Client Recall Strategy

Background

 

We’ve all heard the saying: “Acquiring a new Client can cost five times more than retaining an existing Client.” 


This may be an over-simplification in today’s world, as it does not account for continuing advancements in the ability to personalize messaging to new Clients. Nevertheless, you must invest time, thought and money into your Client Recall Strategy to increase the Client Lifetime Values (CLVs) with your hearing care organization.


Increasing Client retention by 5% can increase profits from 25-95%, and the success rate of selling to an existing Client will be far higher than selling to new Clients.


So, how can we stay in regular contact with our Clients in a way that maximizes their CLVs?

Database Segmentation

 

We should never just bundle all of our Clients into one group and send everyone the same messages . For example, a Client who has been fitted with a hearing aid 6 months ago will become incredibly annoyed to receive a letter about the latest and greatest technology that comes with a discount.


Instead, we must be able to categorise Clients based on who and where they are in the Client Lifecyle. For example:

  • Private Pay clients 
  • Government-funded Clients of the Hearing Services Program (Australia)
  • Degree of hearing loss (e.g. 3FAL, and 4K) 
  • Had a hearing test. Had a hearing loss. Not fitted. (i.e. Recommended. Not sold)
  • Existing Clients who have been fitted with hearing aids…
  • 1 year ago should be offered “Hearing aid clean and check services”
  • 2 years ago should be retested and, potentially, have their hearing aid settings adjusted.
  • 4 – 5 years ago should be informed of the latest technology that offers better performance than their current solution, and can be invited to try the latest technology yearly.
  • Lapsed Clients

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Automating the process

 

In order to manage the Calendars of your Hearing Care Providers, we should spread campaigns out over the course of the year. Large organizations with tens-of-thousands of clients will be sending communications to Clients who fall due every week or every month. Smaller organizations may be better to run Recall campaigns every month or quarter. The key is to automate this process. 
 

Step one: Build and maintain accurate and complete data on your Clients, such as:

  • Contact details: Name, Phone, Email, Address.
  • Hearing data: 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz for both ears
  • Service and Product data: 
  • Services performed and date
  • Products fitted and fitting date

Step two: Extract data regularly to communicate with clients in a timely and effective manner. 

 

Service packages can create loyalty

 

A brilliant strategy that we have helped one of our most valued clients, Connect Hearing (USA), to deploy is their Service Packages. These are promoted and ‘sold’ to Clients at the time of fitting. It outlines to Clients that they are not buying a hearing aid, as much as they are investing in their hearing ability over the next 3 years.
These service packages can be provided as added value for higher value hearing aids (i.e. at no cost), or can be purchased by clients as an important add on.


In this way, they are also inferring that there is much more bundled into the price of a hearing aid than plastic and electronics. This indirectly protects the Hearing Care Provider against price competition coming from online retailers of hearing aids too.

Combining direct mail, phone calls, text messages, email, and social media marketing

 

These days there are many different ways that we can communicate with Clients, and one size does not fit all.

  • Direct Mail: Affords more complex sales messages, especially when talking about new technology. But we can include QR codes to online calendars and websites for people to respond instantly to, regardless of day or time.
  • Text Messages: Perhaps a little more invasive, but we can ask clients to tell us how they would like to be contacted.
  • Email: Some clients may appreciate being followed up by email. You should definitely be collecting email addresses and can position this as “trying to save trees.”
  • Phone: Used to follow-up letters, emails, or text messages.
  • Social Media: If we have a Clients email and/or phone number we can use this to serve reminders and advertising straight into their Social Media feeds

Other support activities

 

Hearing Care Marketing - by Spinach Effect will coordinate everything you need, from helping set up your database to fulfilment of your campaign. Our hope is that we can build the campaign and then, through automation, step away to save you money.  We will support your team further through:

  • Inbound and outbound phone scripts for Client service staff to maximize their effectiveness
  • Campaign instructions and information for staff (i.e. Facts-at-a-Glance worksheets)

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Contact us today to start the discussion and get a quote

 

For more information, call us at +61 449 215 344 to request a free discussion (Phone, Skype, Zoom or MS Teams), or complete the below form and we’ll be in contact with you very soon.