Orthotown April 2023 - 48

*
" Understand me. " It's human
nature to want to be understood,
and not just by close friends and
family. It's important for patients
to feel like their doctor understands
their needs! This need
presents itself in various forms
throughout the patient journey,
including the new-patient consultation
and patient complaints.
*
" Take care of me. " Patients
seek orthodontic care because
they have an issue that needs
correcting. They're expecting
to be properly taken care of.
* " Let me contribute. " Even
though patients are seeking help
from a specialist, many new
patients come into consultation
with their own opinions or
desired approaches to their treatment.
Giving the patient some
room for collaboration will help
build the emotional connection
you want.
*
" Help me belong. " Patients
want to feel like more than just
another appointment slot in an
assembly line. People who work
at your practice need to make
patients feel like they're remembered
as people. This includes
knowing their likes and dislikes.
You should be building a sense of
community within the practice.
The use of technology can help
practices create patient experiences
around supporting these four fundamental
human needs. Technology
empowers the practice to do this in a
way that's far more sustainable than
relying on your team's memory and
initiative.
Caveat: When a practice implements
technology and lets it run
automatically, this can have a
detrimental impact to patient
experience and practice reputation.
The practice team can't rely on the
technology to communicate for them;
they must leverage the technology
and communicate as humans.
6 ways to humanize
messaging tools
The first step to humanizing the
practice's patient communication is
to build a list of the communication
channels currently in use-text messages,
emails, WhatsApp, social media,
etc. Once the list has been built, use
the following tips to build a communication
strategy for each channel.
The practice team
can't rely on technology
to communicate for them;
they must leverage
the technology and
communicate as humans.
1. Be where your patients are.
To meet patient expectations,
practices should make it easy for
patients to reach them across
multiple channels, including websites,
text, social media, phone
and in person. Avoid creating
barriers that require patients
to download an app or sign up
for an account. For instance, if a
Facebook ad or page encourages
patients to engage on Messenger,
don't use automated responses
that require them to fill in a form.
Instead, promote channels that
allow direct communication
APRIL 2023 | 48 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
with the practice, such as clickto-call
buttons. If automated
chat sequences are necessary,
clearly indicate that a chatbot is
responding and offer the option
to speak with a team member
via call or text. By prioritizing
human connection, practices can
build stronger relationships with
patients and avoid distancing
themselves from them.
2. Build brand consistency.
Patients have certain expectations
of the brands they love,
and your practice should be one
of those brands. Patients should
believe they'll receive the same
level of service regardless of the
channel they choose to communicate
with you on. If you're
inviting patients to text you
but only respond to those texts
after 24 hours, while responses
to phone calls or emails are sent
within a few hours, the experience
is inconsistent and doesn't help
build trust. If you're going to layer
in an additional communication
channel such as texting or live
chat, be sure you're supporting it
in the same way you support your
main channels.
3. Prioritize personalization.
While brand consistency is
important, it's equally important
to ensure both the tone and message
itself are personalized to the
individual and the appropriate
situation. Think of graduates at a
graduation ceremony: All grads
wear the same cap and gown, but
have the opportunity to personalize
their cap and shoes to show
individual style and personality.
The practice should encourage
team members to show their
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Orthotown April 2023

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