Kats Consultants CHIROPulse: Got Your Number

Got Your Number

by Dr Michael Perusich

 

The telephone was invented in 1874 and by 1905, there were more than 5 million homes with telephones.  And of course today, most of us carry a phone in our pocket, purse, or hand almost all day long.  The technological advances of the telephone are obvious and significant since its invention.  

Over the years, the phone has become a great business tool…when it is utilized!  Sadly, however, the use of the phone today has been almost completely replaced by voicemail and text messaging. 

In today’s business world it is common to use an appointment reminder system in your practice.  In fact, we recommend it as these systems save staff time, decrease missed appointments, and increase retention.  It’s a winning strategy to have a reminder system.

However, it's not a replacement for the phone.

Last week I received a letter in the mail from my HOA.  It stated that I had not paid my quarterly dues.  I looked it up online and sure enough it was paid.  And when I called the HOA manager, they said, “we caught that mistake last week and sorry for the inconvenience.”  And my thought was, why didn’t you call me?  You have my number.

I was talking to a friend the other day.  He had been notified by his insurance company that his car insurance was being canceled.  By the time he received the letter, he had two days to correct the issue.  Why didn’t the insurance company just call?  You have the number!

In today’s low expectation customer service world, you can really stand out as the hero and go-to business in your community when you use the phone.  Late payments, a missed appointment, doctor’s first calls, a check-in, etc can be much more timely and personal than a letter, email, or text.

Electronic means of communication are great time saving tools but sometimes it’s best to just pick up the phone and make the call…after all we’ve got your number.