I want to talk to you about two important metrics that you should be tracking for your therapy practice - how your clients are hearing about you, and the method they are using to inquire with your practice.
These two pieces of data may seem similar, but they're actually quite distinct and can provide you with really valuable insights to help grow your practice.
The first metric is "how did you hear about us?" This is the question you should be asking all of your new clients, either on your intake forms or during that initial phone call. Their answer could be anything from a Google search, to seeing your profile on Psychology Today, to getting a referral from a friend.
This information is great for understanding your marketing efforts and where you're getting the most visibility. If you notice a lot of clients are finding you through Psychology Today, for example, you'll know to keep investing time and resources into maintaining a strong profile there.
The second metric is the "inquiry method." This is all about how the client actually reached out to you - did they fill out a form on your website? Did they send you an email? Did they call your office directly? This is obviously something you don’t need to ask the prospect, but something you track internally.
Knowing your inquiry methods is just as important as knowing your referral sources. It can help you optimize your intake process and make sure you're meeting clients where they are. Maybe you find that the majority of your clients are submitting forms on your website, which tells you that you need to make that process as smooth and user-friendly as possible.
Or maybe you realize that you're getting a lot of phone calls, which means you need to make sure you have someone available to answer those calls promptly and guide those clients through the next steps.
The key is to separate these two metrics and track them independently. The answer to "how did you hear about us?" may be different from the actual inquiry method. For example, a client might say they found you through Psychology Today, but then fill out a form on your website to reach out.
The first metric will help you with your marketing efforts while the second metric will help you to optimize the administrative side of your intake process. These are two very different areas to focus your efforts. By keeping these two data points distinct, you can get a much clearer picture of your marketing efforts and your client intake process. This information is invaluable as you work to grow your practice and reach more of the clients you're best equipped to serve.
So take a look at how you're currently tracking these metrics, and see if there's room for improvement. Trust me, it'll be worth the effort!
Let me know if you have any other questions - I'm always happy to chat more about practice management and growth strategies.