The waiting room is the first room that your clients will see when they arrive at your office, so you will undoubtedly want to make them feel comfortable while they are there. Here, we look at some of the things that you can do to make your waiting room more inviting for patients and clients.
Look at your furniture and layout
Numerous doctor’s offices have waiting rooms that are nearly identical to one another: long rows of sterile chairs, cumbersome end tables piled high with outdated magazines, and television tuned in to the news. This can make a patient feel uncomfortable – sitting in a hard chair against the wall next to strangers watching a badly placed TV.
Depending on your clients, consider various seating configurations. For families, a cluster of waiting room seats around a coffee table works well; for professionals, a quiet spot works well; and for children, a child-friendly section works well to keep them amused without disturbing others.
Make it as bright and light and airy as possible with as much space as possible. Instead of having a TV on a bulky unit in the corner, mount it on the TV using a Chief TS525TU Dual Swing Arm Wall Display Mount. This also prevents little hands from touching it and potentially breaking it.
Make them places where people can be productive
Patients frequently leave work in order to attend their appointments; assisting them in being productive can ease stress while also demonstrating that you value their time.
Free WiFi should be expected, but you can go further than that. If there is enough space in your welcome area, consider providing individual desks or shared work tables as well as charging stations for your clients.
Some waiting areas provide guests with iPads, which are often attached to the furniture and filled with games, digital publications, newspapers, and social media apps, among other things.
Keep them updated as to wait times
Reducing the time that patients or clients have to wait for their appointment is key to improving their experience. Nonetheless, even in practices that use technology to optimize their front desk operations, significant wait times are sometimes unavoidable. It is preferable to be honest in these situations.
People like to know estimated wait times. Many like to get a text message when their provider is going behind schedule. Some offices even provide pagers in the style of a restaurant, allowing patients to take a stroll outside or even go to the bathroom without worrying about missing their time in the office.
Offer a coffee and snacks area
Many people may have missed their lunch break to come and see you A coffee area that provides hot and cold water, milk, coffee, sugar, several varieties of tea, and snacks can enhance the client experience and make them feel more relaxed. If you are a proponent of a healthy lifestyle, you can enhance your message by serving healthy snacks.
Add a children’s area
Waiting can be tiresome for small children, and it can cause stress for their parents as well as cause disturbances to the other individuals in the room when they are waiting. A children’s play area will address the problem and provide them with a few minutes of peace and quiet, resulting in everyone’s satisfaction.
