How Your Reception Design Is Killing (or Boosting) Patient Flow

<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>00:51</time>
<p>You're listening to Podiatry Marketing, conversations on building a successful podiatry practice with Tyson Franklin and Jim McDannald.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>01:00</time>
<p>Welcome back to Podiatry Marketing. I'm your host, Jim McDannald. Joined as always are my trusty cohost, Tyson Franklin. Tyson, how are doing today?</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>01:07</time>
<p>I'm fantastic today, big Jim. Looking forward to another episode of Podiatry Marketing. Share some wisdom. Some of the things we've learned from your past.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>01:15</time>
<p>Drop some knowledge,</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>01:16</time>
<p>Yeah. We got a microphone there. Could just drop it. Actually, I have a shirt that's got mic drop. It's a dropping Yeah.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>01:25</time>
<p>Microphone. Yeah. I've never been I've never been an opportunity where I've been able to say something that was that profound that you just drop the microphone.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>01:33</time>
<p>Yeah. I I feel bad because most</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>01:34</time>
<p>of time when I use a microphone, it's</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>01:35</time>
<p>not my microphone that I'm using. So, like, I wouldn't wanna drop somebody else's microphone.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>01:39</time>
<p>I know. Especially if it's expensive one. So should we dive into today's topic?</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>01:43</time>
<p>Yeah. Let's jump in.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>01:45</time>
<p>So today and we have touched on this slightly part of this earlier on, but today, we're talk about how your reception design is killing or boosting patient flow. And most podiatrists, and in fact, I'd say most businesses in general, they don't associate their reception area with marketing at all. They just look at the reception, there's a reception, but they don't realize that the reception area itself, it controls patient flow. It shapes the patient's first impression. So you could win or lose a patient really early just on what they experience and what when they approach the reception.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>02:21</time>
<p>And it influences how the entire clinic feels. So, basically, reception area, I think, is your first marketing touch point.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>02:31</time>
<p>Yeah. Definitely making that first impression, whether it's greeting or the the look and feel of the room. There's a there's a lot there to unpack, so I'm excited to to see where to take this today.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>02:42</time>
<p>Yeah. So most podiatrists think marketing ends when they, yeah, they place a a Google ad or they do something on the website and the patient then makes an appointment. And they think that's marketing, but it doesn't. Marketing continues. The moment they walk through the the front door of your clinic, your reception area is where expectations can either be confirmed or quietly fall apart.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>03:03</time>
<p>And if it feels chaotic, it's slow, it's unclear, patient's not sure what they should do or where they should go, they're not gonna think, oh, they must just be having a busy day. First thing that's gonna pop into their head is this place is disorganized, and those feelings stick for a long period of time. And that's what it was on episode two two seven when I spoke about the happiness advantage, a marketing strategy you're not using. In that episode, we spoke about how patients feel. And when somebody gets a strong feeling on something, it takes a lot of work to actually change that feeling or make them feel better.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>03:40</time>
<p>So if you missed that episode, go back to two two seven and have a listen to it.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>03:44</time>
<p>I like the point you made there, I think it is this kind of hand off of expectations. Right? You go from an ad to move to the website into the, you know, the reception in the front desk area in the reception area, and, like, there needs to be a seamless hand off between each of those different kind of experiences for the patient. Because if it's if one's out of whack or one's bad or one's, you know, really meets their expectations, it can be the difference between like a a bad, you know, patient experience in the clinic versus something that is kind of a wow experience. So you have not always that there should be pressure feeling like, I don't wanna drop the ball, but you have a a great opportunity to kind of get people down this course and this path towards being a a happy, you know, patient will just, you know, scream your name from the rooftop.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>04:28</time>
<p>So Yeah. Well, see, when a clinic runs behind, most people might think, oh, it's it maybe it must be their schedule. They've they've booked in too many patients. Or it's the clinician. They obviously talk too much.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>04:39</time>
<p>That's why they're running behind. Or it must just be one of those days. But often, the problem starts at the reception desk. Heaps of patients all arriving at the same time, and they have to wait. They're standing behind each other, and they're like, look at my appointment at 10:00.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>04:54</time>
<p>I'm here at 10:00, and now I have to wait five minutes. And they get these certain feelings, and now they're gonna look at me that I I was running behind. Or forms are being filled out at the last minute. You've arrived on time, and they hand you a phone, oh, can you fill this in? It's only 57 questions.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>05:10</time>
<p>You're like, my god. Okay? Or payments just take longer than they should. It's, They haven't got up to date payments process. And it creates friction, and it's the friction that actually kills patient flow.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>05:22</time>
<p>So recently, I mentioned last week that I'd had a bit of a back problem, so I had to get see doctors, saw chiropractors, physiotherapists, MRIs, CT scans, had the works done. So I got to visit a lot of places. The MRI place we went to, we walked in, and there was, like, massive reception desk. It was second biggest reception desk I've ever seen. And but there were, like, four receptionists here, but they're all down in one corner.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>05:47</time>
<p>I went, okay. There's all these other spaces not being used. So I stand alone with there for other people, but all those four people were in or the people in front of me and the receptionist was just in taking. Oh, okay. So I put my form in, got through pretty quickly, got the MRI done pretty great, which is good.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>06:03</time>
<p>I hated it. I'm claustrophobic. Don't like being in there. Came out, but when I came out, I went, where do where do I pay? Where what am I supposed to do here?</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>06:10</time>
<p>There's all this reception area. I thought it'd be in this this spot where nobody was sitting. No. I had to get back in the same line of people who were waiting to just let them know that they were here. There were 13 people in front of me.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>06:25</time>
<p>So I had to wait for 13 people be distributed to where they had to go before I could actually just pay my bill. That process took it was about an extra twelve minutes. I had to stand there in line waiting for these people to get through, and then they were filling out all forms. That is annoying, especially when they've got a reception desk that is so big that could've had different areas. I could've should've just walked out, paid my bill, and basically walked out the door.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>06:51</time>
<p>Another example is the doctor Sergio went to. Before I went and saw him, they sent me a text message. Can you fill in these forms so the doctor has an idea what you're coming in for? Went through it, filled in all the forms. Anyway, turn up, wait forty five minutes for the doctor because I just love waiting in in the air in reception areas.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>07:09</time>
<p>I sit down, and he says, so how can I help you today? And I went I went and what I thought, but I just went, hang on. You your clinic made me fill in some forms beforehand. You haven't already looked at anything, and you're forty five minutes behind. So, yes, I was grumpy on the inside, but I'm always polite.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>07:28</time>
<p>Yeah. Definitely being in the shoes of the patient and kinda seeing some of these workflows from that perspective, it can be pretty enlightening and probably pretty frustrating at the same time.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>07:37</time>
<p>Yeah. And like you said, put yourself in the patient's shoes. I say to podiatrist sometimes, stand outside your clinic or in your car park, and then walk in like you've never been to your clinic before. Like, pretend you know anything about it and just walk in. Do you know exactly do you know where to go immediately when you walk in?</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>07:54</time>
<p>Do you feel acknowledged when you walked in? And is the process obvious and smooth? Because if there's any amount of hesitation, then there's there's a gap in your system somewhere. And I know some clinics, they they won't have this problem because they might have a very small waiting room, and there's a small reception counter there. And there's one receptionist there twiddling her thumbs.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>08:14</time>
<p>That's if she's not on Facebook in between patients. And but if you're a solo practitioner, if you don't have a receptionist and you're doing everything yourself, you have it has to be really clear where where patients need to go. Because as your clinic grows, it's gonna get really, really important.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>08:30</time>
<p>Absolutely. Like, if you don't have that, it's it can cause a real bottleneck and a real bad patient experience.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>08:36</time>
<p>Yeah. And zoning your reception is also helpful. This is what I where I think the the MRI place was letting themselves down because they had such a large reception area and had four receptions on there. They could had one just taking the payments at the end, and that would reduce the amount of congestion. Plus, where you walked in was also where people were sitting.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>08:59</time>
<p>So, you know, I'm I'm standing there at the counter. I've almost got someone sniffing my butt. They were sitting that close behind me. And it was very awkward. So have zones.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>09:07</time>
<p>Have an arrival area. Your waiting area, make sure it doesn't encroach on where the patients are arriving, which was happening at this business. And then when people are departing, make sure it's really clear. If those zones blur, someone trying to pay, someone arriving, patients are sitting there, it it gets very it gets congested. And patients need to know how to just move naturally through your clinic.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>09:30</time>
<p>Oh, it makes total sense. Just a a good flow of folks. Like I said, everyone remaining comfortable. There's no one stiff in your butt. Definitely, we'll we'll lead to, you know, discomfort in in two areas probably.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>09:43</time>
<p>So</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>09:43</time>
<p>Yeah. Have you ever been in a business like that? Where the the chairs the waiting chairs are so close to you, you're going, I hope I don't pass wind. Because if I do, they're copping it. No.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>09:54</time>
<p>If that hasn't happened to you, Jim, I bet it has. Anyway, so</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>09:57</time>
<p>It's been a little it's been a little while.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>09:59</time>
<p>So I always say, is your reception desk a barrier or a bridge? So I've seen reception desks that look like a fortress. They've almost got bars in the window and a moat going around it to keep you away from actually interacting. They're big, they're bulky. Sometimes, they're too big for the space that they're in, and it creates distance between you and the patients or or you and your team.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>10:21</time>
<p>So a a receptionist should feel approachable. It should be nice and open, but it should function, and it shouldn't be covered in paperwork. It shouldn't be covered in orthotics or where people have dropped footwear off. And I have seen podiatry clinics like that where you look over the the front, and it's total chaos. No one knows no one knows what's going on and wonder why things get lost or misplaced.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>10:44</time>
<p>Yeah. I think this the impression you give as far as, you know, being clean and orderly can mean a lot to patients as well to see that things are operating in a in a orderly fashion can can build confidence and build trust with folks.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>10:57</time>
<p>Yeah. And the next thing I wanna touch on is just the seating. The seating, I think, matters more than what people think. If there's too much seating in an area, it's gonna feel really crowded. And if there's too little seating, it causes stress because you walk in and go, oh, there's not enough seats.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>11:14</time>
<p>Am I am I supposed to stand? Where am I supposed to stand?</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>11:18</time>
<p>Musical chairs.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>11:19</time>
<p>Yeah. It's like that. But the real issue, it's just the layout. Some patients if a patient has to squeeze past somebody else or they have to stand ugly or they're they're blocking the reception counter, your flow is already compromised. And and and think about the styles of the chair as well.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>11:36</time>
<p>Do you have with armrests or without? And recently, like I said, a few places that I visited, I've had to go in some places and I had to wait a certain amount of time. All the chairs that I had there had armrests, which are great if you need an armrest to pull yourself up, but I need a chair where I could only sit one butt cheek on there and let the other one sort of hang off because my back was killing me so much. And none of the seats were really suitable for that, so I end up standing up, which felt better than than sitting down. You might have a combination.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>12:09</time>
<p>Some with armrests, some without armrests. But as soon as you have armrests, it does take up more room. So just be prepared prepared for that. What's gonna work best in your clinic so patients don't get in each other's way?</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>12:19</time>
<p>No. It makes total sense. You know, they kept to make good use of the space because, like, yeah, if you don't want crowding in the uncomfortable path, having to pass somebody or, like you said, less like playing musical chairs can be a little tricky sometimes in a in a medical office.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>12:33</time>
<p>Yeah. And and we've spoken about this in the past. I know you have on one of the episodes. But she's using technology to speed things up. Whether there are online forms.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>12:42</time>
<p>But if somebody's filling in an online form, don't hand them another form when they walk in. Tap and go payments. Pre filled patient details. Or even there's a business called plan three six five where they have memberships. And I've spoken to a couple of podiatrists recently who have been part of their group or have formed their own membership.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>13:01</time>
<p>Patients are paying a certain amount of money per month based on how many visits they're gonna have for the year. So when they come in, they just walk in, out. There's not even a there's a wave at the reception as they leave because everything's all been preorganized. For some patients, that's gonna be absolutely perfect, especially if there's no health insurance involved. But for others, that that may not suit them.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>13:24</time>
<p>But the whole idea is try and come up with ways that just improve patient flow that speeds up the process, getting them in, getting the treatment, and basically getting them out again.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>13:35</time>
<p>Remembering if they do fill on those online forms to take a look at them before you walk in the office and ask what's what what bring people in today. So definitely, it's a really important small detail there.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>13:45</time>
<p>Yeah. Definitely. If the information is there, please read it before the patient comes in so that you you don't look like a bit of a Gumby. And so the the important part with all this too is you don't need a full renovation. Sometimes, just small changes can give really can make a big impact.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>14:04</time>
<p>Some of the easiest improvements that I've seen is just moving the furniture around can be one of the best things. Decluttering your desk can make a huge difference to just how everything flows. I know even my own desk at home. When I actually do have it tidy and everything is where it's supposed to be, I will admit things do flow better. When things get a little bit cluttered, things start to get lost and and you lose time when you're trying to do something.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>14:31</time>
<p>Adjusting signage in your clinic. Do do you need to put some signage around the place that just gives people more information? And changing how patients are greeted. Because simple changes, like I said, basically have the biggest impact.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>14:45</time>
<p>No. I think that's really, really important. Like I said, just a small change in the space can make a big difference when it comes to the traffic flow and just convenience and ease for patients to get around and kinda know where to go before and after an appointment. So definitely, know, like it doesn't have to be, like I said, a massive renovation. It could just be just changing things where they're at within that space.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>15:05</time>
<p>Yeah. And if your cleaning is feeling like it's it's running a little bit behind, look at your reception area first before you do anything else because that's where your day begins, and that's also where your day ends. And if that part isn't flowing properly, everything else will struggle. Every clinic I built or fitted out other than my first one because I had no idea what I was doing, but everyone in my clinic started with where the reception area was first, and then the rest of the clinic was actually designed around that. And I and I learned that from experience.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>15:36</time>
<p>Whereas previously, you would be going, oh, how many how many consultation rooms are we gonna have, and what's gonna be the biomechanics room, and this is where the lab's gonna be. And you're building all that and you go, oh, and this is what we're left with reception. Where I spun it around and worked out, this is what the reception is and how it's gonna work and flow, and then all the rooms sort of were designed after that. So if you have the opportunity to design your own clinic and the walls aren't preexisting that you can't tear down, really think about where the reception's gonna go first, and then flow everything off from there.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>16:08</time>
<p>That sounds like a sound advice. I think it's really really important, like you said, to you have that that good patient experience, and by having a reception that is comfortable, that builds trust with patients, it's a great way to it just helps you provide great care and for patients to have a great experience.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>16:24</time>
<p>Now if you're listening to this and you're thinking, okay. Maybe there are a few bottlenecks in my clinic, and you're not sure exactly how to fix them, that's exactly what I help podiatrists do. But and if you wanna know anything else about what I do in this area of podiatry, just get my website, tysonfranklin.com. But sometimes, it may be your marketing that is the problem. And if that's the case, you know, like Google Ads, reach out to Jim, and yours is podiatrygrowth.com, Jim?</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>16:52</time>
<p>That's correct, Tyson.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>16:53</time>
<p>Yeah. Or you just have any questions in general, just reach out to us. We're always here to help.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>16:58</time>
<p>Couldn't agree more.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>17:00</time>
<p>Okay. That's all I had for this particular topic, and I hope everyone got something from that. And even just making one small change. Sometimes, might you might just look at the chairs in your kitchen and go, these are too big, too bulky. What what you know what I found happens a lot of the times is some people are a bit not they're concerned about the cash flow.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>17:20</time>
<p>So they might move from one location to another location, and they don't wanna part with anything. So they bring all their old furniture and stuff with them, and they try to use it in the next clinic because they think it's gonna save them money. But if a reception counter suited you in one place, doesn't mean it's gonna suit you in the next place. Or the chairs may have been great in one place, replace them if they're not really gonna work in the in the new place. So just keep that top of mind.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>17:46</time>
<p>Yeah. And you gotta replace those armchairs with the chairs that don't have arms, so the next time Tyson comes into your clinic, you can just one cheek it there on the chair instead.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>17:55</time>
<p>Yeah. Or you put them all together and just lie down if required. I do. Gives you options. Okay, Jim.</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>18:01</time>
<p>That's it for me this week. That</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>18:03</time>
<p>was great, Tyson. Thanks so much for sharing that information, and I'll talk to you next week. Okay?</p>
<cite>Tyson E. Franklin:</cite>
<time>18:07</time>
<p>Okay. See you later. Bye.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>18:08</time>
<p>Bye now.</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>18:10</time>
<p>Thanks for listening to Podiatry Marketing with Tyson Franklin and</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>18:13</time>
<p>Jim</p>
<cite>Jim McDannald, DPM:</cite>
<time>18:13</time>
<p>McDaniel. Subscribe and learn more at Podiatry Marketing. That's the website address, podiatry.marketing.</p>