case study

MainStreet Family Care | Front Desk Automation

Additionally, review-based bonuses made up a significant portion of our clinic staff's compensation. Across the board, the mark to meet was a monthly average of 4.5+ stars across platforms. In other words, recency was everything. Having 5 stars for years could do nothing for their bonus if reviews for that given month month averaged < 4.5. To top it off, they had patients regularly knocking on their doors, trying to peer into the back area, asking for their assistance. Much to the clinic staff's chagrin, they were instructed very specifically not to respond to those kinds of things, the logic being that it would prevent customers from figuring and embracing the kiosks themselves. 

The way I saw it, everyone from the furious customers to jaded clinic staff to the exhausted UI/UX team was suffering the outcome of this pivot. The situation was clearly loaded with dynamite, and if my math was right, any lack of improvement would prove it to be an existential threat to the company. While the original goal was to cut costs, the question had to be asked: will this move save us more money than it will cost us in the long-term?

But before I go any further on the basis of "the math," let's take a quick step back.

Discovery

Because the decline aligned perfectly with the kiosk rollout, I built a sentiment-segmented review analysis to pinpoint why. My approach utilized:

• Average review ratings by topic mentioned

• Patient satisfaction scores, using the exit questionnaire

• Our quarterly brand awareness surveys

The data couldn’t have been clearer: kiosk issues were driving the majority of low scores—technical friction, confusion, and frustration with losing the human element. Alongside that math, I worked with our accounting department, pulling historical patient lifetime value (LTV) and revisit rate, all the while segmenting by MSA population size and seasonal trends. At this point, we had the sentiment data and performance numbers to build baselines out of. Better yet, the data was put together in such a way that it could be applied at the individual clinic level, brand level (MainStreet vs KidsStreet), and company level, and no matter which you chose, the trend remained the same. 

Building the Case: Resistance & Persistence

Three months into my tenure, I presented the initial findings on FDA’s impact. The kiosk transition had been in motion for a year before my arrival, so my analysis challenged an existing internal narrative and a lot of work that was already underway. Still, the data was consistent across every source we monitored. 

While the proposal didn’t result in immediate changes, it surfaced the issue, put it formally on leadership’s radar, and strengthened my credibility over time. Shortly afterwards, I was promoted to lead the marketing department and join the executive leadership team.

Over the following year, I focused on building trust and stronger cross-department alignment—collaborating closely with Operations, Tech, Customer Support, and Accounting to ensure our insights were transparent, actionable, and grounded in their realities. As relationships strengthened, departments that had been hesitant became partners in addressing the problem.

Driving Organizational Change (feat. The Bell)

A year and a half later, the situation persisted and the damage to reputation and revenue it was causing had become unignorable. Around then, leadership asked me to create a comprehensive sentiment analysis and establish performance baselines, similar to what I had done prior but now with an additional year and a half of data. As a result, they tasked me with spearheading a broader, all-hands-on-deck initiative spanning multiple departments. Our mission: solve the problem by whatever means necessary and rebuild patient trust. The resistance that existed early on had become support once the data and cross-team collaboration made the path forward undeniable.

Here's what we did:

•  Started testing the kiosk system and updates on new hires, HQ staff that didn't typically engage with it, and even leadership. We tested it on our loved ones to get their take

• Rolled out a winback campaign, primarily via email and SMS. For "frequent flyers" that we'd lost, we had clinic managers write handwritten letters

• Made the simple addition of a call bell at the front desk, a tactic as old as time.

The bell was a perfect compromise for all parties. It allowed those who preferred the kiosks to use them while providing an alternative to those who didn't. Just as well, clinic staff were once again allowed to help people register when needed. Because the non-adopters only made up ~30-40% of our typical clientele, having someone available to answer the bell at the front desk didn't require adding back an additional clinic staff member to stay up there at all times. In other words, the initial cost-cutting measures remained fully intact. To be sure, we rolled the change out carefully, 10 clinics at a time out of what had grown to 70+. All the while, Operations gauged clinic staff feedback and monitored productivity metrics until it was clear that we had found a rare instance of compromise that benefits and makes all parties happy. 

Results

Revenue

• The following 2 quarters were up 31% compared to the less profitable year prior

• The above allowed us to raise our 12-month projections accordingly

• Among new patients, retention & revisit rates returned to their previous level

Damage Control

• Previous patients in the audience list for our winback campaign saw a retention rate 28% higher than projected

• Brand awareness surveys, especially for MSAs most impacted by the change, returned to their 2023 baseline

• Across clinics, average review rating improved saw a 54% MoM improvement, reflected in a significant uptick in our SERP (SEO) rankings

Internally

• It was agreed that until average review ratings returned to baseline, the benchmarks for clinic staff bonuses would be based on closing the gap at their individual clinics over time (as opposed to the standardized MoM 4.5 average)

• The good folks in marketing had far fewer negative reviews to respond to on a regular basis, improving productivity and morale

• I'm of the belief that this endeavor strengthened us as a company, namely:

  • • in our ability to align & work towards a common goal

    • how we put aside our preconceived notions and gather valuable information at all levels of the company