Ginny Hegarty

I recently purchased a watch at a local jewelers. I knew I was impressed with the level of service while I was there, I was further convinced when I opened my mail today to find a handwritten note from the salesperson thanking me for my purchase and for the pleasure of helping me select my watch. The note card included the company Credo: “To provide the most compelling customer care possible to all of the people who enter our doors.” I couldn’t help but think how compelling this credo would be for many dental practices. Remember the power of a hand written note. Your patients will love getting one as much as I did.

It’s amazing what you can hear in the parking lot outside a dental office. I recently heard a teenage girl say “Mom, I’ve had teeth pulled and gum surgery, I’ve had braces and cleanings twice a year my whole life, but I’ve never felt like such an object as today when I had that filling done. That new girl working on me hurt me and acted like I was invisible.” The young girl then began to cry.

I have to wonder if this doctor was aware of what had happened under his watch. How aware are you of how your staff handle challenges they may face with your patients? How much training time is spent sharing your practice philosophy of care and service? Do you teach your team members how to care for and about your patients? It’s a mistake to assume that clinical competency assures a compassionate chairside manner. When all is said and done your patients won’t remember exactly what you said or did but they will always remember how your practice made them feel. This young lady deserved better.

I’ve just returned from San Francisco where the ADA held the annual meeting this year. Dr. Scott Benjamin spoke at The Academy of Dental Management Consultants’ Annual Meeting and held the room spellbound. His message: The mortality rate for Oral Cancer has not changed in 50 years. Oral Cancer is the sixth most common cancer, 3 times more common than cervical cancer. More women die from Oral Cancer every year than from Cervical Cancer. More men than women die every year from Oral Cancer.

When Oral Cancer is caught in Stage 1 the survival rate is 90% but shockingly 70% of oral cancer is diagnosed in the late stages. There is also a 60% rise in the number of people under 40 years old who are being diagnosed with oral cancer and this is linked to HPV.

Dr. Benjamin is passionate about doing what he can to change these statistics and he is challenging everyone in dentistry to do their part to encourage more and better screening for oral cancer. Do your research and learn how you can make the difference for your patients and their families.

Don’t you love it when you walk into a business where you’ve been a loyal customer for years and the people working there recognize you and greet you like family? Everyone loves to be welcomed like Norm from Cheers. We’ve all had that great welcome from our local bankers, grocery store clerks, salons, restaurants and pharmacies. For many of us it’s the reason we return again and again.

Now contrast that feeling with the one you get when you enter that same business where you’ve been a loyal customer and the staff ask you to spell your name so they can take your reservation or let coworkers know you have arrived. Even a nice smile and greeting doesn’t make up for the fact that you are now a stranger in a familiar place.

This loss of experience and interruption in customer service is one of the indirect costs of turnover that most business owners don’t calculate. Your patients feel this loss when you lose good people. If you’re serious about improving patient service you need a retention plan…you need to learn how to lead your team and how to stop the drama that drives the good people away…staff and patients.

Often the only difference between patient acceptance of a single crown and acceptance of a full quadrant restoration is the extra couple of minutes it takes to snap a digital photo of the quadrant and let the patient choose the final result or “look” they want. Engage your patient in a conversation about the options available to minimize return trips while maximizing their time in the chair.

Often patients are more concerned about time or appearance than they are about money. The ‘after’ photo of a quadrant of aesthetically restored teeth creates a wow factor that your beautiful crown flanked by dark or discolored restorations just can’t match. You’ll be doing your patients a great service.

You’ve probably heard the old adage that a happy customer tells two friends but an unhappy customer will tell ten. We’re all human and sometimes despite all your efforts things will not go smoothly in the office. Be prepared to turn those frowns upside down by having gift cards on hand to show how serious you are about your commitment to great service. A gift card for a coffee or book shop will have patients feeling understood and appreciated. In a time when health care can be so impersonal, set your practice apart as one that cares.

Start gathering cell phone and email addresses for your patients now so you’ll be ready to go when you decide to begin using internet outreach programs to market and communicate with your patients.

When your patients compliment you, encourage them to go to the Dr. Oogle site for your city and share their good experience. www.Droogle.com is in many major cities and the site ranks dentists according to their positive entries. With just a little bit of work you can start bragging about being the highest rated dentist in the city. You’ll also create a very positive buzz in the practice that makes staff and patients alike feel good about choosing your practice.

10. Know Your Patients and Greet Them By Name when they arrive in the office and at every point of contact during their visit. Most practice management software stores patient photos so even a new team member can recognize patients.

9. Engage Your Patients in Conversation. Don’t just confirm their arrival and ask them to have a seat. Follow Walt Disney’s advice and treat patients like they were guests in your home.

8. Honor Their Time. Make it a point of practice pride that patients are seen within five minutes of their appointed time. Your patients will love it and they’ll arrive on time too!

7. Come into the Reception Area to Greet Your Patient – don’t call their name from the doorway! The clinical team can preview patient photos so they recognize patients.

6. Be Aware of Your Tone of Voice. Professional behavior doesn’t mean you need to be dead serious. You don’t want a call for a hygiene check to sound the same as if you were announcing “iceberg ahead.” Patients hear everything so be aware and be consistently friendly and upbeat and involve them in your conversation when possible.

5. Remember Their Special Days. Make it a point to notice if a patient’s birthday or anniversary occurs near their appointment date and recognize it with a cupcake or card.

4. Let ‘em Eat Cake. Have patient appreciation day once a month in the practice and treat everyone to coffee and donuts or cheese and crackers. Make it a party!

3. Celebrate the Holidays. Fill the office with poinsettias in December and Tulips at April and have patients take one with them. They’ll be so pleasantly surprised and will talk about you to their coworkers and friends!

2. Send Cards. Have each team member choose a patient each day and write a personal note about his visit. “It was great to see you today John and to hear all about your cruise to Alaska.” It takes two minutes and makes a huge impact in the community.

1. Call Patients After Treatment. Doctors, many patients have questions after treatment and don’t want to bother you. A two-minute call in the evening will make a huge impression that will distinguish your practice as a cut above the rest.

At the start of your morning meeting have each team member choose a name from the previous day’s schedule and commit to writing a quick note to that patient. Doctors, lead the way for your team by also making a personal commitment to writing a note. A hand-written note congratulating a patient on a special event or accomplishment, wishing them a great vacation or just letting them know you enjoyed the time you spent together will help you all be more in touch and build better relationships with your patients. Imagine the impact this will have on your team as they engage patients each day. Imagine the impact it will have in the community over time. It takes two minutes a day and this is internal marketing at its best.