Medical procedures, mainly plastic surgery, may have distinctly different prices depending on the doctor doing the procedure. With the cosmetic surgery industry being a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, competition is extremely tough. Clients look at plastic and reconstructive surgery when they want to make themselves more beautiful or want to hide unsightly and disfiguring scars. However, they face a rough trial finding a surgeon they can trust to be reliable and deliver what was paid for.
No Quality Control in Customer Interaction
Most plastic surgery offices hire administrative assistants or secretaries to handle appointments. Unfortunately, many of these hires aren’t experienced and have to learn the ropes as they go. The turnover rate is high in some practices, and an admin assistant may change from month to month. For regular clients, this can be disconcerting and serve to break trust with the company as a whole. Consumers prefer having a standardized interaction every time they come into an office or contact them via phone or the internet. With most clients making appointments online, a whole new realm of customer relationship management has become vital to the success of plastic surgery practices.
Transparency in Pricing Is an Issue
Getting a quote from a plastic surgeon can be difficult for a client in some cases. There aren’t any standardized prices, and many doctors prefer not to quote the price over the phone. This uncertainty does little to encourage faith in the surgeon and may actually drive customers away. Transparency can be a double-edged sword, though. By offering a price to a client before they commit, the surgeon may lose out on work. Walking the fine line between offering pricing and reserving it for clients who have signed on may rub some customers the wrong way.
A Potential Solution in BuildMyBod Health
Dr. Jonathan Kaplan (@realdrbae) is a plastic surgeon based in San Francisco and believes he’s found a way to deal with all of these potential problems. His proprietary system known as BuildMyBod Health helps plastic surgeons, and all doctors, retain more clientele through their digital gateway. The system automates the process of providing quotes to clients. The potential patient chooses the procedures and gets a quote. When they confirm, the system automatically updates the doctor on the process and the scheduled date for the client’s visit. Additionally, the system comes with a chatbot that provides human-like responses, giving the client a familiar interface each time they visit.
Understanding Modern Practices to Stay Competitive
BuildMyBod Health is one of many customer-facing software suites that deal with client management and retention. It is, however, the only one that deals specifically with price transparency and lead generation. The system works well, but Dr. Kaplan believes that it can be improved and is working to make it more user-responsive and integrate more functionality. With time, we’ll likely see more doctors and hospitals adopting the system because of how easy it is for consumers to check their out of pocket costs. The digital world is one of the most valuable touchpoints for a modern plastic surgeon. Neglecting it could leave a surgeon at a definite disadvantage.
