Unlocking the Value of Your Urgent Care’s Net Promoter Score

As an urgent care provider, your clinic was built as an alternative to emergency rooms and primary care clinics for minor illness and injury. Patients come to you when they have a need for medical care now—and the competition is fierce. So you market your services, participate in community activities, and work hard to make your brand memorable. You position your clinic so that when a need arises, prospective patients think of you.

And the day comes when they’re in need of your services. Based on the urgent care business model, there’s a pretty good chance that they have never been in your clinic before. This may be your single opportunity to impress them.

Their perception of your staff, the care they receive, and the outcome of their visit will determine whether or not they come back, and just as important, what they tell their friends and family about their experience.

Will they be happy? Recommend your clinic to a coworker? What will they tell their friends?

That’s where your Net Promoter Score comes in.

One of the biggest secrets to urgent care success is knowing how your clinic and your providers are perceived. You could email a customer satisfaction survey, but research indicates that only a very small percentage are opened and returned.

For a better response, try a one-question text survey shortly after the visit.

The response rate is much better than emails—at 15 to 40 percent. And if they’re sent right away, you’ll get a timely response that allows you to react in real time to a less-than-stellar rating. When you follow up quickly you send a message that you care about your patient’s customer experience, and can prevent the patient from posting a less-than-complimentary comment on third-party review sites like Google, Yelp, or Facebook. In addition, you have the chance to explore a problem you may not have known existed.

Read more about how NPS scores can help you respond to patient feedback in the Urgent Care Quarterly.

Asking the right question is important.

Humans rely on each other when they’re looking for services. The recommendation of a friend, family member, or coworker carries a lot of weight when making decisions. For that reason, researchers have found that the best question to ask is, “Using a scale of 0-10, how likely is it that you would recommend to a friend or colleague?”

Group the respondents by their answers.

• Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will return and tell others about you, helping you grow.
• Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic patients who may consider your competitors.
• Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy patients who can hurt your business and growth through negative word-of-mouth.

You can then use the results of these one-question surveys to determine your Net Promoter Score.

The Net Promoter Score is an index ranging from -100 to 100 that measures customer’s willingness to recommend your products or services to others. It helps you gauge the customer’s overall satisfaction and loyalty to your brand. Historically, a higher NPS predicts company growth.

How to calculate your NPS

Subtract the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters to arrive at your Net Promoter Score, which can range from a low of -100 (if every customer is a Detractor) to a high of 100 (if every customer is a Promoter).

Promoters can be a great source of information, and through referrals, have a lifetime value to your business. But don’t write off the detractors—they can tell you where you’ve dropped the ball giving you an opportunity to make it right for them, and for other patients that come through your door. Detractors, if responded to appropriately, can often become your biggest promoters.

Compare your score against industry benchmarks and compare your clinic to other growing companies. Make changes based on feedback to up your game—and your score. Your NPS score can be used alongside more granular data and information to improve customer satisfaction and help you reach your goals.

Delivering an exceptional customer experience is essential in the urgent care industry. One of the biggest keys to growing your urgent care is the ability to turn your happiest customers into your biggest promoters. Find out, and use, your NPS to make that happen.