Maximising patient Journey

Louisa Webb writes about why it is important to maximise the patient journey in the new world, and how this can be achieved.

W ith the significant changes that we have to embark on to ensure that not only are our patients safe, but our staff are too, is paramount. This has become a survival of the fittest, in the most challenging times by far. So, what does this mean now?

• How do we embrace change and ensure our clients are kept safe, but still receive the best patient outcomes?

• How do we ensure our clients are using the correct home care products and are marrying them with the treatments we offer in clinics when online sales have gone through the roof due to lack of face-to-face in clinic visits?

• How do we ensure our clinics remain solvent in times when they have to see less clients per day due to sanitisation and contact?

These are all the questions we ask ourselves daily. No matter what happens from here, the customers’ journey has to remain at the forefront of everything we do, but why?

Key focus area

Often, we get new customers through marketing activities in some form or the other. This could be social media, an existing client referral, a campaign, or refer a friend initiative. Either way, we have incurred a cost for that person to become a new client. Now, we need to convert them to a lifetime value client. It is much easier to retain customers than it is to get new clients, and it certainly costs less, that is for sure. But how you retain them, now this is key.

First things first, we need to get the client booked in for their consultation. We need to think that this client has a minimum of a 12-month plan with us in terms of treating his or her skin and not a month at a time like I see far too often. Remember, we sell solutions, not products or services, and our goal is to give the client the best possible clinical outcome, which means price, and timeframes are put to one side. We have a duty of care, show the client what they need, and allow them the bring in any possible products with them at this visit, which they are currently using, to see if they are suitable or they should be discarded.

To save time prior to your client arriving, and ensure you keep your diary at full occupancy, which at this stage might only be 50 per cent now due to COVID restrictions, it is important to get any forms, signatures beforehand, and signed chance to say no if they want to.

“We sell solutions, not products or services, and our goal is to give the client the best possible clinical outcome.”

A lot of the initial consultations are done online, which is totally fine. So, you need to be prepared. Get as much information as possible on the client, and get them to complete a customer profile document, detailing what they expect, what they currently see in terms of their skin, what products they are using, how much time they have, and if any contraindications. Of course, this can also be done in person if your clinics allow.

Preparation is key, and the more homework you do upfront the better the consultation, and better are the results for your patients. You must allow a minimum of an hour for a good and thorough consultation, as this will set the foundation for you to ensure you cover everything, long term for your client. Your client could also have a lot of questions, and there is nothing worse than your client not understanding what they have signed up for or having buyer’s remorse, after you have invested all of that time (of which it is usually free at this stage).

The next time you see your client, might well be for their first treatment, and so you might want to allow extra time prior, to go over any concerns he or she may have to ensure you get their buy in, and to prevent any loss of time post the treatment. At this stage, I would also run through the 12-month treatment plan you have laid out for them, so ensure they understand why you have booked in certain things within a particular duration or timeline. For example, you would not do ablative laser in the depths of summer, due to possible post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, are things that you know, but your client may not. It is also good to get your client to for digitally. This also prevents any cross contamination through unnecessary paperwork.

Access to products

The same might be said for retailing home care products. While payments for the products can be asked to be done upfront, you may want to send the products straight to their homes, and certainly this is the case when it comes to them re-ordering certain items that they have run out of.

Consider setting up your own e-commerce website to allow for future sales of all consumables and retail items. There was also an astronomical rise in online sales for skincare in the lockdown, so this would be a great business move for your clinics and also for clients to be able to buy from the comfort of their own home, without coming to your clinic unnecessarily.

Preparation is key!

It is absolutely essential to get your clients booked in for all of their treatments between now and the next 12 months. This allows for you to manage your time more effectively, and to see all future bookings well in advance and prepare. Preparation is key and so is organisation. Ensure you have all the relevant forms, time between patients, the customer journey and also space to allow for sterilisation/neutralisation.

Get into the swing of things now, because this way of working is set to stay, certainly for the foreseeable future and that’s for sure. More importantly, your customer deserves the best, whilst remaining safe in your hands.

Louisa Webb,

Managing Director, Louisa Webb Business Solutions, brings over a decade of invaluable executivelevel experience in the skincare and beauty fields. Her mission is to enable clinics and service providers in this industry to overcome business challenges and deliver outstanding, measurable and sustainable results, both commercially and in the delivery of services.