With the Center for Disease Control recommending the practice of social distancing, virtual communication and services are more essential than ever. We understand that these abrupt changes can throw off your day-to-day life and leave you wondering how best to proceed. This is the time to plan ahead, not panic!
In the face of this global pandemic, it will be necessary to make some changes in order to reflect the current crisis. Being able to keep your patients and followers updated in real-time can help to provide a sense of calm within the storm. We know this can all seem overwhelming, but there are some steps you can take to be prepared and available throughout this outbreak.
Change Your Focus To Virtual Consultations
Consider changing your main focus from in-office visits to virtual consultations. Amidst this global health crisis, the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will waive HIPAA violation penalties so that healthcare providers may utilize tools such as FaceTime and Skype to serve patients. Virtual consults are a service many people may not be aware of, so it can be very beneficial to bring it to the forefront of your website. Changing your website headers to include direct links to virtual consultation instructions is a great option for patients who are staying home.
Steps to transition to virtual consults:
- Create an automated email for new leads. When a Free Consult form is submitted, a reply will be sent with the next steps to take for a virtual consultation.
- Update your lead form and Thank You page with messaging around virtual consultations.
- Update your social media pages with information about virtual consultations
| Here’s an example of a Free Consultation form with updated messaging. |
| Here’s an example of a Thank You page form with updated messaging. This is the page your lead sees after submitting your Free Consultation form. |
Leverage Virtual Consults
If you offered virtual consultations prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, now is the time to take full advantage of that! Change the focus of your website by focusing your headers towards more of the virtual features of your practice. This will draw attention to the online services you’re offering and help you to continue to attract new patients. This will let you keep turning leads into starts even if people are practicing social distancing in your area.
If you do not offer consultations remotely, it’s a strategic time to join this trend in telemedicine. Simply conduct your consultations through Skype or FaceTime calls or have them email or text you photos of their teeth and bite.* We’ll help! By updating your website to include direct links to your virtual consultation forms, patients who are practicing social distancing can feel assured that their health and safety is your top priority.
Next Steps
Staying on top of your marketing strategies is crucial in this time of global pandemic. Taking steps to adjust your business to the growing need for virtual services may feel overwhelming. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be! The experts at Neon Canvas are prepared to help you continue to grow your business. We’ll help you make the necessary changes to inform your clients of your virtual services and keep your followers updated with any changes that arise.
In this time of overwhelming information, our goal is to help you keep moving forward with your business and the marketing plans we have in place while recognizing we may need to think on our feet if innovative solutions are called for in the next month or two.
The way you do business may look different in the coming months, but your quality of service doesn’t have to. Now is the time to make the switch to virtual consultations!