A million miles is a long way. Google says that if you travel from earth to the moon and back and back to the moon again, you have traveled one million miles. If you drove 24 / 7 at 60 miles per hour, you could drive a million miles in 2 years. Professional truck drivers can reach the million mile mark in about 8 years.
I mention all of this because I recently reached the Million Miler status with my airline. My home airport is dominated by one particular airline, so I am a loyal customer by default. This loyalty does come with certain perks that have deterred me from shopping the competition. I sometimes get upgrades, I get companion passes and I have accumulated stacks of drink vouchers.
In appreciation for this new Million Miler “status”, I received a nice letter from the CEO, a new “bag tag” and a “trophy, suitable for display.” I must admit that these items, which have no real value, do make me feel a little special.
Loyalty Programs in Eye Care
There are lessons that can be learned from the airline loyalty programs that can help our eye care practices. Most of our patients have a choice of where they will go for eye care. Often, they have to decide if they are going to wait a month to return to your office or visit the new place that has an opening today.
Why should they wait?
Typically, an eye care loyalty program revolves around trust. Patients trust that you have their best interest in mind. They trust that you are knowledgeable and keep up with the latest advancements to take care of them.
A loyalty program doesn’t have to cost anything.
1- Always say “thank you” for coming back. While you can certainly incorporate small gifts for returning patient, it can be as simple as saying the words.
2 - Demonstrate that you remember them. Many offices make a point of bringing up a personal anecdote from the last visit, which works great when it is done well. Reviewing last year’s record shows that this is an on-going relationship. Make it a routine to say, “Last time, we talked about……”.
3 - Make sure you know they care by saying it. Most of our patients who choose to go somewhere else do so because they don’t know if we care if we return or not. Part of our script with the patient should always include, “I want to see you here again in ____ so they we can ______.” Tell them the reason you want them to come back.
If you would like Leadership OD to help develop your loyalty program, give us a call.