150: Bringing Joy to your Chiropractic Practice

Dr Michael Perusich: Okay. Dr Michael Perusich: Chiropractors, are you bringing the joy into practice? Hi everybody. Welcome to the KC CHIROpulse podcast brought to you by Kat's Consultants helping doctors keep their pulse on success. I'm Dr. Michael perusich, and I'm joined today by one of our All-Star coaches and Chiropractic experts Dr Kelly Fredericks. Kelly, welcome again to the show. Kelly Fredricks, DC: thanks so much doc. I appreciate it. I'm excited for our chat today. Dr Michael Perusich: I know I'm so glad you're here because you and I talked about this before but there's so much negativity in the world and good Lord. you could turn around every corner and find something negative about practice whether it's audits or coding changes or I don't even want to go there. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: But when we bring joy into the practice. And we bring the wow factor of customer service another practice. I'm telling you, it's a total game changer. Kelly Fredricks, DC: It's a game changer. Absolutely. I agree. it's when our patients feel different energies in our office. They want to be in our practice right our places should be the happy place that's to be… Dr Michael Perusich: right Yep. Kelly Fredricks, DC: where they want to go and I agree 100% Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, yeah, we used to do this in our practice. And in fact one day we had a gentleman come in and he didn't have an appointment and he just came in and he was sitting in the corner of the waiting room and Marissa went up to him and said, hey Bill, I don't remember what his name was, but he said hey Going on today. Do you need to get an adjustment? And he said no, I just came by to watch you guys burn. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah Yeah, we actually have kind of a similar situation we're getting ready to do on that at the end of November we're gonna do patient appreciation event and one of our patients rsvp'd and she said is there any way that I can change my appointment that day to be the last appointment because I just want to stay and help you guys set up I want to help you with the party right you're not getting paid she just loves being here and… Dr Michael Perusich: my gosh, you gotta love that. Kelly Fredricks, DC: she wants to be part of the group so I was really really pleased with that Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, yeah. I love that. Okay, so you mentioned a word energy. and I want to talk about that for a… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yes. Dr Michael Perusich: because it is that energy and it's not just Our inner energy. I think it's the collective energy of the entire team of the entire office. Kelly Fredricks, DC: It is absolutely I think as soon as that patient walks in the door the energy in your lobby or your reception area or whatever you want to call it is key because they need to walk into your office and feel the th. They need to smell the warmth. I mean we've got diffusers going we've got music going. We've got decorations everywhere as soon as they walk into your office,… Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. Kelly Fredricks, DC: they should Feel the energy and that they want to be where there's good energy who wants to watch the news that brings everybody down. They want to go to places that are fun. Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: All Especially right now. Yeah, so you talked about energy and you talk about patients when they walk in the door. So Ducks out there listening. What was the last time you walked in your front door was the last time you walked in and looked at the clinic the way the patients see it, most of us we come in the back door and we hardly ever pay attention to the front and what does it look like is it full of good happiness and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: exactly Dr Michael Perusich: cheer and Joy or when you walk in or they're old magazine stacked up everywhere and the chairs are all awry and the front desk when you stand at the front counter. It looks awful back there. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Right. Yes. Dr Michael Perusich: What is… Dr Michael Perusich: what is the energy look like? Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Yeah,… Kelly Fredricks, DC: I think you should do a walk through of your office daily. I walk,… Dr Michael Perusich: agreed Kelly Fredricks, DC: not only when you're seeing your patients, but on your shifts just do a quick walk through how does everything look is like you said what a magazines all over the place. do you notice that maybe one of your caes is keeping their desk a little messy or the normal those things they're really big they're little my new details, but they make a huge difference and just… Dr Michael Perusich: They do. Kelly Fredricks, DC: what things look like in your practice. Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, And you think about it. If you go into I don't know some high-end department store like a Neiman Marcus or something. You don't see closing on the floor and stuff laying on racks. Thatolded. I mean, it's absolutely perfect and they're constantly walking through their departments and making sure it's absolutely perfect. And so, I used to do the same thing. I would go and walk in our front door, but every morning before we'd start and then again every afternoon before we'd start, it was a little things like maybe a picture was a little crooked or… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: something, but it's those little things that take away your professionalism. And get people focusing on the wrong things. Kelly Fredricks, DC: I'm terrible with plants. I had a plant in my office and… Dr Michael Perusich: because Kelly Fredricks, DC: all of a sudden it started dying the other day and I was like, my gosh, I have to get that out of my office and give it to somebody that can bring it back to life because I don't want a patient coming in to my adjusting room thinking that they're coming in for vitality and they see my dead plants in the window. 00:05:00 Dr Michael Perusich: right Kelly Fredricks, DC: So, even things like that like make a huge impression on them. Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. Kelly Fredricks, DC: They're looking at everything so it really is important. Dr Michael Perusich: It's crazy the micro eye that our patients have they notice a littlest things and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah, yeah. the little Dr Michael Perusich: they get stuck on them sometimes especially if kind of negative or something seems out of place. It just throws everything off to the patient experience. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah, and I also have trained my staff which I know you did as well. anytime they start to hear maybe some chit chat in the reception area or some chit chat in the therapy room about something that's going on in the world. My staff knows to go in and change that conversation. So, … Dr Michael Perusich: Absolutely. Kelly Fredricks, DC: they will kind of squash it as quickly as they can because you don't want that negative energy to roam around the office. Dr Michael Perusich: yep, redirect Dr Michael Perusich: Yep, absolutely. Redirect for sure. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yep. Dr Michael Perusich: So we need to take a quick little pause here to hear word from our sponsor, but I want to come back and I want to talk about this whole idea of wow customer service because I know you do this in your practice. We did it in ours and we see the doctors that are doing this and really embracing it are absolutely exploding right now. So, all everybody we'll be right back. We're talking about bringing the wow factor into your practice bringing joy into your practice and how it's such a game changer for your success. So we'll be right back. Dr Michael Perusich: All right, everybody. We are back from our little break there. So Dr. Kelly, we're talking about customer service bringing the wow factor and bringing the Way into practice and what a game changer that can be and I want to kind of go down that customer service Lane for just a minute. And I don't see a lot of practices. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Sure. Dr Michael Perusich: Let me flip that around. I see a lot of practices really embracing customer service, but I see some that aren't. And the difference in success between the two the difference in the number of patient visits. They see the number of new patients. They get the referrals they get Is night and day. And so this whole idea of customer service has to be embraced. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: and what's the traditional doctors office experience like It's blah. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Very very boring. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yes, very boring. Dr Michael Perusich: Very boring very boring… Dr Michael Perusich: if not kind of negative sometimes. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah, yeah. You sit around and wait. Dr Michael Perusich: yeah, Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. You sit around and wait, everybody's behind glass and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: And yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: some offices and medical offices. You still have to wear masks and those kind of things which you… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: maybe that's appropriate in their setting. I don't know but when we create those barriers Then we ourselves are creating that same traditional blah doctor's office experience. but when we… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yep, exactly. Dr Michael Perusich: but when we create a different experience That's when the patients go. Whoa, this place is awesome. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah, I had last with Halloween just being done. We were doing hot apple cider in our office. We have done this for years. But before we would have it out,… Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. Kelly Fredricks, DC: for everyone to kind of take their own apple cider and… Dr Michael Perusich: right Kelly Fredricks, DC: and we realized why is nobody drinking the apple cider, who doesn't love apple cider. this year we turned the table a little bit and we started offering it to them. We had in the back room. My staff would go back and they would fill up two three cups at a time and they're like the coffee cups that you get a Starbucks and… Dr Michael Perusich: Sure. Kelly Fredricks, DC: they would come out and they would hand it to the patient. Would you like some warm apple cider? Would you like some hot apple cider everybody? Of course, they wanted it. They're being catered to they love. Dr Michael Perusich: right Kelly Fredricks, DC: I had one of my patients. She's been with me for years and she was like Dr. Kelly my gosh you guys are turning it up in here she just felt so special and I mean who then they're gonna go tell all their Rivers right. they're all their family. Dr Michael Perusich: For sure. Kelly Fredricks, DC: I just got back. Everybody was dressed up in costumes. They were giving me warm apple cider. It's such a warm place. Dr Michael Perusich: yeah. Kelly Fredricks, DC: They're gonna tell everybody about their experience and That's what we want. That's how we get our patient referrals. Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, that's exactly right. And so, doctors when it comes to customer service, there's something that's not very innate about customer service. It seems obvious. But at the same time it doesn't just come natural. We have to really work at it. So that comes down to training and development and practicing but most importantly watching other businesses and how they affect customer service, everywhere I go I'm always paying Uber attention to customer service and good and bad because I want to see both And the bad for me because I'm such a student of customer service the bad for me really sticks out and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: I've got all kinds of stories about bad customer service, but I can tell you a great customer service Story one time my wife and I were out shopping. We're at Nordstrom's. 00:10:00 Dr Michael Perusich: My wife was five foot tall. So when she go into a department store, she would disappear behind the clothes racks because they were taller than So I'm carrying bags because we've been to other stores and I stopped outside at Nordstrom's to just grab a cup of coffee because they have a little coffee shop. And so I'm just walking through the store and all sudden. I hear this sir. I can help you with those bags. And I'm looking around and it's some salesperson over in the men's department and she says hey you're probably here shopping with your wife and you're the bag carrier for the day. You can set those over here. They'll be quite safe. I'll watch after them. So I'm like, that's cool. She took my coffee from me then took the bags put them away. And then she said you're right. You're 15 and a half thirty four, aren't you? I'm like Yeah. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Dr Michael Perusich: Wow, how'd you know that's my job sir? Dr Michael Perusich: And before I knew it I wasn't there to shop. But before I bought five shirts from Nordstrom's. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah, and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: that's a good sales rep right there. Dr Michael Perusich: So that just a great customer service story… Dr Michael Perusich: because I never would have stepped into the men's department had she not graciously said let me take your coffee in your bags for you and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: we'll put them right over here. it's those little things it's bringing them the warm apple cider those little things. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. It's the service mindset, right like you… Dr Michael Perusich: it is good way to put it. Kelly Fredricks, DC: and that's the intention that you have to place in the office with the staff, during your month your morning huddles. Okay, what's Our intention for the day? is there any particular patient on the schedule that we need to take extra special care of maybe somebody lose her pet over the weekend,… Dr Michael Perusich: Yep. Kelly Fredricks, DC: she needed a little extra TLC or… Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. Sure. Kelly Fredricks, DC: has somebody did they lose their job or they going through something significant, be intentional and… Dr Michael Perusich: right Kelly Fredricks, DC: and pinpoint those people so you can really show them, excellent customer service and just go above and beyond and take good care of them. They appreciate that. Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah. Yeah, my staff was always instructed to try to find some way to compliment a patient, … Kelly Fredricks, DC: Mm- Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: whether it was their shoes or they've obviously got new clothes on or it's the birthday, whatever it might be. Yeah,… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yep hair looks great. Dr Michael Perusich: always find Marissa was always talking about people's shoes. So, find ways to compliment your patients… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: because people like to be complimented and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: They do. Dr Michael Perusich: they recognized. Kelly Fredricks, DC: They do absolutely. Dr Michael Perusich: Yeah, we had one couple that. they took four or five cruises a year retired couple and they love going on cruises and So we kind of keyed in on that and every time they would go on a cruise first off. We'd ask them before they were going where you're going. What are you doing? What's your itinerary? Then? They would always bring pictures back in because we were so interested. In what they were doing and… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: gosh, they must have referred a hundred people into us. Dr Michael Perusich: You… Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: so when you bring that level of personalization and service and customer-centric attitude and that Joy, it's amazing what it does to your practice. if you're trying to get new patients, it's the best way in the world to get new patients. Kelly Fredricks, DC: a hundred percent and that's One of my first mentors that I had when I started he never did any advertising. He never really did anything. He always just taught me just take care of that one individual person and… Dr Michael Perusich: Yep. Kelly Fredricks, DC: go above and beyond for that individual person and it will come back tenfold and it's so true, Dr Michael Perusich: No, our practice was the same way after the first two years of practice. We didn't advertise anymore. We just took care of people. Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah, and it makes for a better work environment too because then staff gets excited. Dr Michael Perusich: totally Kelly Fredricks, DC: They start making relationships with the patients. they want to know where the person went on vacation and how it was and then they get treated with respect and everybody it puts the focus on so much more. Dr Michael Perusich: Right, right I implore you to think about what are the things you can do to bring joy into the practice. What can you do to take better care of your staff? What can you do to improve their Joy? Kelly Fredricks, DC: Yeah. Dr Michael Perusich: What can you do to improve patience oy? those little things Will create such huge retention. Referrals new patients increase patient visits and of course all of that equates back to what profitability for you. So it's a win situation. And guess what at the end of the day after you've been totally beaten up by Chiropractic and everything that it can throw at you you still walk out the door and go home with a smile on your face. Kelly Fredricks, DC: yes, exactly. You still had fun? 00:15:00 Dr Michael Perusich: This is a great discussion Dr. Kelly. Thanks for being on here with us today. Yes, absolutely. Kelly Fredricks, DC: You're welcome. It's always a pleasure. Dr Michael Perusich: So everybody go check us out at cat's consultants.com. See all the great things that we're doing to help doctors create the practices of their dreams and to bring profitability and joy into their practice. So from all of us here at Kats Consultants, be sure to check us out. Thanks for tuning in every week to the KC CHIROpulse podcast brought to you by Kats Consultants. We will see you next time.