In the rehab therapy market there are, as they say, a lot of fish in the sea. At any time, there are potential patients in your community looking to the market and weighing their options, asking themselves: Where can I go to get the best care? Who accepts my insurance? Which therapist will understand me and ensure my problems are addressed fully? How should I optimize my time to feel better, sooner?
As anglers (business owners and care providers), we want to bring these patients into our clinics. But it’s not enough to simply cast a line and wait for patients to bite. Because, while your clinic might have the answer to all the patient’s questions, it won’t matter unless you are on the patient’s radar as an option for their care plan. This is why it is so important to have tools to building brand awareness in your business’ arsenal.
Building brand awareness is a long-term process for any business, but being proactive is an excellent way to forge your reputation in the community and help grow your patient base. One of the best ways to get started building your clinic’s brand awareness is with NPS.
What is NPS?
The Net Promoter Score, or NPS, is a customer satisfaction metric used to measure your patients’ attitudes about your clinic.
The score is simple: patients answer the question, “How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?” Patients rate their likelihood on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the most likely.
- Patients who choose 0-6 are considered detractors, or unhappy customers who may share a negative experience which could damage your reputation in the community.
- Scores of 7 or 8 are considered neutral, these are patients who are unlikely to say anything about your clinic at all.
- But perhaps most important are those who rate their likelihood a 9 or 10—your Promoters. These are the patients who are the most likely to share their good experiences of your clinic, to recommend you to their loved ones, and to publicly endorse you in reviews.
Why should your clinic care about this though?
Your NPS Scores can make a big difference to your business
Promoters are a powerful force for your brand awareness, as they help to build your reputation and—in turn—to grow. Patients are more likely to consider the recommendations of people in their communities whom they already know and trust when looking to start care. By identifying your business’ promoters, you can begin to utilize this connection by asking them to provide testimonials and write reviews.
The actionable feedback of these metrics can also help you to tailor the experience for your patients. For example, you can survey your promoters to learn what they liked best about the experience, allowing you to put your resources toward these valuable experiences and replicate this for more patients, converting more of your patients to promoters in the future. Being aware of your clinic’s detractors is key to interfering and making sure they feel heard and helped before they leave you care—with early intervention, you might even be able to turn the problem around before it grows.
Like fishing, building your clinic’s brand awareness is more of an art than a science. But with the power of NPS, you can hone your approach and serve your community better than before.