4 Patient-Pleasing Waiting Room Solutions

As a practice owner, you know a negative waiting room experience can ruin an entire visit. What’s worse, the review that follows can damage your reputation for months. But avoiding negative waiting room experiences is just the beginning. When optimized, your waiting room can improve patient satisfaction, increase loyalty, and create an atmosphere that strengthens the patient-provider relationship.

Superior waiting room solutions engage and support patients so nothing is wasted – not even the time they spend waiting. The best part? Small changes like tweaking your patient flow or implementing new technology can make patient satisfaction soar. Below, we look at 4 patient-pleasing waiting room solutions you can easily implement in 2024. 

See also: The Expert’s Guide to Growing Your Audiology Practice This Year

Bring Tech to The Table

Today’s waiting room looks a lot different than the waiting room of twenty years ago! Look around, and you might see hand-held buzzers, an entertaining live stream of the local zoo, or iPads connected to every chair. We’ve all spent a half hour on our phones in what feels like seconds. That’s the idea here, and it’s a phenomenon that serves waiting rooms well. 

• Apps and buzzers – Some practices use apps or two-way patient text messaging to notify patients when the doctor is ready to see them. Other times, buzzers are handed out, just like at a restaurant. Both options allow patients to step outside, grab a coffee next door, or head to the restroom without worrying.
• Tablets – To help patients pass the time, some practices now offer tablets or iPads, usually tethered to a table or chair. It’s a good idea to pre-load the tablet with digital magazines, games, and popular apps. Patients could even check out your newly optimized audiology website to learn more about your practice, or connect with you on social media!
• Free Wifi – By offering free wifi and charging areas, you can help patients feel less anxious about waiting. When they can keep their phones charged and stay connected to emails and messages, patients will feel less stressed about waiting. If they haven’t already, they might connect to your intuitively designed audiology website that lets them complete forms online. 

Educational Materials and Videos

Your waiting room is the perfect place to offer valuable medical information and support to your patients. While you have them, you have the opportunity to capture their attention and bring awareness to services and products that can enhance their lives. 

MedPB TV

TVs in the waiting room can be mind-numbing distractions or valuable educational resources. MedPB allows you to showcase your unique services and offerings to patients who are already in need and on the path to improving their health. While they wait, patients can learn about a treatment or device and they can discuss it with you while it’s fresh in their mind. 

Educational Brochures

In the waiting room, patients are often sitting with questions or concerns about their treatment. If there’s a pamphlet, brochure, or other educational material about their condition, there’s a good chance they’ll pick it up. Like MedPB TV, educational brochures give patients a chance to explore services and products that can help improve their lives, making them more receptive to discussing these options during their appointments. 

Health Education Posters

Health education posters can be a fun way to pass on valuable wellness-boosting information, and there are many attractive, artistic options these days. Posters can be framed to add a nice aesthetic to the room while also serving up practical value to waiting patients. For example, you might have a poster with helpful info on hearing loss, key facts about tinnitus, early warning signs of hearing disorders, or hearing loss communication tips. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers a wide variety of consumer education posters on its website. 

Your Waiting Room Liaison

You don’t have to have a big operation to have a waiting room liaison. Usually, your front desk staff can integrate liaison responsibilities into their day seamlessly, if they haven’t already. Acting as a liaison simply means placing special emphasis on the arrival and waiting room experience, ensuring no patient feels ignored or abandoned.

A waiting room liaison: 

• Greets patients warmly
• Does their best to answer any questions
• Helps them with paperwork if needed
• Keeps the waiting room presentable and comfortable
• Assists patients with any technology
• Can assist patients with mobility issues

Connect to The Community

The waiting room offers a great opportunity to help patients feel connected to the community and to remind them that you are a proud community member as well. After all, your practice is a local business, not a mammoth corporation disconnected and far removed from its clients. Generating a sense of community in your waiting room can remind patients of this fact, helping them feel more at ease and confident. 

You can create a community connection in your waiting room by:

• Teaming up with local artists to display their work
• Having a community bulletin board
• Showing community pride with photography, signage, etc.
• Promoting healthy living activities and events within your community

Maximize Waiting Room Marketing Potential

If you’re looking to level up in 2024 and build trust like never before, the right audiology marketing strategies can make all the difference. Contact our team today to sharpen your competitive edge, boost your reputation, and strengthen trust and loyalty with your patient base.

Want to see how we can help your practice grow?  Chat With an Audiology Expert