3 Ways for Agencies to Engage with Clients
Here are a few ways you can begin to engage your clients without adding much more to your workload.
Client Engagement: Better Outcomes and More?
Behavioral health agencies that are able to effectively engage clients see better health outcomes for their clients. Not only that but their clients are more communicative and are more likely to keep appointments and pay promptly. Yet agency owners and leaders have so many tasks to do in a day, on top of seeing clients, that it can be overwhelming to think about adding even one more thing to the list. Fortunately, engaging clients doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. In fact, it might even save you time and money in the long run.
Simple Ways to Engage with Your Clients
#1
Don’t shy away from talking about money.
Engaged clients aren’t just healthier clients. They’re more likely to pay you when insurance doesn’t pick up the tab. In an ideal world, clients would always be fully covered by insurance but that’s not realistic. While it can be uncomfortable to talk about money, following these few steps will help make it easier for both you and your clients.
- Find a cost estimator that makes it easy to see what insurance is likely to cover.
- Talk to them about the potential bill before you provide a service, using the cost estimator.
- Discuss payment options with your clients to find a way that works for both of you. Offer multiple ways to pay to make it easier on them, including credit cards, cash, and checks.
- Help them pay on their own time. Give them the ability to pay online through a client portal or in person. Credit card readers like Square can make in-person payments fast and easy.
- Consider offering payment plans for people who may need more flexibility. As long as you ensure it won’t hurt your own cash flow, this is a great way to build trust with your clients and decrease the awkwardness of the “money talk.”
Pro Tip:
One unexpected, unexplained bill can turn a loyal customer into an ex. Don’t let that happen to you. Make it easy for your clients to pay you while still protecting the future financial health of your agency by talking about bills with your clients up front.
#2
Simplify communication.
You’re a service-based business which means you have to treat your clients as customers. And customers now expect a high-level of customer service inside and outside of your office. But how do you make yourself available to them while still keeping your sanity and normal office hours?
By offering them multiple ways to reach you!
Give them a specific email address to reach out to with questions. It could be yours or a general one like “info@youragency.com.” You can program an automated response that tells them when (and how) to expect a response. You can even set this automated response to only happen during non-work hours. For example:
Thank you for contacting the offices of OUR AGENCY. Our normal business hours are 8 AM – 5 PM. We will respond to your email within one business day.
Thank you,
YOUR NAME HERE
Phone
Like email, you can set your voicemail to include a message about when to expect a call back. Setting expectations provides your client with peace of mind that you’re listening and that you will respond to them.
Text
Offer your clients a way to confirm their appointments via an automated text that you send out. Make sure your EHR is set up to do this for you. You’ll likely see an increase in attendance at appointments and have a clearer idea of who might not show.
Message Center in Your EHR’s Client Portal
Your EHR’s client portal message center offers a secure, compliant messaging environment that should be your go-to for client communication. Client portals simplify client engagement by offering self-service options like scheduling appointments and viewing client information. Save yourself some time and make sure every client knows how to access it!
Pro Tip:
It is possible to make it easy for your clients to reach you without you giving up too much of your time. You don’t have to be available 24/7 to make your customers feel listened to. All you need to do is provide a way for them to contact you and to be responsive in a timely but boundary-respecting manner.
#3
Invest in your online presence.
Imagine you’re choosing a new restaurant. What’s the first thing you do? Go online and look at their reviews and website. Your clients do the same thing for finding mental health services. A recent survey from Doctor.com found that 80% of clients look online before making a healthcare decision. Additionally, 60% of people won’t book an appointment if they aren’t impressed by the website or reviews.
You don’t need to do that much to your digital presence to have a huge impact. Investing in this will reap dividends by keeping current clients more engaged and will also help you reach new people in need of your services. Focus on these three areas for the “biggest bang for your buck.”
Website
All you need is a simple website that looks good, shows your clients that you understand their needs, and how you can help them heal. Make sure to include a way for them to get in touch or even book an appointment right there. And to make it look good, include pictures that don’t look like stock photos and keep it clean and simple. People inherently trust businesses that have professional-looking websites more than those whose sites look like they’re from the late 90s.
Reviews & Testimonials
People love to know that the business they’re looking at actually helps people. Ask for a few testimonials from clients who love you (keep it anonymous if that helps!) and feature them on your website. Even better, ask them to post a Google review if they’re comfortable.
Follow Up Email
Don’t underestimate the power of a simple “thank you for getting in touch” email. Whenever someone submits a question on your website or contacts you, follow up with a simple form email that thanks them for their note and what to expect out of their first appointment.
Pro Tip:
The internet isn’t going away any time soon. Embrace it. A few tweaks to your website, plus a few reviews, plus one form “thank you” email can last you for years and make a huge impact on how people perceive your business.
The Bottom Line
Put yourself in your clients’ shoes to understand their experience with your agency. Think through how they first find out about you to how they pay you. All it takes is a few, mindful steps to help your clients be more engaged with you and their own health journey.
Procentive is an industry-leading EHR for behavioral health agencies. We’re committed to providing top-notch service so you can get more time back in your day. Contact us today to learn more.