Our "Top Tips for Immediate Practice Profitability" series has covered lowering costly no-show and cancellation rates. Today, we're tackling a source of revenue that's just as important and far more overlooked: "info-only" call follow-up.
Nearly every time I'm in an office conducting a practice evaluation, I overhear a staff member on the phone with a caller asking for information — usually the cost of a procedure. The staff member answers, the call ends, and when I ask about the caller, I'm told: "they were just shopping."
Of course they were shopping. We are in retail medicine, and patients are demonstrating consumer behaviors before they ever become patients. But shoppers become buyers — and when they're ready, we want them to buy from us.
Based on the call I just witnessed, the odds of that patient remembering to call back on their own are slim to none.
We've talked at length about the importance of that first call. What matters just as much is what happens after it. This is one of the biggest sources of hidden revenue I see in practices today — and also one of the easiest to fix.
It's crucial to get the caller's contact information for follow-up, to send them information on the provider and procedure of interest, and to add them to an email list for continued lead nurturing. Something as simple as "I'd be happy to send you some information on Dr. Wonderful and our practice" is usually all it takes.
I run plenty of secret shopper calls myself, and the vast majority of staff never even ask for a name — let alone contact info for follow-up. That gives practices who do follow up a real competitive advantage.
A Simple Info-Only Follow-Up Plan
- Send information immediately — by mail, email, or text
- Call the patient two days later to confirm they received it, answer questions, and build the connection
- Send patient reviews relevant to their procedure of interest about a week later
Practices I work with often run 10 or more of these touchpoints over six months. Research consistently shows that more contact equals higher conversion — as long as the approach stays consultative, meeting a perceived need rather than pushing a sale.
Staff well-versed in consultative selling convert at higher rates, which shows up directly in practice growth and the bottom line.
To your success!