We always want to get incrementally better, even with respect to the small stuff. It is funny how sometimes working on the small stuff can result in larger revelations.
At Incept, we take it upon ourselves to give our blood donors reminder calls 24-48 hours before their scheduled appointments to remind them of their date, time, and location to donate. What might seem like a simple reminder call can be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with the donor and even retain them to donate if we need to reschedule their appointment.
People want to feel connected to people. How easy (and cheesy) do automated voice messages sound when you hear them? I pay my internet bill over the phone to an inbound line that is entirely automated – complete with generic Microsoft Sam-sounding voice and all – and it drives me crazy. Sometimes I wish I just had a real person on the phone line.
If you are in the blood donor recruitment industry, then you might have an idea of how important it is to be personable with your donors to help increase show rates! As usual, let’s check out a quick list of reasons why taking time to leave messages with your donors about their appointments can really pay off for your recruitment success.
Be Like The Tortoise, Not The Hare
The key to doing reminders successfully is to not worry about speeding through them. What kind of impression would that leave for a blood donor to hear you on their answering machine or telephone going a million miles per minute about a blood donation? Take your time to genuinely appreciate, accommodate, and reschedule if need be.
- Leaving personal reminders leaves an impression. Your donors will think about how you took the time to call them and remind them. It really is the little things like that that can ultimately resonate with a person and be all that it takes to really make sure that blood donor gets to their blood drive. It shows that your blood center cares. Also, if that donor happens to pick up, it is an extremely easy way to strengthen the relationship with them by simply confirming if the time still works and showing appreciation in real time.
- Look at leaving reminders as a makeshift retention call. If everyone we called and made an appointment with went in to actually donate then we wouldn’t have to make reminder calls. We make reminder calls not only to literally remind a donor of their time and appointment to donate, but also as a way to reschedule folks who might not have been thinking about other obligations while scheduling initially. If a donor sounds hesitant and decides they cannot keep their commitment when we ask them if their time still works, we then take the responsibility to reschedule them. It is almost like we are directly in an outbound recruitment call except half the battle is already won. We know they are willing to schedule, it’s simply a matter of making it an easy experience for them to reschedule rather than cancel. This helps boost our show rate since we are literally salvaging the appointment for another day.
- How do you “strengthen the relationship” through a reminder call? Easy. You let them know personally how valued they are. You continue to show appreciation by letting them know of current promotions at their blood center or within their donor loyalty program. You make sure they know where they are going and even give directions. You do everything you can to make sure they are prepared and have had a good customer service experience with you. This teaches you to have patience and care about what type of experience you are giving that donor. Mentioning little things, being personable with your donors, and making an effort to show genuine appreciation is what makes leaving real messages for your blood donors all the more worthwhile.
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