Simply put, this means don’t just stop doing business. You won’t be seeing patients, and I understand where you are. We are all in the same boat, navigating this unknown and trying to stay afloat. I have been on calls all weekend and today, as well as taking part in a wonderful live FB video this evening, which will be posted soon to watch. Information is changing hourly and nobody knows what is coming next. After two weeks, this will not be over and ready for us to simply return to business as usual. Be proactively strategic about continuing with business where you can.
I posted this past weekend about how to weather the storm. If you have not read that post, please take the time to do so now. I have also sent very important information on to my clients as well, which I will post for you to read.
I want to caution you about making a quick decision to close the doors to your practice. There are opportunities during this time to reinvent how you do business. Be opportunistic and start with getting the virtual exams and virtual appointment processes implemented into your practice right now!
Your patients are still there and you can see many of them without them coming into your office. Please keep in mind that your patients are going to be looking for normalcy and routine throughout this challenging time. Look at your opportunities to use digital platforms to see these patients. You can put in a full day seeing patients from the comfort of your home office. Have your front office and TC schedule remote exams and put the processes in place now to keep generating revenue during this time. Evaluate your pending patients that you’ve already digitally scanned (if you don’t scan patients at your initial exams, you should be) and provide a promotion to entice them to start their aligner treatment. You will be having their aligners manufactured and ready for their appointment when this Corona Virus hiccup subsides.
The consumer will be rapidly evolving from the events going forward and they will be looking to additional opportunities in your practice, for their treatment and their appointments, when this crisis runs its course. This is the perfect time to embrace and adapt. Many platforms can have you up and running within a day.
Use this script to get patients continuing to choose you for a virtual appointment:
“We are happy that we have the ability to serve you, virtually, during this time of unknown. Rest assured, our commitment is to you, our patients, and the dedicated care we will always provide you. We have the ability to ‘see’ you on this day via (facetime, Zoom, etc …) Does that work for you? We will always put our patient’s care and experience first. In addition, we look forward to your feedback on this virtual experience.”
I hope this helps you navigate your practice and the tough choices you have to make during this time. Please reach out with any questions you might have. We are in this together.