Don't Send These by Email!

One of the things my office does that gets rave reviews is sending out birthday cards. Every month, my staff prints off a list of patients who are celebrating their birthdays. Every staff member then proceeds with signing each card and in some instances writing a personal message. This is about the only aspect of our practice that is not paperless.
While many chiropractors are not sending birthday cards at all, some are choosing to send digital cards via email. As an office, we have decided to stay old fashion and actually mail out all our birthday cards every two weeks. While some may say it is a waste of time and money, we feel it sets us apart and creates the "WOW" factor.
We have had countless comments from patients about how they appreciate getting a birthday card from us and how it made them feel special. Many of them say they are surprise and excited as they rarely get anything in the mail worth opening anymore...just bills.
On several occasions, we have had patients cry in our office telling us our card was the only one they received. Knowing the age group of these special patients, most of them don't even have an email account.
So, while some may argue the impact and cost of sending birthday cards by regular mail, I choose to lead with my heart on this one and keep a good thing going. While others send them e-cards that will end up in the trash bin, yours may end up on the fridge for a while!
-Clayton