Using Salon Software to Build Trust with Patients

Phorest helps when addressing inefficiencies

Sisu Clinics is a chain of a wildly successful, doctor-led aesthetic clinics. After opening their first location in Ireland in 2018, in just a few short years Sisu now has more than 20 locations across Ireland, the UK and USA. Such quick expansion comes with its challenged – according to Dr. Brian Cotter, Co-Founder & Global Medical Director of Sisu Aesthetic Clinics, prior to using Phorest, the clinic structure wasn’t as efficient as it should have been.

“We used a lot of email. We used a lot of call-based communication. Two things with this; from a consumer/patient perspective, it probably wasn’t as slick or as seamless as we wanted. And the second thing is, in terms of the administrative side of things, it took up an awful lot of time.”

The doctors in the clinic flagged other inefficiencies they noticed during the course of their days. Dr. Ailbhe Lohan felt there was ‘clunkiness’ when front-of-house staff needed to come into the treatment room to relay information or updates on client check-ins. She also found clients were forgetting to flag important information during their consultations, often when nerves took over in the treatment room.

Being a ‘hyper-medicalised’ clinic model, Sisu needed a software provider that would help them give a standardised, high-level experience to every client.

Helping things move smoother, in the clinic & out

Aside from the client-focused benefits that Phorest offers Sisu, the team also remarked on how much easier Phorest makes their everyday routine. This is especially evident from the system’s streamlined check-out and consultation form process.

Cardless checkout

“We just brought PhorestPay on, and I think, for me, that’s the game changer, because there’s no touch. People log on online, they register their credit card, there are no forms, there’s no paper. That’s the part that excites people today. I have my consultation form the night before, I’m all checked in, I go see a doctor, I don’t – I almost don’t even have to check out. And I think that’s the part we’re very excited about.” – Pat Phelan, CEO & Co-Founder

Pre-sent digital consultation forms

“Being able to refer back to previous appointments with different doctors develops a great sense of trust with the doctor and the patient. Patients feel like they’re being listened to. Phorest definitely puts the patient at ease, I feel. When they come in, I’ll already know a little bit about them if we’ve seen them previously, because I’ll have read their previous notes. We’ll also have their consultation form already filled out. This can help jog a patient’s memory as well, because they’ll come in on the day, they can often feel a bit nervous and a bit worried, especially coming into a clinical setting with the doctor, it can be intimidating. But if they have the consultation form filled out already, they’ll have thought about their own past medical history and things that might be important before we go ahead with treatment.” – Ailbhe Lohan, Aesthetic Doctor