Customer Service Tips for Your Pediatric Private Practice

One of the best ways to enhance your customer service and your practice’s image is to view your practice from the customer’s point of view. Check out these tips to see what aspect of your practice could use improvement.

Tip #1: Inspect Your Premises to Ensure They Project the Right Image.

Look around your premises and check for points like these and many others:

• When you’re in your parking lot, is there a dirty diaper or other trash in the parking lot that nobody wanted to pick up? 
• Are there weeds in your flower beds as they’re walking to the front door? 
• Are the windows dirty? 
• What do your customers see as they walk into the practice?

• Is there a storage closet with broken doors that are hanging open or is one door missing and you can see what’s inside? 

Once you’ve made your observations, set goals to improve those image points in 2025.

Tip #2: Try My Application of “The Customer is Always Right”

Consider giving up the need for you to be right. Instead, try allowing your customer to always be right. Here’s how you can think of it: If the customer does not understand a policy, they were not trained in that policy well enough. You and your staff need to learn how to take responsibility for ensuring your customers really understand your policies.  

Of course, there are times when customers say they didn’t understand and they did. They just violated the policy and they’re using “didn’t understand it” as an excuse. Rather than getting into “Liar, liar pants on fire,” tell them, “Let’s go over that. I apologize that you didn’t get it the first time, and I’m going to take responsibility for that. We’re going to make sure that you understand it now so this doesn’t happen again.”

You’re going to make the customer right, but then you’re going to make sure that they’re trained up and that they completely understand the policy this time. 

Tip #3: Train Your Team on Treating Customers Graciously 

Imagine the change in that customer’s experience if your team makes them feel right and then trains them in your policy, compared to criticizing them for not following the policy. If they feel chastised or wrong, they’ll just go online and give you a negative review. I do understand a customer may be a consistent complainer, but the way to hold them to the highest standard is to make sure you look them in the eye as you train them up and have them repeat the agreement or policy back to you.

With difficult parents, they are always going to find another policy they don’t agree with or discover another way that you’re wrong. You and your staff need to learn how to deal with that difficult parent in a way that’s very gracious. They usually come around or they leave your practice. By the way, when I say to “make them right and train in your policies,” I’m not talking about the difficult few, I’m talking about the majority of your customers. We want to make sure that we can offer them the best customer service experience possible. 

Tip #4: Address Questions or Issues Customers Don’t Know How to Bring Up

If one of your customers asks you a question, listen for the question behind the question. I love that quote: “Listen for the question behind the question.” Here’s what I mean. 

Parents may cancel an appointment while saying something like: “We just couldn’t make it. We were just too busy.” Or, “I forgot my wallet. Can I just pay that next time?” Or, “Dad handles the bills.” What’s the truth behind the question or the statement? In other words, what are they really trying to say? “Finances are difficult.” Or, “I’m not sure I can pay that copay.” 

Train yourself to listen for the question behind the question. When you help families before they actually admit that they can’t afford services, they will appreciate it. It’s hard for them to admit that they can’t afford care so they are very vulnerable at that moment.

Tip #5: Locate Alternative Funding Sources for Your Customers

You should always know alternative funding sources and be ready to offer them to your customers when they are needed. Present these options to your families when you realize they are trying to indirectly share with you that finances are a challenge. Helping your families solve their problems is an important part of your customer service. You know when that time of year comes when they are faced with covering the cost of their deductibles—it’s hard for us and for them. Therefore, you should be ready to present them with every grant or alternative funding you can find. 

Do an internet search for funds in your area that they can utilize. Here are some suggestions to get you started: Search for “funding for speech therapy near me,” or “funding for physical therapy near me.” Reach out to Family Resources at the county or state level. Find out what different funding sources are available to you. Take the time to do a little bit of research and it’s going to come back as money in your pocket. 

Tip #6: Find Great Advice (Free!) Whenever You Need It!

You can get advice like this any time you want it in the videos in our Lemonade Library. I know there are many points of stress in a practice and I bet we’ve got a video covering every one of them! Get registered and look for Lemonades that can help you create great customer relationships. 

About Diane Crecelius

Diane Crecelius is a physical therapist and founder of a multi-million-dollar, multi-location practice with well over 3,000 visits per week and 200 staff! In the past several years, Diane has worked tirelessly to support Peds-A-Palooza™ Community & Conferences and the success of Private Practice Owners. Diane has presented at nearly every Peds-A-Palooza™ live and virtual conference since the first sold-out conference in 2018. Her extensive knowledge derives from her decades in practice and from being trained and consulted by Survival Strategies, Inc. She uses this training to help Private Practice Owners learn how to thrive and expand while keeping their stress low.