One of your pharmacy’s greatest assets is the relationship you have with your patients. But longtime relationships don’t happen by themselves. Strong relationships between patients and your pharmacy must be established and nurtured.
Relationships take time, but as an independent community pharmacy owner or manager, time is one thing you may be short on. Fortunately, there are ways to build and maintain strong relationships with patients that don’t take all day.
Here are five things you can do in your pharmacy to build your relationships with patients in under a minute.
1. Smile and make eye contact
Smiling and making eye contact when you greet and speak to a patient is a simple way to let your patient know you’re happy to see him or her.
Make sure your staff greets each patient who walks in your door with a smile and eye contact. This little action costs you nothing and only takes a moment. It’s a simple way to strengthen your bond with patients, and make your pharmacy feel more personable.
2. Celebrate with patients
When patients reach a health goal or experience an important life event, such as an anniversary or birthday, take time to celebrate with them.
Remembering important personal dates can strengthen your connection with patients, so consider sending a card from your pharmacy.
Or, if patients reach a weight loss or smoking cessation goal, don’t forget to acknowledge their hard work and accomplishment. Simply noticing their change will encourage patients to keep working toward their other health goals.
Plus, when you take time out of your busy schedule to give patients a few words of congratulations, it will make them feel like you’re truly invested in their health.
3. Ask questions
A key aspect of relationship building is getting to know someone. Take a minute to ask patients a question about their personal lives or health goals.
Inquire about how their diabetes regimen is going, or ask them how their weekend was. Asking about their personal lives and health demonstrates that you care, which is the foundation of a good relationship.
Plus, you can use the information you learn to build on a personal bond or to more fully understand their specific health needs.
4. Communicate your knowledge
Sharing a fun fact about health, an exercise tip that’s worked for you, or highlighting a key point about a prescription is a brief and effective way to build your image as an expert with patients.
When patients see you as the health expert you are, it will deepen their trust and improve your relationship.
This doesn’t have to be complicated. Look up a quick fact about a relevant health topic and share it with your patients through your social media profiles or in person.
5. Share your mutual interests
Make it your goal to remember one fact about each of your patients. Try to make it about a personal interest or something you have in common.
Maybe you’re both fans of an area sports team, or perhaps you share a mutual interest in gardening. Find a system to help you remember those personal facts and build off those mutual interests to strengthen your relationships.
Letting patients see you as a person by sharing things you have in common is a simple way to build relationships.
Relationships with patients aren’t the only bonds you should be developing. Find ways to strengthen your connections with area physicians to grow your business.
