What’s the one thing that all practices want and need? A good reputation! Many factors impact reputation including staff, equipment, protocols, quality of care, and bedside manner. As more and more clients go to online platforms to comment on a practice’s services, its essential that managers be aware of the quality of their practice’s services.
Although you can control the practice’s services, brand, and product, reputation is largely influenced by your clients’ perceptions. To ensure that you are doing everything in your power to create and deliver an exemplary patient and client experience, it’s essential to review business practices, determine which areas need improvement, and address areas that are deficient.
According to Pamela Stevenson, CVPM, practices should be committed to delivering a great client experience. Every detail matters, from the building façade to phone equipment, to the way staff is dressed, to the manner in which staff interacts with clients and patients, to the ease of the transaction, to the demeanor of all who are involved in caring for the pet.
Reputation begins with core values
Every practice should take inventory of their core values. These are the values that the practice acknowledges in its mission statement and that live and breathe through the staff. They guide all the practice’s decisions and actions. Core values can be measured in behavior. These values can include:
- Delivering an outstanding client/patient experience
- Treating staff, patients, and clients with dignity and respect
- Acting with honesty and integrity
Stevenson suggests that practices use verbs to articulate their core values and recommends that the values are embraced by the team, discussed at meetings, flow from the top-down, revisited annually to all members are aware of the values, and revised, if necessary, at five-year intervals and examined for relevancy.
To illustrate her point, Stevenson focused on gossip in the practice, which many practices struggle with. Whether the gossip is directed at employees, clients, or patients, it can be toxic. It can lower morale, ruin careers, alienate clients, waste time, decrease productivity, and ultimately degrade the practice’s reputation. To put an end to office gossip, Stevenson recommends adopting core values that champion treating coworkers, patients, and clients with respect and dignity, thereby promoting open communication among employees who are encouraged to address problems through conflict resolutions without gossiping about them it can be hurtful to coworkers and clients and when clients are aware it is being spread rather than talking behind a colleague’s back.
Carefully consider which core values the practice will emphasize because they will provide a fundamental guide for employee behavior. If the practice’s reputation has taken a hit, examine the core values and the staff’s understanding and commitment to these values. Determine if they are relevant or if they need to be revised.
Branding
Branding permeates every aspect of your practice and lets others know what to expect. If you don’t take the time to build a brand, your clients will create one for you based on reviews and recommendations. To ensure that the practice’s brand is aligned with expectations, consider the following:
- Describe the practice’s brand?
- How do your clients perceive the brand?
- Is staff aware of the brand?
If the practice’s brand is absent or inconsistent it can impact your reputation.
Practices want to be thought of as skilled, caring, and capable. Look around. Is this what clients glean from your employees’ presentation, the setting, the way they are treated, and the condition of the facility? For example, when employees are dressed slovenly and too casually, they may be communicating an unintended message---they don’t care! Uniforms or a dress code enhances professionalism, changes the message, and improves the brand.
Keep in mind that the way staff interacts with clients and patients face-to-face, on the telephone and social media also reflect the practice’s brand. Courteous behavior is essential regardless of the medium. Even if you strive to instill polite behavior in the staff, if they don’t return phone calls or respond to both negative and positive comments on social media, it is likely that reputation will suffer. Keeps tabs on how the practice is communicating in all these areas and make changes as required.
Respect difference
In 2020, a range of generational cohorts are pet owners---Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers, each group culturally and financially different and influenced by distinct attitudes, motivations, and historical events. Catering to these unique groups as a single cohort can be polarizing. Connecting with each group with the right message through their preferred medium is essential. Baby Boomers, for example, may prefer to contact the office by telephone. They expect to reach a live person and take care of their business quickly and efficiently. On the other hand, Gen Z grew up with Internet access at a young age and have lived most of their lives in a hyper-connected world. They may recoil at the idea of taking the time to make a phone call to ask a question or schedule an appointment. They want to do it all online and live chat if possible. If you are reaching only one or two of these cohorts, then you are doing the practice a disservice. Make sure you are connecting with clients on all levels, from traditional forms to mobile devices.
What to do if your reputation has suffered
When your reputation has taken a hit, all is not lost. There are several steps that can be taken to put the practice on the road to recovery:
- Put yourself in the client’s shoes. Figure out what the glaring issues are and determine how to rectify them.
- Use the same medium that tarnished your reputation to make amends. If a client speaks out on Facebook, respond constructively and move toward resolution.
- Ask clients where you can make improvements
Getting back on track takes time. The goal is to make strides to correct past missteps.
To learn more about reputation management, check out the online Reputation management course offered through VHMA/PVU Management Essentials, Strengthening Core Competencies to Advance Management Skills.
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