Speed to Your Leads
Is your practice making a sizeable investment in generating qualified, targeted leads through your marketing channels (social media, website optimization, paid search)? Did you know the average health system follows up with a lead ONE time by leaving ONE voicemail? NOW is the time to analyze your team’s effort in optimizing all the leads your precious marketing dollars bring in.
“Fast response to a lead builds confidence and rapport with the customer, improving the chances of conversion of that lead. This is especially important in healthcare.
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There have been many large studies to examine the impact of the timing of contacts following lead generation. Here is some useful data from a cross section of industries that can motivate you plan to maximize your lead conversion as we move into 2022:
· A study by LeadResponseManagement.org showed that when sales teams respond to leads in under 5 minutes, their chances of engagement and conversion of leads skyrocket. This has since been coined as “The Five Minute Rule”.
· 50% of leads are never called a second time by the business
· 80% of outbound calls go to voicemail and potential customers don’t return 90% of first-time voicemails
· 93% of leads that convert to customers were reached on the 6th attempt
· 78% of digital leads go to the first organization to respond
· 11% of the calls you make get responses on the first attempt, 22% get replies on the second attempt. More attempts lead to more success
“While a customer waits for your reply, they are researching your competition”
MIT, The Kellogg School and Inside Sales completed a study analyzing 3 years of data across six companies that generate and respond to web leads (fifteen thousand leads and over one hundred thousand call attempts). While not healthcare specific, they offer the following insights:
· When a person submits a lead in a web form, you know where they are at that exact moment: they are at their computer, or on their cell phone. We call this “presence”. If you call them immediately, they answer. If you wait, they move on to something else, often away from their phone.
· People search the Internet because they want things now. Interest and need wane quickly. A few days later they often don’t even remember they submitted a lead. Immediacy of response hits the respondent at their highest point of interest or need.
· When a representative contacts a person who submitted a lead in less than 5 minutes, the respondent quite often reacts with “Wow, that was fast! You are impressive
· Day of week and time of day impact call response however overall Immediacy of response far overshadows both time of day and day of week in its effect on contact and qualification ratios.
A 2020 study by Gong found that Wednesday and Thursday remain the best days of the week to call prospects. Call Hippo found the best time to call a prospective customer is between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm, the second-best time to pick up the phone is between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm.
Whose job is lead follow-up in your practice – everyone and no-one?
If following up on leads is a an “other duties as assigned” role for a team member in your office, it is not likely that lead follow-up is getting the consistent focus and attention the task deserves.
Team members who are assigned to follow up on leads should be trained in interview techniques for maximizing conversion of leads to patients. This involves questions and conversations designed to identify a potential patient’s major concern, motivation for a procedure, clinical background, ability to pay (or accepted insurance) as well as a general feeling of “fit” for the practice. Well qualified leads keep provider schedules filled with appropriate patients rather than shoppers or tire kickers.
If FTE limitations in your practice(s) are keeping you from attending to your leads effectively, turn to Care Sherpa for an outsourced solution. Present clients describe us as “an extension of the patient care team”. Our team of Sherpas will guide potential patients through the qualification process and into appointment slots designated for high value prospects.