Charging for Consults Without Losing the Lead (Part 2)

Andrea (00:04):
Well, hi there. I am Andrea Watkins, and if you're listening to this while juggling three patient calls, checking in a couple patients, taking a payment, selling skincare, and trying to catch your doctor in between procedures, you might be working in an aesthetic practice.

Blake (00:18):
And I'm Blake Lucus, and this is PracticeLand. This is not your doctor's podcast.

Heather (00:25):
All right. Welcome back to PracticeLand. I am Heather Hughes Hardy, registered nurse, retired PCC, and your sometimes host here on the podcast. In case you missed it, last week, Jenna Hennig, nurse injector and aesthetic sales specialist, who has worked almost every seat in the practice, was offering us incredibly tactical tips to overcome booking blockers, specifically consult and appointment fees. Today, we are picking up right where we left off, breaking down the methods practices can implement to protect the schedule, whether they use appointment fees or not. Jenna is going to walk us through how to capture a card on file for appointments without booking fees, implementing and enforcing no-show and cancellation policies, designing a pre-visit nurture sequence to pre-qualify prospects and reduce no-shows, as well as a hack that she's found can convert looky lows into hot, ready-to-buy prospects. Jenna, thank you so much for coming back for a part two.

Jenna (01:16):
Yeah, I'm excited to be back. Thanks for having me.

Heather (01:18):
Absolutely. Well, last week we kind of started the conversation around consult and appointment fees, but today I want to pick up where we left off. And you mentioned that there are a few tactics that could be used in lieu of a consult or appointment fee that help to accomplish the same objective of protecting the schedule.

Jenna (01:37):
Yes. Number one, the lowest barrier to entry is going to be a card on file with a clear no-show or cancellation policy.

Heather (01:42):
Can you walk us through why that might be a good potential option and when a practice might choose to make this their main method?

Jenna (01:51):
Absolutely. So it's a great option if you want something in lieu of a true consult fee, so it still gets some sort of monetary commitment without having to take money upfront. If you have a high value service appointment, so maybe it's an appointment that takes two or three hours, or it's something that is going to be a very high value or high cost to the patient. If you have a newer provider with less experience, maybe you do consult fees for some of your other providers, but for this person, they're a little bit newer. They need to build their books. So it's a way to encourage bookings with them while they're still building that social proof. And then you could also do it if you wanted to protect against repeat no-shows. And so that's a great policy if you're like, you have a one-time courtesy, but after that, you do have to collect this card on file to be able to uphold that cancellation policy.

Heather (02:39):
And in terms of the policy itself then, what's a reasonable policy to have in place when you're collecting a card on file? Because that's the next question they're going to ask, right? Like, okay, well, what's the policy?

Jenna (02:51):
It depends on the practice. So I would kind of look and see what makes sense for your availability, how far are you booked out? What does your actual availability look like? How quickly are you able to get people in? But I find what works well for my personal experience is a 48-hour notice for your med spa appointments, surgical appointments. Of course, you're typically booking those out and they're a much higher value appointment. So as far as the investment for the patient. So for those, typically a seven-day notice is something that's a little bit easier because then you have a little bit more time to be able to rebook. The goal is a window to allow you to refill that schedule. So whatever makes sense for you there.

Heather (03:29):
Okay. That makes sense. And like last time, I kind of gave you a scenario and you walked us through how exactly you might bring it up in a conversation and how you explain it to patients. So could we do the same thing here for the card on file and then also the policy of when you would use that card?

Jenna (03:47):
Yeah, let's do it.

Heather (03:48):
Okay. So say a practice has offered free consults and now that patient has been seen and they want to book a treatment appointment and maybe for a longer service that has a higher value, like you said, and the scheduler now needs to explain, we need to collect your card and this is the policy of when we would charge it. Run us through that.

Jenna (04:13):
Okay. So let's say it's a longer service, maybe it's a three-hour appointment. All right. So wonderful. I'm so glad that you're ready to book your treatment. So we've already found a date with X provider at X time that works really well for your schedule. I know X provider is really, really excited to be able to do this treatment with you to reach your goal of blah, blah, blah. So in order to finalize this booking, there is one final step that we will complete, and that is collecting a card on file to be able to secure your appointment date, which will be abiding by our cancellation policy. We just ask for about 48 hours of notice. If you do need to adjust, remove your appointment, that way we can ensure that we have everything running smooth for you.

Heather (04:51):
And I feel like here it's probably a little bit less of a barrier. They've already been seen. There's that little bit of trust formed, but what about for the client that's like, they just don't want to. They're like, "Oh no, I'll pay same day. You can trust me, " that type of situation.

Jenna (05:09):
That is the perfect time to reinforce, it's not a deposit. It's not money that you're taking. You say, "Absolutely. We are collecting nothing today. This is simply just a card on file in order to secure your booking per our cancellation policy. We do require this for all appointments of blah, blah, blah criteria. In order to secure your booking, again, nothing will be charged today. You are absolutely welcome to make your final and full payment on the day of your treatment, but in order to secure your booking, we do need to go ahead and put a card on file to be able to ...

Heather (05:37):
Yeah, and it makes a lot of sense. And I think that this is a place where as a staff member, you can find a lot of comfort if you follow your own policies. So if a practice is setting something like this in place, it's because it's giving you something to fall back on. And I feel like so often when I was sitting in the clinic myself or even with the practices I work with today, they get a client who pushes back on the policy and then instead of just being like, "I'm so sorry, this is the way that the practice works." Instead, they go to their manager and they're like, "Hey, they don't want to do the fee. Can I still book them?" They're looking for exceptions because they want to help this person, but instead of going to that next step and taking comfort in their own employee policy, they're looking for ways to get around it because they're uncomfortable.

(06:30):
And so I think the way that you've said it is so eloquent and it sounds very professional. And any patient that would hear that, if they're reasonable, they're going to say, "Okay." Now, what would you say to someone that's just like, "Absolutely not. " When is it okay to lose the booking for a client that's not willing to put their card down?

Jenna (06:49):
I mean, if you think about it, what is the risk of putting a card down? You're not losing anything unless you don't abide by the policy. That's the only time you would ever lose anything. So if there's an emergency and they got in a really bad accident and something happened, are you going to charge them? Probably not. So if you think about it from that point of view of, it's a little bit different for consult fees or appointment fees versus a card on file. If it's truly a card on file and they're really giving you pushback, they're probably not sure if they're going to show up. And so in that case, you can kind of just double down back on them and say, "I know that you created this really exciting treatment plan with Nurse Jenna. I know that you're both really excited to get started. We do require this card on file. Again, nothing will be charged. It's just per our cancellation policy." If you're still unsure about moving forward, tell me, is it that you're unsure about the plan that you created with Nurse Jenna?

(07:42):
Is it the total investment that you guys talked about? What do you feel like you're a little bit hesitant on the finalization of your booking? And so then instead of being like, "If you're not sure, talk to me later," or, "Oh, it's fine, just don't worry about it. " You're actually digging into where is that hesitation coming from because there's something in their mind where they're like, "Oh, I don't know if this is right." And that's why they don't want to do it because you will literally lose nothing with a car on file unless you don't go by the policy.

Heather (08:09):
It makes so much sense when you say it. And I just want to acknowledge too, having sat in that seat at the time, that would not have occurred to me to ask. You don't know what you don't know, but it makes so much sense. If they're showing hesitation, what is the kind thing to do? It's to dive into that with them and figure out where it's coming from versus I feel like so often, and it's human nature, but we get worried about ourselves of like, "I'm uncomfortable now. I don't know what to say now, but if you take a second, take a deep breath and think, how can I really help this person?" There's a clear avenue of where to go next. So I actually really love that. Now, you also mentioned good communication and having something that's very repeatable and standardized to nurture prospects that have booked their appointment, but they haven't actually come in just yet. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how you outline that communication?

Jenna (09:07):
Yeah, there's a lot of different ways to do it and you can get really in depth with it, but a very nice general way to do it is just having your set sequence that you notify the patient that they're going to receive upon your booking. So for when I was working on the sales side of things, it was always once you got everything secured, okay, great. Now here's what to expect next. I'm going to send you a link to your email with some patient intake forms, and that's going to be going over your health history, blah, blah, blah, whatever's included there and our policy is X, Y, Z. The next thing that you're going to receive is when you arrive in the office, you're going to get a discovery questionnaire or a patient intake questionnaire, and that's going to go over all your different concerns.

(09:44):
I know it feels like a lot of paperwork, but it's really just to ensure that our provider's able to go over it and make sure we're addressing everything because once you get in the room, it's usually you kind of forget some things that you feel like were really important. And then the other thing that you're going to receive are going to be some consent forms. This is just going to ensure that your entire appointment can go super smooth and the entirety of that 30 minutes you have with your provider is fully focused on you, your concerns and your plans, and we don't have to worry about those consent forms or any sort of paperwork. The other thing that you can expect to receive from us are going to be some appointment reminders. We're going to be sending you a text, an email, and a phone call, and we do require confirmation for that appointment.

(10:22):
So please, if you get any of those forms of communication, please just respond with a confirmation message so we can ensure that we have everything secured for you. And then that way they know exactly what to expect. They're not surprised if they're getting a bunch of these communications from you and they understand why you're sending them because when you tell them the reason why is that way we're completely focused on you, it's a lot more of incentive to them to be like, "Oh, okay, you just want to fill out my inbox. It's for a purpose."

Heather (10:47):
No, I like that a lot because I think all of that information is so crucial to get, right? But sometimes, and maybe oftentimes we don't warn a patient that they're going to be getting all of that messaging and they can get a little overwhelmed and they're like, "What the heck? Why are you spamming my phone? I just made one appointment. What's going on? " So tell me then, you mentioned that there's another hack that I think that probably plays in to some of the messaging to make sure that they don't get overwhelmed. Tell me a little bit about that.

Jenna (11:18):
Yeah. The biggest hack is experience really. And so the thing is, if you have someone, say you have a separate reception area versus a sales consultant, right? Somebody who's been trained in the sort of nurturing sequence, however you want to do it in your practice, it doesn't have to be some crazy sales training that they've gone to, but just lay out what you want your protocol to be for that nurture sequence and train this individual on that. And that way the entirety of this, or not entirety, but a big portion of this individual's role is to nurture patients, get them excited, and be that warm person that they look forward to talking to who knows their whole journey. So that way it's like, "Oh yeah, I know that Jenna's going to call me and I'm excited to tell her about my appointment or I'm excited to tell her about X, Y, Z." And when I call you, I'm not like, "Hey, this is Jenna.

(12:04):
I just want to give you a call to confirm your appointment at this time. Oh, this is work for me. " Okay, do you want to book another date? Okay, all right, bye. It's a lot more personal if I'm calling them and I have my appointment notes of like, "Hey, I know we talked last week and we booked you for XY appointment for X, Y, concern." I was actually just talking to the provider. They're so excited to meet you. I did notice that there's one form that we're missing here that we do need because I want to make sure I'm able to go over with Nurse Jenna, these different health history, whatever that you had so that way she's fully prepared. I'm going to go ahead and resend that to you now. If you could go ahead and fill it out for me by end of day.

(12:35):
If you don't, unfortunately, we might have to adjust your appointment time just because I want to make sure that she is fully prepared for your appointment and we can give you the best experience possible. And it sounds like a lot of words, but when the patient hears it that way, they're like, "Oh, okay. Yeah, no, I didn't really want to fill out that form because I thought it was stupid, but if that's the reason why and she needs it and you're actually checking up on me and I like you, then I feel like I should probably fill it out and they have more buy-in versus the front desk is usually so overwhelmed. It's checking people in, checking people out, taking all the phone calls." You don't have that same capability to be that nurturing individual all the time that maybe somebody else whose role was more focused around that would.

Heather (13:13):
It's really interesting hearing you talk about it and it sounds wonderful because if you think about your typical ... If I go to my OB type appointments, when I was going to those, there were plenty of appointment reminders that I was getting and it was like, "Hey, this is your appointment. Hey, this is your appointment. Hey, this is your appointment. Please confirm, please confirm, please confirm, please fill out these forms." And it was automated message after automated message. And I'm like, dang, I'm getting a little tired from this. And in today's age where we're all inching into the world of AI and automation and more efficiency, it's interesting to think about how things might evolve and where it's going to be so important to have that human touch versus AI. And I think things will evolve, but maybe if you're sitting and you're listening to this and you're thinking about your job as the receptionist, as the front desk, as the allied staff in the clinic, what can you do to set yourself apart, to make yourself invaluable in the practice?

(14:16):
And it's being that connection piece. So hearing the way that you said it, yes, it's a lot of words, but how much nicer is that than the hammer text of like, "Please confirm or we will cancel," type of automated message. Food for thought. It's very interesting.

Jenna (14:30):
Well, and what's so funny too is how many of those ... And this is such a bad thing to say as somebody who sees patients, but how many of those have I received, not responded to and no showed? You don't have the buy-in. Not that you don't care, but you're kind of like, "It wasn't top of my priority," because there's not somebody there walking through you with it. And the other thing that's really interesting to note is when you are talking to AI, I don't know if anybody else is best friends with chat, but I am, what do they do the entire time? It's nurturing you, it's complimenting you. "You're so smart. "Oh wow, it's a great idea, Jenna. I love that. That is all AI does. So it is so important because it's getting harder to tell now what is AI and what is human connection, but there is that human value that you can bring and that true human connection that is so important to really make sure that we maintain because it does make a big difference. And so I think that's a wonderful point.

Heather (15:24):
Jenna, I do want to thank you just for taking the time to walk us through these real life blockers and your experience around them. And for those listening whose job it really is to just have these conversations all day, every day, is there any specific takeaway that you hope that they might get from listening to today's episode?

Jenna (15:42):
The biggest takeaway I would say is your role and your job is so much more than what you think it is. The more that I have delved into the research of sales, call it sales, but it's really connection. It helps you in so many aspects of your life. It is such a phenomenal tool that you are able to hone and really make your own. And it is going to serve you in so many more ways than you can possibly imagine. And so you are in one of the coolest roles that you could possibly be in and it's going to serve you so well in life. So if you're feeling frustrated, if you're feeling like you don't know all the answers, nobody ever does, but it is such a unique and fun experience that you're in right now. So I'm just very excited for you.

Heather (16:27):
Well, Jenna, thank you. This has been such a fun conversation for everything that we've chatted through today, from tactics to real world application to AI and its role as we're evolving, touching and sprinkling that in here too. But if we want to hear more, where can we find you online and see what you're doing day to day?

Jenna (16:48):
Absolutely. I would love if you would follow me online. My Instagram and TikTok are @AustinBeautyBoss. And then my LinkedIn is Jenna Hennig, H-E-N-N-I-G. It's a weird last name.

Heather (17:01):
Wonderful. Well, if you have a question that you want Jenna to answer for us, just send us a message at practicelandpodcast.com and we will certainly reach out to her and get that question answered.

Blake (17:13):
Got a wild customer service story or a sticky patient situation? Send us a message or voicemail. If your tale makes it into our "She did what?" segment, we'll send a thank you gift you'll actually love. Promise, no cheap swag here.

Andrea (17:25):
Are you one of us? Subscribe for new episode notifications and more at practicelandpodcast.com. New episodes drop weekly on YouTube and everywhere you can listen to podcasts.