The dental marketing actions that we usually carry out in our clinics are usually aimed at impacting people who do not know us, attract them and convert them into new clients. It is a logical strategy from the point of view of wanting to expand our brand and reach to as many potential patients as possible.
However, in customer acquisition strategies we tend to forget a very important part: the recovery of old patients and their loyalty. A person who goes to a clinic for a single one-off treatment does not have the same business impact as someone who visits each year and who entrusts their oral health to that clinic.
Winning back old customers is easier than attracting new ones since, at least, you have their contact information. Here are several tips to make them come back effectively and retain them.
Find out why a patient has not returned
Step number one, without a doubt, is to know why a patient has not returned to your dental clinic. There are many possible reasons, although the main ones are:
- Having received inappropriate, indifferent or inferior treatment than their expectations.
- Not being satisfied with the result of the service or with the way it has been carried out.
- The competition has better offers or discounts.
- Not being aware of the need to visit the dentist regularly.
In order to get this information, and use it to our advantage, it is necessary to ask former patients to tell us why they have not returned to our clinic. The easiest way is by phone or by sending a form by email asking them to explain their experience to us. Even so, if we want to achieve as many answers as possible, we will have to give some kind of incentive in return, as we will see later.
Identify lost customers with name and surname
To know the reasons for the loss of customers, you first have to know who they are. For this, it is essential to create a database that brings together all the possible information about each one of them.
The name and surname, gender, the type of treatment that was performed the last time, the date of the last visit or the doctor who treated that person are easy data to obtain in our records. In addition, other information that is not usually requested can be very useful, such as age, place of residence or profession.
This compilation, in addition to the contact information, will allow us to get an idea about whether there is some type of pattern that is repeated in several cases and that we can then verify with the forms. Did most of them undergo the same treatment? Were they visited by the same doctor? Did they live far from the clinic or in an area where a new dental clinic has opened?
Strengthen the weak points of the clinic
With the analysis of the responses and the classification of lost customers, it will be much easier to identify where there is room for improvement.
Poor customer service or patient’s uncomfort are frequent reasons for dissatisfaction. In these cases, it is necessary to train staff and reinforce their motivation at work. Involving them in the short, medium- and long-term plan of the dental clinic is a good way to inspire them to achieve excellence in their professional work.
Another different case would be if it were detected that the prices we offer in our clinic are higher than those of the competition. In this case, it would be necessary to assess if it is possible to reduce them or if, on the contrary, a communication strategy must be carried out to value those strengths that make it worth paying a little more for the service.
A very clear example occurs when clinics opt for using cutting-edge dental technology, offering a higher quality service than the competition. Without a doubt, if you communicate well and put yourself in value, having modern appliances in the clinic is one more reason why patients return, although sometimes it means paying a little more for the treatment. It is essential to highlight aspects as important as a much faster recovery or less painful interventions, by the use of, for example, Wiser or 3D scanners.
Run promotions to get old customers back
Finally, the most effective way to recover lost clients, as well as get them to respond to our email, is through incentives. Some of the most common are:
Exclusive price discounts: Offers on services are one of the most used incentives.
Coupons: Create a coupon scheme in which the customer gets points that can be exchanged for gifts. Points, for example, can be earned after each visit or each person who comes by recommendation.
Contests and sweepstakes: They allow you to offer free products or services with the advantage of introducing a very effective playful component, in addition to serving to show other services that customers may not have known about.
Gifts: Usually merchandising products from the clinic itself are given away.
Offer of admission to an exclusive client club or loyalty cards: They provide advantages, discounts or prizes to the client for their loyalty.
Useful information: Send magazines, books, guides, articles, etc. about dental health for free.
Finally, we must highlight the importance of being constant. Some people may find one type of discount interesting, while others may be struck by a raffle or a free guide. Identifying lost customers and their reasons and addressing the best way to bring them back will take time and effort, but it will be worth it.