Patients Singing your Praises Everywhere – Guest Post

It only takes one person to unravel a patient’s experience. A lot of dentists overspend on external marketing and forgo the greater investment of internal marketing. Focusing on the growth of your team’s culture will often yield much greater results when attempting to create WOW experiences for your patients.

A team’s united and congruent belief system about what “Wow!” looks like is the key to unlocking your practice’s ability to soar and ultimately transform patients into the kind of people Ken Blanchard famously called “raving fans,” the ones who love what you do for them so much that they sing your praises everywhere they go.

Social media has lent a whole new level to patients’ expectations and knowledge of what dentistry should “feel” like in 2013. Paitents’ perception of outstanding dentistry has rocketed to a whole new model of delivering and providing care. Merely projecting an image that “our office is friendly” doesn’t cut it anymore.

A critical question to ask yourself is whether you are exceeding patient’s expectations.

Below are 7 ideas that a practice can implement to create a tighter connection with patients and truly understand what they want and need—and then completely surpass their expectations.

1.  Be sure the doctor calls new patients prior to their first appointment. Can you imagine how impressed a new patient would feel to receive a call from the dentist? All it takes is saying, sincerely, that you are looking forward to meeting them and inquiring if they have any concerns.

2.  Interview new patients about more than their medical history. Ask a question; “What’s most important for myself and my team to know while providing dental care to you and your family?”

3.  Ask questions with the intent to understand.  Patients need to know you care.  Loyal and respectful relationships have a foundation of trust.  This begins with the doctor and team sincerely wanting to know their patients  better.

4.  Relay information about the patient to other team members in front of the patient (Rather than behind them or in the hallway like it is a secret).  Patients appreciate the fact that they were heard and will feel like they are part of the solution for the recommended treatment.

5.  Be on time, or apologize for running fifteen minutes late and offer a woops card.

6.  Address the five senses.

• Smell: How does the office smell when patients arrive? Apply a couple of drops of aromatherapy oil on a bib or on your glove to reduce patients’ anxiety.
• Sight: Provide comfortable sunglasses during an appointment.  Have before and after photos as a screen saver on all monitors/TVs.
• Sound: What do patients hear?  Conversations or soothing music?  Laughter or arguments?
• Touch: Gratitude and warmth are felt the moment a patient walks in and the patient coordinator stands and extends a hand, welcoming the patient to the practice. Have fun creating a branding strategy with your team to deliver greater value than the patient expects.
• Taste: How about a beverage center with coffee/tea/bottled water/juices? Extending an invitation to have a beverage while a patient waits makes waiting easier.

7.  Make sure everyone on the team knows your patients. As the famous sitcom “Cheers” theme song states, people like to go where “everybody knows your name.”

Seth Godin writes, “Where does remarkable come from? Often, it comes from passionate people who are making something for themselves. Are you obsessed or just making a living?” If you are obsessed with creating a five-star customer experience for your clients, your business will grow through effective referrals, and the success of your practice will shine through to every single person who visits your office.

Two Bonus Items: Please contact Deanna Goodrich for a copy of:

• Checklist for the New Patient Flow. The focus is on developing the relationship.
• Discover the 8 power questions that will change the results of case acceptance.

To contact Deanna, call 720-810-3760 or email: deannagoodrich@fortunemgmt.com.