Practice Management Tips

Intake form best practices to deliver a great client experience

updated on

June 12, 2023

 

You are being judged by your customers. Before, during, and after their treatment sessions, your clients are evaluating how they feel about their experience. Each interaction is an opportunity to impress or distress them--to make them want to see you again or seek a new provider. This includes the interactions that occur outside treatment such as appointment scheduling, and your intake and billing processes. 

 

In fact, asked to select all the non-treatment factors that impact how healthcare consumers rate their experience, 60% included the ease of booking appointments and 45% the ease of the intake or registration process on their lists. 

 

Does your current intake process deliver a positive experience for your clients? Does it give you access to the information you need to provide personalized, professional treatment to each of your clients? Follow these tips to make a good impression on your clients. 

 

Make sure you schedule enough time for intakes and updates

Paperwork is a hassle. Although the information you gather during intake is important, filling out forms isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. Reduce intake friction by making your forms as neat and simple to understand as possible. If you are using paper forms, be sure to provide your clients with ample room on each line to write in their answers. And don't use photocopies of photocopies, or else your forms become misaligned and illegible.

 

And, whether you are using digital or paper forms, remember that new clients and clients who are due for an update will need extra time before their appointment to fill out the needed information. Otherwise, your appointment with them might end up starting late. If this happens, you’ll have to cut their appointment short or risk running late for your next client--neither of these scenarios will put a plus in your client experience column.

Deliver a superior client experience by reviewing your clients’ intake forms in advance

Having up to date information about each of your clients is essential to provide them with the best quality of care. That’s why we recommend that you ask your customers to complete an annual update of the information requested by your intake forms. Be sure to store your client records securely and in order. Being able to find the information you need quickly will save you valuable time throughout your day--time you can spend serving your clients. 

 

Take your client’s experience up to the next level by reviewing their latest intake information before their scheduled appointment. You’ll make a great impression if you understand their unique circumstances and can speak to them about any particular treatment needs at the start of their appointment instead of making them wait while you flip through their file.  

Make the switch from last-minute paperwork and filing cabinets to online intake convenience

If there was an intake system that could save you and your clients time and give you easy, secure access to the information you need to tailor their treatments, what could that do for your client experience? Imagine if that system could also automatically send your customized online intake form to new clients and clients due for an update as soon as they scheduled an appointment. 

 

This is ClinicSense. 

 

We know you need to gather and maintain critical information about every client. We also know that every minute spent on administrative tasks is a minute you aren’t spending taking care of your customers. Automating the intake request process takes it off your to-do list and gets the job done. 

 

Additionally, when you send your intake forms to clients in advance of their appointment, it allows them to fill out the document online and at their convenience. It also gives them time to locate needed information so the information they share is up-to-date and accurate. Plus, you’ll receive new clients’ intake information in plenty of time to review it instead of just minutes before their first appointment. 

 

A digital, accessible online intake process is a simple way for you to remove friction and improve your client’s customer experience and win their loyalty. Want to discover the convenience of online intake forms for yourself? Be our guest. Start your free trial today!

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