Keeping your finger on the pulse of your business: now is the time for a practice health check

Clinics should compile information, including the number and type of queries, to conduct an effect health check on their business

Here we are in the autumn of 2021, still on a rollercoaster ride that began in early 2020. Having been asked to write this article, I found myself almost hesitant about getting started, despite the situation now being more stable—please note that I am avoiding use of the word ‘normal’ here, as we have all been left wondering what normal actually is. Life in 2021 is about being able to adapt as never before. Aesthetic practitioners have to stay on their toes as they continue to learn to live with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses. In short, no one can afford to take anything for granted.

So, now it is several months since the last UK lockdown ended, many practitioners have their appointment slots fully booked and are experiencing greater demand than ever before. After all, practitioners have worked hard to ensure that they retained their patient base throughout the lockdowns. My hope is that practitioners did keep in touch with valued patients, reassuring them that they were looking forward to seeing them again and not taking it for granted that they would find their way back once clinics reopened. What makes me say this? I have seen the result of clinics that have been dormant for months. Some clinics that assumed their patients would return once lockdown measures eased were sorely disappointed.