In the world of cosmetic surgery, reputation is everything. Positive reviews help to fill up those time slots, while the impact of a negative one can be substantial.
So how do you ensure your patients go back to their lives feeling fully satisfied, beyond honing your surgery skills? From educating your clients to better listening to them, here’s how to boost customer satisfaction and create lifelong ambassadors as a result…
Set expectations before the surgery
It’s well-established that informed patients are often happier patients. Although it can be tempting to focus only on the positives to convince someone to go ahead – after all, plastic surgeons are as much salesperson as they are medical practitioner – a customer who expects the world is all too easily disappointed.
It’s important to be open and honest about the risks, results, and recovery process.
Tip: Measure your patients’ bra size before surgery
A surprising number of women are actually wearing a smaller cup size than they really need. If a patient who wanted a slight boost thinks they’ve gone from a B cup to an F, that can come as quite a shock!
Taking a little time in your initial consultation to properly measure their starting size – which may well already be a C, D or DD – helps to show that it’s what they see in the mirror that matters, not what their bra label says. Plus, it gives them a better idea of what post-op bra size to expect to need.
Tip: Pictures really do say a thousand words
You may understand a capsular contracture like it’s second nature, but your patient will have a hard time picturing something they’ve never seen. They’re nodding along, but inside they’re too embarrassed to admit they’re not clear on something.
Let’s say your patient is pushing for bigger implants than you’re recommending. Don’t just explain the risk of lower pole stretching, show them a photo. Pictures can also help show how scars will look at different stages, illustrate the difference between round and teardrop implants.
Get to know your patients’ lifestyle
Your clients may all be coming to you for the same thing, but they’re diverse people with varying lifestyles. No one likes feeling like they are just a number on your patient roster – they want a surgeon who’s great at what they do, of course, but also friendly and who really cares.
Tip: Customize your advice for each individual
Your client will be excited but nervous too, so building trust is essential. Getting to know each patient on a more personal level enables you to give tailored advice, demonstrating that you’ve listened to their individual needs.
“Be proactive and show that you’ve got everything covered, so they can feel more relaxed.”
For example, do they have young children? Be sure to let them know when they can pick them up again. Are they working? Explain their rights in terms of taking time off. Don’t wait to be asked these questions – be proactive and show that you’ve got everything covered, so they can feel more relaxed.
Ask about upcoming travel plans too. Ensure they’ve got adequate pain relief for the trip, and perhaps even recommend our post-op healing bikini!
Guide them in their lingerie shopping
Speaking of what to wear, remember that your recent patient may be feeling rather lost when it comes to buying new bras. The previous go-to brands may not fit right or feel as comfortable on augmented breasts. Or even make their new size.
Making sure your patient loves their new look in lingerie is as important as making sure they love it without. After all, a good mood leads to good reviews.
Tip: Figure out their new size for them
Not everyone wants to shout about the fact that they’ve got implants. Some patients may be too self-conscious to get a boutique bra fitting, especially in the early months when the scars are red. So do them a favor and re-measure their bra size yourself once the swelling has gone down.
Tip: Be aware of where they can shop
In the US in particular, it’s difficult to find anything over a DD cup at the mall. Your patients will appreciate any advice that you can give, so ideally have a list to hand of local boutiques or online stores that you know carry larger sizes and good quality products.
Tip: Help them feel fab right from day one
Of course, before they can move on to everyday lingerie, they’ll be wearing post-surgery bras for a little while. And we all know how unfashionable those can be! The First Love bra is a plastic surgeon-approved post-surgery bra that’s actually pretty, so why not throw one in for free?
They’ll love it, and it benefits you too. Who wants to share a post-op selfie in a medical compression vest? Give them a bra that makes them feel sexy and stylish however, and watch the social media recommendations flood in.
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Above all, remember that your job shouldn’t just be to do the actual surgery – you should be guiding your customer throughout the process. Many plastic surgeons can give great results, so it’s the other qualities that make you more memorable.
