Team Meeting: Retaining our Existing Patients How We Make Our Patients Feel Cindy Burstadt, Asst. Director, Practice Enhancement We have all read articles on the WOW experience for our dental patients haven't we? Many of you are working at providing a WOW! customer service experience the patients at your Dental Office. Personally written thank you notes, headsets for music or movies, and refreshments to name are just a few of the things you do on a daily basis. You and your dental practice are special with all of these great amenities, don't you think? But are these things all that there is to your dental patients' experience in the office? Are you looking at all aspects of your business and the impact they have on your patients? Is it enough to have a great brochure that is mailed when patients call for their first appointment? Is it enough to have gorgeous crowns where there were ugly old fillings? There is so much that happens in between isn't there? Everyone on the dental office team influences the patients' perception of us. Phone calls, scheduling, treatment presentation, financial arrangements, insurance management, hygiene appointments (are they just a cleaning?)-the list goes on and on. In your Team Meeting consider the following questions? Are we focusing on what we do as a task or a thing, or are we making it about each patient individually and our relationship with them? We've learned about personality styles but do we use the information as a way to be right" ourselves or do we apply what we have learned to make the experience appropriate for the patient we are helping now? Do your patients feel they really matter to you? Does everyone on your team realize you need the dental patients maybe more than they need you? Not every patient is impressed by the same things are they? Some patients may come to you for just what is needed and not really care about the frills". Is that okay with you, or does that patient feel less important when they leave? What happens when something goes wrong because this is real life it will happen, even with the best of intentions. Do you get defensive, thinking that every other patient has been satisfied and this must just be that difficult" patient? Do we listen to what our patients are telling us and ask more questions to truly understand or do we brush their comments aside and hurry to the next patient?How do you feel when your comments aren't heard? It's so much more fun when our customers are telling us how great we are, and we are getting hugs and gifts-right? I challenge you to see what opportunities you may be missing with other patients. Have you told them you appreciate them and that they are part of your success? Don't wait for them to start the compliments. People may forget what you say and they may forget what you do. People will never forget how you make them feel. So what is stopping you from making a change today? Make your list here for everyone on your dental office team. Look for ways to truly put out the welcome mat for all your patients and make it happen. Cindy Burstadt has spent more than twenty years as both a dental hygienist and dental practice manager. Adding to her career with over five years managing multiple hotel properties, Cindy knows from a hands on perspective what it means to make "guests" happy, as well as how to run a well-managed business. Cindy's passion is applying her business and patient care talents creating opportunities with those looking for personal and professional growth. Her most recent program Continuing C.A.R.E, It's more than just a cleaning" focuses on the many possibilities the recare patients offer. Cindy lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband Bill, and enjoys travel and gardening. www.thecoachingcenter.net cinthia@thecoachingcenter.net
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