Here is how you can move your therapy business online during the Coronavirus outbreak

The last couple of weeks have been incredibly stressful and we really hope that you have managed to find a moment to take stock of our new normal. As therapists, our entire career is based on providing a caring touch so it is hard to think of ways that we can continue to generate even a small income during these difficult times. 

At Massage Warehouse we have been working hard to try and find solutions for you. Not only thinking of ways that massage therapists can use this time wisely to develop themselves and their businesses for the future so you come back stronger - but also so that you can get back to providing value for your clients, and generate a small income for yourself right now! 

With that aim we have partnered up with the team at Rehab My Patient to boost therapists spirits with a 3 month opportunity to use their fantastic software, and temporarily move their business online with just a few clicks, COMPLETELY FREE! 

So how does it work 

Rehab My Patient allows massage therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, and chiropractors to create tailor made exercise plans for their clients using an impressive bank of professional ready to go photos and video, as well as giving therapists the ability to host secure video consultations to help guide clients through exercises, check in on their progress and provide feedback.  

With the restrictions in place due to Coronavirus this software can be a HUGE game changer for therapists! Being able to create professional looking exercise plans, with the bonus of high quality video content, will allow you to demonstrate to your clients the level of your knowledge, the depth of your care for them and the ongoing work we are always doing. 

What to do

So to get started head to the FB Group and get the free sign-up link for your free membership.

Once you have logged in, add in your clients details to set up an individual profile for their exercise plan; 

You will know what body areas your client normally needs working on already or you can have a new video consultation with them to see if anything new is going on in their body.

After adding in your clients details as above you can search exercises by category (leg, arm etc), condition or by muscle group to create a list of personalised exercises for your client and select from a range of image or video explanations!

The best part is if you can't find what you need or you want to go the extra mile then you can record your own video tutorials and add them in! How cool is that!!

You could even record a video of you treating or massaging the body parts on one of your family members on your Portable Massage Table and sending the video to your client for their partner or family member to follow your instructions. 

All the exercises can be completely customised so you can change the number of reps, sets or time allowances for each one to tailor to your client's individual needs with complete precision! When you are finished adding in all the exercises and tweaking the numbers of sets, reps and time for your client its just a quick click and you can email them their plan and download a copy for your own notes! 

Rehab My Patient also enables therapists to set up video consultations in just four easy steps through their app TeleRehab. Simple and intuitive to use, you are able to record sessions, including group chats if you wish, that are hosted through secure encrypted networks, ensuring you stay compliant with regulations and insurers. 

We recommend you set up a practice new patient with a friend, family member, or another therapists inside the FB Group so you can be confident how to use everything with your clients. Jump on a video call with the practice patient so that you can know how to set up everything.

So how can you promote this to clients? 

Understandably, especially for massage therapists, you may be reluctant to ask for payment for a consultation like this as you might feel that you are not able to offer your usual value to your clients. However, please please please see the value that your knowledge can bring your clients right now. 

Imagine everyone indoors, tense from the stress and anxiety we are all experiencing with no access to the relief your massage treatments and the accompanying assessments usually provide. 

No one is suggesting you charge what you would for a full session but clients may be happy to pay £10-15 for a personalised plan and a 30 minute consultation with you. These are tailor made exercises just for them and just because you cannot see them in person your time, knowledge and advice is very valuable! The exercises you provide clients now might save them serious money in the future by aiding their well being through what is an especially stressful time. 

We have seen many posts from therapists who are concerned about being seen to be begging. However asking clients to support your business and offering them real value isn't begging, and it may even be essential to you being able to be there for them when things return to normal in the future.

For some of you it may be possible to offer this service as a gesture of good will, to encourage clients to stick with you once the COVID-19 outbreak passes. You are building up some goodwill with them, they will be impressed you care so much and that you are being very innovative in your approach to helping them. With this approach they may even refer friend to you because their friend's therapists are not doing this for them and you will come out of this with even more clients!

But for many of you we are painfully aware that you need some form of income right now, and whilst it may not cover all the bills we sincerely hope that this enables you to make a start whilst using the skills and knowledge that you have worked so hard to acquire and to continue spreading your passion for massage to your clients. We really wish we could be there for you to support you individually through these tough calls but all we can do is hopefully fill you with the confidence to ask for your worth, now more than ever! 

So how can you sign up? 

So to get started head to the FB Group and get the free sign-up link for your free membership..

We've collaborated with Rehab My Patient and negotiated three months free for you. There is no obligation but at the end of the three months if you would like to continue using the software Rehab My Patient are also generously offering 10% off their annual plans so please do show them some love on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! 

Inside the FB Group , we are going to be

1. Matching therapists up with each other to practice a trial run of the software with should you need it or you can just fire away on your own if you are confident
2. Allowing you to ask trouble shooting questions so others can chime in and help and you can get feedback on what you are doing and once it is second nature to you, you can also offer your advice and feedback to others.
3. Building a community of therapists to support each other through this.

What have you been doing to try and keep in touch with your massage therapy clients during the coronavirus outbreak? Let us know in our Facebook thread.