In this episode of The Chiropractic Deep Dive, we uncover what truly makes a chiropractic patient experience unforgettable—and why even the best adjustments won’t save you if your customer service falls short. Drawing from Dr. Noel Lloyd’s powerful Zoom training, we explore practical, low-cost ways to create “wow” moments, avoid patient turnoffs, and turn one-time visitors into loyal referrers. Whether you’re a doctor, team member, or simply care about providing better service, this episode is your blueprint for building a high-volume, low-stress, patient-centered practice. This episode is sponsored by Five Star Management—your partner in building the chiropractic practice you’ve always wanted.
Brought to you by Five Star Management – Helping chiropractors streamline systems, scale their teams, and succeed with purpose.
If your patients ever walk in and feel invisible, this episode is a must-listen.
We take a deep dive into what separates thriving practices from those just getting by—and it all comes down to the experience outside the adjustment. You’ll learn:
This episode was generated using AI voices for clarity, efficiency, and accessibility.
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Okay, let's unpack this. Have you ever walked into a place, maybe a doctor's office and felt completely invisible? Mm-hmm. Like you were just. I don't know. An interruption, not really a valued guest. Yeah. Happens more than you'd think. Well, if you have, you're definitely not alone. It's a huge problem in service industries and honestly, way more common than we probably realize.
It really is welcome to the Deep dive. This is the show where we take your sources, articles, research notes, whatever you've got, and we boiled them down. We find the most important insights to give you that shortcut to being truly well-informed. Get right to the good stuff. Exactly. Today we're doing a chiropractic deep dive.
We're focusing on what makes that patient experience truly exceptional, or unfortunately, sometimes pretty forgettable. And what's really striking, looking at our sources for this is how often the patient experience falls short. And it's, uh, it's usually not about the actual medical skill, right? Not the adjustment itself.
No. It's almost always about the customer service side of things being overlooked. Our main source today is a, well, a really powerful Zoom call led by Dr. Noel Lloyd. He was tackling customer service in chiropractic offices. Okay. And he really zeroed in on this core problem. So many teams just aren't providing that truly patient-centered experience.
Mm. You know, from the moment the phone rings right through to wellness care. So what does this actually mean for you listening? Maybe you're a patient, maybe you're a chiropractor yourself, or maybe you just appreciate good service when you see it. Yeah. Dr. Lloyd's whole mission and ours for this deep dive is figuring out how to deliver that high quality patient first customer service, while also giving excellent chiropractic care.
It's about creating that balance, a high volume. But low stress place, exactly a place. Patients just intuitively love. You know the kind of place that gets spontaneous compliments. Five star Google reviews naturally and the big one, genuine patient referrals. That's the gold standard. And by the way, this deep dive is brought to you by Five Star Management.
They're a chiropractic consulting company and they really focus on helping offices nail this stuff. They know this landscape really well. Now, if we kinda zoom out, look at the bigger picture, the history of healthcare delivery itself. Um, it reveals. A sort of foundational issue. Okay. Historically, healthcare was really designed to serve the doctor.
Dr. Lloyd described it really vividly talking about those old frosted glass windows and waiting rooms. Oh yeah, I remember those. You couldn't see anything. Exactly. You'd sit there totally unsure if anyone even knew you'd arrived because the entire system. Kind of revolved around the doctor as this like, yeah, Supreme being the patient was often secondary.
Just a number maybe, or, yeah, like we said, an interruption, right? An interruption to the doctor's flow. And here's where it gets really crucial for chiropractors specifically in a service industry like chiropractic. People don't have to come see you. That's the key difference, right? As Dr. Lloyd pointed out, your office isn't the only game in town.
There are other chiros, other options. So if that whole experience feels like it's on the office's terms, not the patients, well, that's a massive problem. Huge barrier. It's the difference between say, a place you have to go, like the dmv. Yeah. And a place you genuinely wanna be. A place you're excited to tell your friends about that active desire to come back and to refer.
That's what separates a thriving, patient-centered practice from one that's just getting by. Wouldn't you agree? Absolutely. That have to versus want to, it's everything in a service world where people have choices. And making that shift, it takes real intention moving away from that old doctor first model.
Okay. So to really get what great looks like. Dr. Lloyd did something interesting. He asked people for A+ customer service examples, but not from chiropractic, from anywhere. Yeah. Broaden the perspective and what came out was honestly pretty universal. The core principles are simple but powerful. What were some of those examples that really stood out?
What was fascinating was how similar the core feeling was, whether it was a fancy hotel or you know, the local vet. It boiled down to this really basic human need. Mm. Feeling seen and valued. Not invisible. Exactly. It's not about. Huge, expensive gestures. Yeah. It's the small things. Yeah. Like one person mentioned, just that feeling of not being invisible.
Noticing when staff come around the counter, say hello, using your name, making eye contact. Yes. Doing all those extras. Just actively acknowledging you're there. Yeah. That's the foundation. Okay. Then there was this great story about a five star hotel, the Four Seasons in Las Colinas, Texas. They made a point to learn the guest's name his wife Kate's name, right from the start, right?
And the next time they came different staff, but they were still greeted by name, personally, Dr. Lloyd found out later the hotel actually took pictures. Take pictures. Seriously. Yeah. To help new staff recognize returning guests. Mm-hmm. Imagine that It makes you feel like you're not just a room number, you know, like you're actually making their day.
Mm-hmm. It's really personal. Builds huge loyalty. Wow. That level of detail. Taking pictures. That's real commitment to making someone feel known. It's not just training. It's culture. It's culture. Exactly. Yep. And then there was this really heartwarming one from a vet visit. It was all about the patient's dog max.
Okay. Max gets greeted by name right away, gets a little welcome bag with goodies, even pup cupcakes on the way out. Pupcakes. That's amazing. The whole thing was focused on Max. Mm-hmm. And for this person, a huge dog lover, it just warmed her heart. Yeah. So much so she brought all her pets there from then on.
See, that demonstrates the power, right? Connecting with what truly matters to that person. It's not just the service, it's the feeling precisely. It taps into their values. You know that story being maxed, the dog, it really does warm your heart. It hammers home that idea, like care about what your patient cares about, could be their time, their money, their pet actually is important to them.
So we've seen what works, what makes things a plus E, but just as useful. Dr. Lloyd guided the group to talk about the flip side, the mistakes, those little things that can just poison an otherwise okay experience. What were some of those common pitfalls? The patient experience killers. Yeah. This is crucial.
What small things can actually push patients away? One point that came up was the annoyance of being told, please have a seat only to be called right back up. Oh, that's frustrating. It screams my schedule matters, not your time. And related to that staff having personal chats, ignoring the patient right in front of them makes you feel like a nuisance, like you're interrupting their day.
Exactly. Directly contradicts that valued guest idea. Another big one, not processing a refund as soon as possible. Yeah, that adds financial stress on top of everything else. Yeah, that's a tough one. Creates real anxiety. And then there was not asking a follow up question, just going through the motions. It suggests a lack of real interest.
You know, a superficial interaction, that lack of engagement. It's subtle, but yeah, it sends a message like you're just a checkbox. What about specific words or phrases, things people say that just rub patients the wrong way? Oh, definitely. A big pet peeve mentioned was hearing. No problem. Really No problem.
Yeah. Seems harmless. Right? But the subtext can feel like, well, it was a bit of a problem, but I'm letting it go. It can feel dismissive of the patient's request or their time. Hmm. I can see that. It implies there could have been a problem. Exactly. Then there's the classic walking in for your appointment and the front desk person is on the phone, doesn't acknowledge you.
Instant barrier creates immediate friction. Totally. And another big one. Not giving an accurate estimate, especially for care plans. That leads to sticker shock later, and boom, trust is gone. You get a very upset patient. Oh, those financial surprises are killer breaks trust immediately. But what about when staff genuinely just don't know the answer?
That happens all the time. It does. And someone brought up just saying, I don't know, and leaving it there, which is, you know, unhelpful, right? It's a dead end. But Dr. Lloyd offered this brilliant script. It transforms that dead end into like a demonstration of proactive care. Okay. Let's hear it. It goes something like this.
I'm so sorry. I'm actually not sure about that. Before I go find the answer, let me just grab your details again. Yeah. Can I get your name and best phone number? Okay, great. Let me write down your exact question so I get it right. I'll find out for you. Either I or someone who knows more will call you back today with the answer.
Is that okay? Wow. That's completely different, isn't it? It takes ownership, it promises follow through. It changes the whole feeling from I can't help you to, I will help you. That's a fantastic reframe. But is the challenge just memorizing the script or is it getting the staff to genuinely adopt that helpful mindset?
Because it feels like more than just words. That's a really sharp point. The script is a tool, right? Yeah, but the real work is Dr. Lloyd Stressed is building that culture. It's a commitment to owning the problem and wanting to solve it for the patient, even if you don't have the answer right that second, it means empowering staff, trusting them to take that step.
Gotcha. So it's culture, not just lines. Exactly. And one last big mistake, mention disagreeing or arguing with patients. Never a good idea. Yeah, that seems obvious, but it happens. Dr. Lloyd's approach here was really elegant first, genuinely try to understand their point of view. Validate it. Say something like, okay, I can see why you feel that way.
Then gently invite them to consider another perspective. Would you be open to looking at this another way that might offer a solution? So you shift from confrontation to collaboration precisely. You show respect even when you disagree, you keep the relationship positive. Okay, so we've covered the pitfalls.
We know what A+ looks like. The next logical step in Dr. Lloyd's discussion and for us now is solutions. Concrete, actionable things chiropractic offices can actually do. What were some of those solid gold tips, right? Turning the problems into practices. One participant who came from hospitality before chiropractic really emphasized the golden rule.
Yeah, treat everybody how you wanna be treated. Simple but powerful. But they don't just say it, they do it. It starts with that first phone call, making sure appointments are on time. It's baked into all their training, all their scripts, so the whole team is consistent. It's a pervasive culture of care.
Consistency is key there, totally. Another office talked about their strict practice of greeting and saying goodbye to every single person by name, every single one, every one. And they make a point to say, see you Tuesday. Or whenever their next visit is. So patients can't just anonymously slip in and out.
They feel noticed. That makes sense. And they found this amazing thing happened. They started anticipating new patients, greeting them by name before the patient even introduced themselves. How did they manage that? Good scheduling. Good internal communication, paying attention. Patients called it magical.
Imagine walking in somewhere new and they already know who you are. Instant connection. That magical moment. Yeah, that's powerful. Makes you feel instantly like you belong, not just another slot on the calendar. What else creates that? Wow. Right from the start, well someone described their wow welcome process. They actually script out the patient interaction for day one, day two, day three.
They anticipate the needs proactive. Very staff physically walk around the front desk to greet new patients by name, shake their hand and take them straight back. They don't even let them sit down in the waiting area initially. Sets a tone immediately. Personalized, attentive. Exactly. And then there's the impact of doctor calls going beyond just the initial consult.
One practice has the non treating doctor introduce themselves to every new patient. Builds rapport across the whole team. Nice touch Another chiropractor. Makes personal calls to. Every single new patient after their first adjustment, the doctor themselves, the doctor, patients are reportedly blown away because let's face it, doctors just don't do that.
Usually. It shows incredible care, builds massive loyalty. That's huge. Taking five minutes to make that call. Game changer. And it extends beyond new patients too. Calling existing patients after a major flare up, even if they've been coming for 30 years. Just checking in. Hmm? Saying, I know I don't need to call, but I wanted to.
It just reinforces over and over you matter to us. It feels like bringing. The care back into healthcare, making it personal again, not just clinical procedures. These are simple things, but yeah, the emotional impact seems massive. What other concepts did Dr. Lloyd share for really embedding this patient first, thinking into the office policies and advocacy.
He had some really smart tactical approaches. One was the, oh, that's terrible. Response. When a patient complains, instead of getting defensive or explaining, which is the natural instinct, right? Instead you immediately acknowledge their feeling with empathy. Oh, that's terrible. It takes their side just for a moment.
It shows you heard them, you care about their negative experience. It deescalates things instantly. That's clever. Validates their feeling first. Exactly. Another one is explaining office policies with empathy. Instead of the blunt it's policy, which nobody likes hearing, nobody, you frame it differently, you know, in order to be fair to all our patients or mm-hmm.
To make sure we can provide the best care consistently. It acknowledges what the patient wants while explaining the need for the procedure. It feels collaborative, not rigid. Makes the policy feel less arbitrary. Right? And this one is huge. Never make a patient repeat themselves. Oh, that's a good one. It means the team internally has to communicate effectively.
Info from the front desk gets passed to the insurance person who passes it to the ca. Whatever the flow is, the patient tells their story once she has real respect for their time and energy. And that the office actually functions as a team. It's a hallmark of a truly joined up patient-centered system.
Yeah. It screams efficiency and respect. Okay. That never make them repeat. Point is brilliant, so often overlooked. Now, what about getting those referrals organically? How do you encourage patients to spread the word without being pushy or sounding desperate? Ah, okay. This was described as a solid gold customer service script.
It came from a really successful chiro . Super simple, but incredibly effective. Okay. Laid on us. At the end of the first visit, he'd say something like, Jeannie, I expect you to have a great experience every single time you're treated in this office. That's a high bar, right? Patient usually says, great, me too.
Then he follows with, now, if you are ever unhappy about anything, will you please tell me directly so I can fix it? Opens the door for feedback. Smart patient feels heard, agrees. Oh, absolutely. I will. Then comes the final piece and one more thing. If we do a good job for you, if we impress you, will you tell your friends?
Ah, there it is. Conditional. Exactly. It does three things beautifully. One sets the expectation of excellence. Two, creates a clear, safe path for negative feedback, letting the office fix problems before losing the patient. And three, it plants the referral seed organically based only on them delivering impressive service.
No pressure, just an invitation based on merit. Precisely builds trust, handles complaints internally and drives word of mouth referrals from genuinely happy patients. It's brilliant. So wrapping this up, what does this all really mean for you? Listening this deep dive I think really highlights the massive, sometimes underestimated power of customer service.
Dr. Lloyd shared this stat from his research, get this 67%. Wow. Two thirds of people who leave a service provider, any service don't leave because they disliked the actual product or service they leave because of how they were treated. That's staggering. Two outta three, isn't it? It means even if you're the best adjuster in town, that patient experience isn't fantastic.
You're likely losing people and maybe you don't even realize why. Which brings up that critical question for any practice owner. Any team member. How deeply are you really thinking about and designing that customer journey? Mm. The lessons from Dr. Lloyd's call and they echo things. You read in books like say Unreasonable Hospitality.
They really hammer home that great services and luck. It's a culture something you build, something you intentionally build. Support, train for and refine constantly. It's not just what you do in the adjusting room, it's about how you make people feel. Every step of the way requires deliberate effort, proactive communication, and just a genuine commitment to putting that patient right at the very center.
You have to ask, oh, is our office truly patient centric by design? Or just sort of hoping it happens. So what really stands out to you from all this? Maybe it's just the simple power of using someone's name. Maybe it's that follow-up call idea, or maybe it's just gaining the confidence to actually ask for feedback and referrals in the right way.
Yeah, lots to think about. We really hope this deep dive gave you plenty to mull over and hopefully some concrete, practical steps you can explore in your own world, especially if you're in that chiropractic space. Mm-hmm. And remember, this chiropractic deep dive was brought to you by Five Star Management.
If you are a chiropractor and you're thinking, yeah, I wanna transform my patient experience, I wanna grow using these ideas, you can actually book a free call with Dr. George Birnbach. We'll put the link for that right in the show notes. Definitely worth checking out. And if you wanna go even deeper, really get hands on with implementing these strategies.
You should join us for our live two day event. It's in Chicago, July 26th and 27th. It's called Streamline Scale, succeed. We'll put the registration link for that in the show notes too, to be a great event. Absolutely. Finally, please don't forget to subscribe, get more tips, more deep dives like this one so you can keep learning quickly, but also thoroughly become really well informed on the stuff that matters to you.
Keep diving deep. We really appreciate you joining us today, and we'll see you on the next deep dive.