Staying connected to family, friends and colleagues through modern technology is a great way to uplift mood, and it can be fun to have numerous people on one call
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on the aesthetics industry, and to protect our patients and ourselves, we have temporarily closed our clinic doors. Ensuring businesses survive these uncertain and difficult times will be extremely challenging. Through this piece, I will look at five key ideas to focus on during this time and to empower you to hit the ground running once the industry reopens.
1.Get your house in order
This is the perfect time to start looking at all aspects of businesses, and especially those parts many practitioners struggle with, for example, accounting has always been a challenge for me. As any entrepreneur will know, one of the key things to running a successful business is knowing a key set of numbers (Bawden-Davis, 2014). Now is an ideal time to obtain those figures and start analysing them to see what areas are successful, how revenue can be increased and where expenses can be reduced, thus increasing profit.
Future planning is important, especially when looking to reopen after the lockdown. Ensure that new protocols are written and all new equipment has been ordered in time for when clinics reopen, as there could be shortages due to the high demand. Policies could include amending your consent forms in relation to COVID-19, personal protective equipment (PPE) policies, risk assessment and patient timings, for example, allowing extra time between patients to clean, as well as ensuring patients are not waiting, thus minimising the time patients are in the clinic. When to open is a personal decision, and the risks, as well as our ethics and advice from governing bodies and insurers must be considered.
Looking at key performance indicators (KPIs) are extremely important when wanting to grow a business. KPIs are used to monitor success using factual data, as well as providing indicators of future performance, for example, tracking new revenue and the average time a patient is on hold when they call (Parmenter, 2010; Reh, 2017). This time can be used wisely to analyse the KPIs one feels are important, and perhaps putting in place a way to regularly monitor them.
Reviewing treatments or services that are doing well and how to maximise them is a great way to increase revenue, the opposite is also just as powerful, as now may be a good time to discontinue those services or treatments that do not generate any profit, make a loss or something a practitioner just may not enjoy doing anymore.
2.Managing your business
While clinics are closed, this is the perfect time to grow the business. Aesthetic practitioners are usually so busy seeing and treating patients, so using the extra headspace everyone currently has to step back and look at the business from a distance can really help fuel growth.
One of the most important parts of a business is writing a structured business plan. For those who already have one, why not revisit it as some goals may have changed. Business plans are a great way to put down ideas and visions on paper and plan the next 5 years, for example. It also helps with making factual decisions as opposed to emotional decisions, especially when considering buying the latest 100k laser!
For many practitioners, their clinic is their only source of income; if this is the case, and for practitioners who are struggling, there are numerous schemes and grants available for you and your business. Please do reach out and discuss with your bank. Also, try to negotiate expenses, for example, if payments can be paused or reduced. These could help significantly, and remember you are not alone as there are many business owners in the same situation as you.
» Many pharmaceutical companies are creating free short online webinars for their customers, covering injection technique, consultations, social media and body dysmorphia «
Everyone is trying to find ways to source revenue without any face-to-face consultations or treatments, so a great way to overcome this is by using virtual consultations. We live in the digital world, and many patients will be able to use applications to do virtual calls with practitioners. Remember to document everything, these are clinical consultations as opposed to a chat with a friend, so practitioners need to continue to be as professional as they are in clinics.
As readers will know, staff are one of the most important parts of the business, so look after them as much as possible. If they have been furloughed, then keep in touch to see how they are doing mentally and physically. Work discussions are not allowed; however, being a strong leader and showing you care will really make a difference to staff, who will likely be anxious, as well as worried about their jobs.
3.Marketing
It is important to continue marketing clinics, as many others will have stopped or reduced their marketing, so this may be a good way to get ahead of the game. Keep clinics in patients' minds by regularly posting and engaging. Topics could include products used or sold and before and after pictures, as well as posts of yourself, your clinic and your team, which could work well and remind patients of their experience with you, as well as what they can look forward to.
Build trust with patients and followers, as now many people have time at home, with reports showing social media use has increased significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown (Wiederhold, 2020). Think strategically about the ways in which this could be done and the platforms that could be used, for example, social media and YouTube, as well as taking into consideration patient demographics.
A good mix of clinical and non-clinical posts can work well, and perhaps showcase a little of yourself so your patients know who you are and, again, this can build trust with followers. Some information about the latest developments can be a good idea if choosing to do this; however, be careful to post accurate information from reliable sources and avoid overwhelming patients and followers, as this could cause information overload and, in turn, avoidance of social media posts (Llewellyn, 2020).
It is also a difficult time for many people, and this must be remembered, so positive, caring and supportive posts may be helpful. A preferable strategy could be showcasing credentials and how practitioners can support patients.
For those practitioners who are tech-savvy, a popular social media communication that has increased during the COVID-19 lockdown is sharing live Instagram conversations with a colleague. This is a great way of discussing a set of predetermined topics and can enhance engagement, as well as providing the opportunity for patients to ask questions anonymously.
For many, lockdown may prove to be an ideal time to grow professionally through the use of online learning, such as webinars
4.Grow professionally
This is the perfect time to really work on professional skills where possible. I am sure many readers have postponed reading that self-help book or anatomy module as a result of being too busy to fit it in. Well, now many people have a lot more time on their hands, so why not start adding up that continuing professional development.
There are a lot of free resources out there, and many pharmaceutical companies are creating free short online webinars for their customers, covering injection technique, consultations, social media and body dysmorphia, among the recent topics. Get in touch with current product representatives and request access, as these can be a great way of learning through this period.
For those who were considering starting one of the Level 7 qualifications, this would be an ideal time to sign up, work through the online modules and complete the assignments. From personal experience, it is very tough to fit that into a full 7-day working week.
The Level 7 qualification is a formal postgraduate qualification in aesthetic medicine, and can be a postgraduate certificate, diploma or masters, depending on the particular course. Healthcare Education England (HEE) have previously stated that aesthetic practitioners should complete an accredited Level 7 qualification to ensure they have the correct level of knowledge and competence to carry out procedures, and thus do the best by patients (HEE, 2015).
It is important to research the different academies offering these qualifications. Each one will differ in their approach, support and structure of the course (Verma, 2018). Discussing with colleagues and the providers themselves is useful, as is ensuring that they have the correct accreditation.
Lastly, if good old-fashioned reading is preferred, then have a look at anatomy and physiology books. I highly recommend using this time to brush up on facial anatomy or the physiological effect of sun damage on the skin, just to name a couple of topics. All practitioners should know their anatomy in great detail, for example, the course of the facial artery, as this is a good way to prevent complications (Signorini, 2016). Revising emergency pathways or treatment protocols is another suggestion and, for those motivated individuals, why not go one step further by printing and creating an emergency folder for the clinic, ready for reopening.
5.Take care of yourself
Many healthcare professionals, including myself, feel like we do not have a good work-life balance (Molloy, 2015). Practitioners tend to put everyone else's needs first and, due to long working hours, time pressures, hectic lifestyles, family and running businesses, it can be hard to achieve this balance, therefore neglecting ourselves and our own wellbeing (Groysberg and Abrahams, 2014).
Right now could be the opportunity to stop, and start looking after number one. If we are not healthy, we cannot give 100% to everything around us, including family, businesses and everything else we do. Finding enjoyable activities and continuing them once clinics are reopened could really help with this work-life balance, and optimising ourselves could inevitably increase productivity in all aspects of life (Bouchard, 2020).
Physical health is extremely important, and without it, there is no way anyone can go to work or look after loved ones. So, how about making use of the outdoor exercise allowance and going for a walk or a run. The UK has been extremely fortunate with the weather, and there has never been a better time to exercise outdoors. Better yet, take the kids and teach them the importance of exercise—family time and exercise in one. Another alternative is indoor exercise, which is just as good, and there are numerous places to stream videos to help with a routine or even just for motivation. Ideally, pick something you enjoy, as it will be more likely you will continue with it once the normal life resumes (Hagberg et al, 2009).
Physical activity has also been proven to improve mental health (Sharma et al, 2006), and with COVID-19 having a profound effect on it (Holmes et al, 2020), exercise is one way to reduce anxiety and low mood. Mindfulness has also been shown to help (Bohlmeijera et al, 2009), and there are many applications out there that are simple and easy to follow and can be incorporated into daily life. Staying in contact with family, friends and colleagues is also a great way to uplift mood. There are a number of ways to do this using modern technology, and again, it can be fun to have numerous people on one call.
With some of the extra time available, perhaps consider creating nutritional meals from scratch. With numerous free recipes online, or that cookbook collecting dust on the shelf, why not try experimenting? Feel free to post results on social media to promote a healthier lifestyle to your patients, as there is nothing better than practising what we preach.
Many practitioners, like myself, are parents, and it is certainly a challenge wearing a new hat as a home teacher, as well as managing everything else. The way I have attempted to manage this is to embrace it, as it is unlikely I will get back this family time. I attempt to avoid doing any work when supervising them, for example, checking emails or posting on social media, which, in turn, means I can focus on them and am less stressed, as I am not rushing to get the next post out. I have not mastered this, but I am continuing to work on it!
Conclusion
During the COVID-19 pandemic, clinics have had to be closed, which has been a challenging time for everyone; however, I have highlighted numerous ways practitioners can continue serving patients, bring in revenue and streamline and grow businesses, as well as ourselves in a professional and personal capacity.
Remember, we all work hard, extremely hard, and many practitioners will not be able to say when they last took a few weeks off for themselves. So, maybe this is that time to have a break, the time off that you truly deserve.