May is the official month of appreciation for some of the important people we take for granted throughout the year. In addition to Mother’s Day, the month’s most famous (for good reason) and popular appreciation day (especially among mothers), May includes, National Teacher appreciation Week, and Military Spouse Appreciation Day and most poignantly: Memorial Day. This year, the month of May also plays host to national Blame Someone Else Day on Friday the 13th. While it’s a nice ace to have up your sleeve, it’s hardly the kind of appreciation people like to receive.
People like to be appreciated.
William James, the well-known psychologist and philosopher, said, “The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated.” Whether or not it’s the very deepest principle of human nature, you cannot deny that when you’re appreciated, for anything, it’ll put a smile on your face and an extra bounce in your step for the next few hours.
Blogger Todd Smith writes, that “When you express your approval or gratitude for something they have done, you will not only enhance their lives, but you will enrich yours as well. You will feel more fulfilled because you have done something to make someone else’s life better.” I’m sold.
Believe it or not, your patients also possess human nature, and as such, they crave appreciation. And just as someone who craves ice cream will enjoy inhaling a tub of Ben & Jerry’s no matter what the flavor, even you can enhance your patients’ lives by showing appreciation for them and their patronage.
I don’t mean thanking them for their credit card payment, rather by recognizing and appreciating the fact that they chose you and your practice over the myriad of alternatives available to them. While a simple “Thanks for choosing us” and a smile from you and your staff is a great start, it doesn’t take much to go the extra mile: With today’s automated patient engagement systems, it’s never been easier to reach out to your patients and say thanks.
One such system is Patient Communicator, possibly the most powerful patient engagement system on the planet. Using a set-it-and-forget-it automated messaging platform, wish your patients a happy birthday, happy new year, or happy national chocolate chip day (May 15th). You can also thank new patients for choosing your practice, or tell existing patients how happy you were to see them for their return visit.
You might think that all of this automated messaging is canned and impersonal, which would sort of defeat the purpose of showing sincere appreciation. The reality is quite the opposite, as patients sincerely appreciate the thoughtfulness you show by sending them that message. These are a couple of actual responses to automated birthday messages: “This is unbelievable, I’m so very grateful for this, thank you all!” Someone else wrote, “This is a wonderful gift, I really appreciate it, thanks a lot!”
Wouldn’t you appreciate it?
Patient Communicator is a state-of-the-art system especially designed for health care practitioners. A win-win system for both your patients and your practice, its sophisticated features make no-shows a thing of the past. At the same time, they make it easier for patients to book appointments online, and for providers to build stronger relationships with their patients, increase revenues, and grow their practice.