How to create an effective CRM for a clinic: from idea to implementation
How to create an effective CRM for a clinic: from idea to implementation
The owner of a private clinic usually notices chaos not from reports, but from small details: the administrator searches for online correspondence, the patient disappears after a call, and at the end of the month, marketers report that advertising has worked, but there has been no growth. Applications are scattered between Excel, messengers and notebooks, appointments are lost between a call and a doctor's office, and there is virtually no managed system.
In such a situation, CRM for clinics becomes a business support tool that helps clean up customers, records, and finances. This article is a practical route from the idea of implementing CRM to a system that shows who signed up, who made it to the appointment, and where the clinic is losing revenue.
How CRM works in a clinic and why does a manager need it
How CRM works in a clinic and why does a manager need it
A CRM system for a medical center is a service for managing patient requests, appointments and key indicators. It makes it possible to streamline business processes, reduces manual workload and makes work more predictable.
Briefly about the terms
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management) — a customer relationship management system that combines work with requests, online and offline records and interaction.
- PRM (Patient Relationship Management) — the same thing, but with an emphasis on the medical field and working with patients.
What does CRM (PRM) do?
- collects all patient requests in one place: calls, requests from the site, online recording, messages from messengers are included in a single database;
- shows the patient's journey in the clinic: from first contact and appointment to appointment;
- helps manage schedules and communications: confirms the recording, sends reminders, launches newsletters;
- gives the clinic management clear numbers: how many applications were received, how many patients made it to the appointment, revenue and the share of repeat visits.
CRM and MIS: what's the difference
In practice, CRM and MIS rarely exist separately: in a modern clinic, they are either modules of the same system or closely integrated solutions.
- It is important: CRM doesn't clean things up on its own. If the clinic does not have clear work rules for medical staff and doctors, the system turns into another program without integrating the clinic into real life, which only wastes employees' time and is filled in formally.
Where to start: setting goals and defining tasks
Where to start: setting goals and defining tasks
Before choosing a CRM system, it is important for a clinic to understand what business problems it wants to solve and what goals it should address when working with clients. Let's start with something simple — do you even need CRM?
Is it time for the clinic to think about CRM integration?
Please answer a few questions:
- Is there chaos in the calls?
Patients come from different channels and get lost.
- Potential customers don't make it to the appointment?
And you'll find out after the fact.
- Do you have to count everything by hand?
Number of applications, absences, repeat visits.
- Do you see only the result but not the process?
Only revenue is visible, and it is not clear where patients are lost.
If you answered yes to more than one question, the clinic needs a CRM.
How to set the right goal
The goal of implementing CRM should be specific and measurable, and not be reduced to abstract digitalization. A clearly defined business goal gives the clinic the opportunity to evaluate the result by understandable indicators and receive CRM support in real work processes.
Examples of work goals:
- stop losing customer requests;
- see the patient's journey from first contact to appointment and revenue;
- reduce the percentage of absenteeism;
- increase the share of repeat visits;
- monitor the work of clinic and call center administrators.
Implementation team: who will help launch
CRM is not implemented in a medical center by one person. For the system to work, it is important from the very beginning to support the clinic's key employees who know the processes from the inside and will work with its interfaces every day.
Who to include in the working group:
- owner or director — formulates goals and makes decisions that are important for business;
- chief physician — ensures that changes do not interfere with the work of doctors;
- receptionist or call center manager — describes the actual processes of processing requests;
- marketer (if any) — is responsible for the sources of applications and the relationship between advertising and revenue;
- IT or automation specialist — evaluates the integrations and technical capabilities of the system.
Such a composition makes it possible to make decisions faster and avoid a situation where CRM is “lowered from above”, and clinic staff do not understand why it is needed.
Questions to answer before choosing a CRM
These questions help define system requirements:
- What are the most problematic processes for working with patients?
For the system to solve real problems.
- What numbers do you want to see in your reports every day or week?
For CRM to give the right picture.
- What restrictions are there under the law and the clinic's internal regulations?
To immediately take into account the requirements for storing data and working with medical information.
- What absolutely can't be complicated or broken?
For example, the work of doctors, the admission of patients, or the current procedure for providing services.
How to describe clinic processes and prepare technical specifications for CRM
How to describe clinic processes and prepare technical specifications for CRM
To implement CRM for healthcare, you first need to describe what it should be able to do. At the same time, a multi-page technical specification is not needed: at the start, a clear and brief description of the clinic's daily work is sufficient.
Start with the patient's journey — a simple sequence of steps. The person saw the advert/found the clinic online → call/wrote → received an administrator's response → made an appointment → received a reminder → came for a visit → paid for the service → received recommendations → returned for a second appointment → left a review.
What processes are important to describe:
- receiving applications: where do clients come to the clinic from — phone, website, online appointment, messengers;
- doctors' appointments and schedules: who sees the schedule, who can change it;
- reminders and work with absenteeism: when and how the patient is reminded of the appointment;
- repeat visits and check-ups: how the clinic returns patients;
- promotions and loyalty programs;
- reports for management: what indicators managers want to see on a regular basis.
The principle of “nothing more” — first important functions, then wishes
This principle is needed so that the implementation of CRM does not become a pile of effective but useless services and interfaces. It's like a coffee machine that can connect to an app, shows the weather and is beautifully illuminated, but doesn't make coffee. As long as the basic tasks don't work, all the additional features don't make sense.
Therefore, at the start, it is important to focus on MVP — minimal business functionality: receiving requests, a database of online and offline customer records, reminders, monitoring absenteeism and management reports. Everything else — an online application, complex bonus programs, non-standard integrations — should be taken to the next stage, when the main processes are built and the system is used in operation.
An example of CRM requirements in simple words
Mandatory Startup Requirements (MVP):
- all patient requests from the phone, website and messengers must be included in one database;
- the clinic administrator must see the status of each request: a new client has been registered, has made an appointment, has not arrived;
- the system should send reminders to patients before appointments;
- the manager should see a report on applications, receptions and no-shows.
Additional requirements for the next stage:
- mobile account and online services;
- loyalty programs and promotions;
- advanced analytics on doctors;
Tip: Formulate requirements in plain language. You don't need technical terms and complex descriptions here — developers are also people and will understand your requests much faster when it comes to tasks and results.
What you need to prepare before implementing CRM
What you need to prepare before implementing CRM
The success of implementing a CRM for a medical center largely depends on how prepared the team was to launch it before installation.
1 — Data preparation
Before implementation, it is important to put in order the medical data that is already in the clinic. This is “data hygiene”: without it, the system will operate on inaccurate or incomplete information, and errors and duplicates will slow down the process.
- collect a customer base from all sources: Excel, old MIS, telephony, administrator records;
- remove duplicates, even the most obvious ones;
- determine which fields are required when working in CRM: full name, phone number, date of birth.
2 — Roles and Responsibilities
Before implementing CRM, it is important to agree in advance who is responsible for what and to assign responsibility for each process. Examples of roles:
- CRM project owner — defines goals and makes business decisions;
- responsible for training and data — trains medical staff and monitors data quality;
- responsible for the development of the system — collects feedback and sets tasks for improvement.
3 — Simple regulations
Before implementing CRM, it is important to establish basic rules for working with patients and data. It is necessary to agree in advance how long it takes to process incoming requests, who and in what scenario contacts clients who did not make it to the appointment, and how often managers review reports and make decisions on them.
4 stages of implementing CRM for medical clinics: from pilot to the entire network
4 stages of implementing CRM for medical clinics: from pilot to the entire network
It is reasonable to implement CRM in a clinic in stages so that employees and doctors get used to the new system, and errors are detected in advance.
Step 1. Pilot launch
The first step is to launch CRM on a limited scale. To do this, they choose one area, for example, dentistry or diagnostics. This makes it possible to test the system in real operation without risking the entire clinic, and quickly see what needs to be adjusted. In the pilot, it is enough to connect a simple set of services:
- processing patient requests;
- making an appointment;
- reminders;
- simple reports.
Before starting, it is important to agree on testing time and success criteria. This is usually a decrease in no-shows, an increase in the number of entries and a decrease in the loss of calls.
Step 2. Training and adaptation
After the pilot launch, it is important to set aside time to train clinic staff. Administrators learn how to work with requests and records, doctors master the basic actions in the system, managers learn reports and indicators.
A common pattern when digitalizing services is staff dissatisfaction and resistance to change, especially if the system seems inconvenient and takes time. Therefore, it is important to immediately explain why CRM is needed, how its interface works, and how it simplifies everyday work. Understanding goals accelerates adaptation, reduces stress and reduces the likelihood of conflict.
Step 3. Integrations and functionality enhancements
When the basic functions are stable, it is possible to connect additional services and integrations without complicating the main system interface:
- telephony — displaying a patient card during an incoming call and recording conversations;
- website and online booking — direct entry of applications into the system without manual entry;
- integrations with MIS and payment systems — a combination of medical data, cards, appointments and payments;
- newsletters and loyalty programs — dealing with repeat visits and returning customers.
Step 4. Scaling
When you are convinced that CRM works stably in a pilot format and enough time has passed to evaluate the result, the developed settings and rules are transferred to other areas and branches. Additional training is being provided to medical staff and doctors, new integrations and services are being activated, and a unified reporting system is being built that allows them to see the picture across the entire clinic or network.
How to understand that CRM works: simple metrics for managers
How to understand that CRM works: simple metrics for managers
Don't let the word “metrics” scare you: this is not about complicated odds. It is enough to look at a few basic indicators that directly reflect whether the clinic's work has become more manageable.
Metrics worth looking at:
- the number of calls by channel — how many applications are received by phone, from the website and via online registration in a week or month;
- conversion from request to visit — how many patients who applied have signed up and made it to the appointment;
- no-show rate — how many patients do not come to an appointment without cancellation;
- share of repeat visits — how many patients are returning;
- average check and revenue by destination — which services generate income and which are sagging;
- loading doctors — where there are empty windows and where is overload.
These indicators do not require constant attention and should not take much time: it is enough to analyze the overall picture and dynamics once a week or a month. It's important to remember that CRM is a tool: if indicators don't change, you should check whether the system is configured correctly and whether employees' processes and habits have really changed.
Checklist: 7 steps from idea to working CRM
Checklist: 7 steps from idea to working CRM
We've put together a short checklist that can be used as a cheat sheet when implementing CRM in a clinic:
✓ Define goals — formulate 3-5 tasks that CRM should solve.
✓ Describe the patient's journey — record the main steps in simple language.
✓ Choose an implementation approach — an industry solution, a universal CRM with improvements or our own development.
✓ Prepare a framework and rules of work — put medical data in order, appoint responsible persons, and agree on regulations.
✓ Launch a pilot and train medical staff — test the system and collect feedback.
✓ Integrate integrations and services gradually — The main thing first, without trying to get everything up and running on day one.
✓ Look at the numbers regularly — adjust processes and system settings based on results.
Conclusion
Today, there is a lot of talk about digitalization around medicine, but without understanding the goal, it easily turns into a formality. CRM should not complicate business processes and add a burden on medical staff. Its task is different: to make the clinic's work manageable and predictable, with a stable flow of patients, better service delivery and clear numbers for management.
A phased approach, when goals are first formulated, processes are described, a solution is selected, a pilot is carried out and only then scaled, gives the clinic the opportunity to implement CRM without chaos and team burnout. This format reduces risks and allows you to get results at every step, rather than delay the effect “until later”. If you need a CRM system launch that supports your business rather than complicates it, contact us at Beetrail — we will help you tailor the implementation to the clinic's real goals.
