{"id":4094,"date":"2016-04-21T08:03:11","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T13:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pmaworks.com\/observations\/?p=4094"},"modified":"2016-04-25T08:26:19","modified_gmt":"2016-04-25T13:26:19","slug":"your-perennial-chiropractic-waiting-list-practicenials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pmaworks.com\/observations\/your-perennial-chiropractic-waiting-list-practicenials\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Perennial Waiting List Chiropractic Practice: Like Daffodils, Your Patients Keep Coming Back"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"petty<\/a>

Daffodils from Linda’s back yard in Wisconsin, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

Spring is finally with us and the flowers and trees<\/strong> are beginning to bloom up here in the northern Midwest.<\/p>\n

What is amazing to me is that I start seeing flowers pop<\/strong> up where I must have planted them, or someone did, a few years past. Pop, pop\u2026 a daffodil here and tulip there, some lilies and Astors and I don\u2019t know what! Who planted these?<\/p>\n

Growing, developing, and sustaining<\/strong> a chiropractic practice corresponds in many ways to the laws of nature or the laws of a farm. What makes these plants bloom are many things – the warmer weather, some biological clock, water, of course, and sunlight. Maybe some organic fertilizer now and then.<\/p>\n

They also have something else. Something that has allowed them to<\/strong> weather the snow and the cold and the storms so that they are here now\u2026 waving to us in the still cool of early spring.<\/p>\n

A few years ago I wrote an article about roots and patient retention<\/strong>. I know\u2026 seems like an odd comparison, but it\u2019s not really. The thing with roots is that they are not seen and not always appreciated. I made the analogy of having a good root system in your practice \u2013 which would be the loyalty your patients have with you. I discussed methods to create and improve this relationship in the article, Chiropractic Root System<\/a><\/p>\n

I just reviewed the article and realized that I omitted<\/strong> a key component in creating great patient loyalty, patient retention, and patient referrals. It is actually pretty obvious and something I see in the offices I visit.<\/p>\n

But first<\/strong>, let me include here some survey information from the 2010 Customer Experience Impact Report (CEI) for North America<\/span> by Rightnow Technologies* that will help make my point.(My underlines and bolds.)<\/p>\n

“WORD OF MOUTH IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD<\/strong>
\nConsumers aren\u2019t only demonstrating their power with their wallets, but they are influencing those around them as well. Whether a consumer has a positive or negative experience, their friends, family, colleagues and networks are sure to hear about it and what they are saying carries weight.<\/p>\n

Customer service is the most influential thing a company can do to increase customer advocacy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

55%<\/strong> (up from 53% in 2009) of consumers recommend a company because of its customer service<\/strong>, compared to products at 49% and price at 42%.<\/p>\n

But those who have issues are also voicing their opinions and it can have a severe impact on a company\u2019s reputation and ultimately bottom line.<\/p>\n

Imagine the result of 66% of a company\u2019s frustrated customers on a mission to discourage others from buying from that company. Consumers aren\u2019t just complaining when something goes wrong, they are determined to have their presence felt by the company at fault:<\/p>\n