24/05/2026
A specialist shoulder clinic missed a call yesterday at 2pm.
The clinic was closed as usual on a Saturday.
Let’s talk about what that missed call actually costs.
A new patient at a specialist practice is worth an average of $1,500 to $3,000 in the first year alone.
Consultation. Diagnostics. Treatment.
Follow ups.
Over five years, if they return and stay with the practice - that number reaches $6,000 to $10,000.
Now add referrals. A satisfied patient refers an average of two people in their lifetime.
Each of those referrals carries the same value.
One new patient. Five years. Two referrals.
Conservative estimate: $18,000 to $30,000 in lifetime value to the practice. That’s one patient, their referrals, and five years of returning care.
That’s what walked out the door on a
Saturday afternoon.
Not because the clinic did anything wrong.
Just because no one answered.
The clinic that answers fastest wins the patient.
Every single time.