality.
And yet customer service is compromised. And this is certainly not being done consciously.
What then has happened? These are some of my thoughts:
- You believed that offering quality clinical care was the same as excellence in customer service.
- You didn’t understand the inseparable connection between everything you do in your business and customer service.
- Your focus has been on delivering clinical services, doing what you do best with your patients.
- You are entirely dedicated to your patients and their physical recovery; however, this may not be all your customers are looking for.
I believe that some practices have become inner directed, concerned mainly about delivering clinical care based on current best evidence.
However, there are two more dimensions to quality care: 1) your customers’ experiences with you, and 2) their goals and wishes. This means that seeing your practice and what you do in it through the eyes of your customers is critical.
There is not one business strategy that isn’t about customer service or ought not to be about customer service. Your customers are your business.
The 4 Keys to Turning Your Practice into a World Class Practice
Let’s begin with some thought provoking ideas I’d like you to consider.
When you offer customer service excellence….
1. You have high repeat and return business…
and when you do, you can double, triple, or quadruple your real growth significantly. Retaining just 5% more customers each year can triple real growth to 7.5%.
How can you increase your repeat business? Spend some time with your clients, talk with and watch them when they use your services, and look for opportunities to help them do even better.
2. You ask your clients how you can create better value for them.
5% to 10% of your clients can likely do more business with you almost immediately. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Always ask in a way that creates value for your clients.
3. You monitor and track your retention rates.
Most businesses lose a higher percentage of their clients than they think. When was the last time you examined your client list to find out your retention rate?
4. You assess your services regularly to identify client issues.
Research repeatedly says that most clients leave due to poor or indifferent service. Assess your services carefully and regularly to identify your client service issues: reliability; assurance of your staff’s knowledge, confidence and courtesy to really help clients; ensuring that every client visit creates a great impression; empathy; responsiveness.
Focusing on customers can boost the profits of your clinic.
I do want you to succeed in 2012 and want you to find yourself being remarkable at what you do!
Remember…
- Always keep growing yourself; stay out of your comfort zone. Nothing big and exciting EVER happens inside your comfort zone.
- Keep expanding your skills and knowledge.
- Keep in motion, moving forward in all you do.
- Never give up – almost nothing works the first time.
The time has come to set aside old ways that have not been working. The time has come for change, change that will carry forward the remarkable spirit of people in this profession. The time has come to build world class physical therapy practices that focus on what truly matters to you and to your clients.
You know that greatness is never a given. Rather it is earned. It is often earned through risk-taking, courage, and being unique. It is sometimes a long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
