It’s sad to say but most people actually come into a dental office expecting the doctor to be running late in getting to them. They expect problems with their bill. They expect difficulty in getting appointments convenient to their schedule.
What if you decided, “In my office, we’re always going to be on time. I’m going to make sure that the person handling billing is an “A” player. We're going to be available during the hours that best serve our patient needs.”
Ask Your Patients Why They Chose You
You may have never considered this but your patients come to you for a reason. Sure, they might have made that first appointment because of the discount coupon you sent to their house but that’s not why they stuck around.
Patients stay with your practice because you solve problems for them. They might be insurance-related problems or perhaps you offer the best care at the fairest rate. Maybe you get them in and out quickly and efficiently, which gets them to work on time.
If you don’t know exactly what it is that you do for your patients, ask them. Ask what it was that made them walk away from their last dentist and vow not to make the same mistakes.
One Mistake That’s Easy to Fix
During my most recent Virtual Academy, I had a client who said to me, “Wes, I have a team member who’s really nice but sometimes she’s very grumpy.” I asked him, “Do you let her deal with patients when she’s grumpy?” His answer was yes.
I have a very low tolerance for this sort of mistake. If the grumpy person is the first person your patient sees when she walks through the door, you’re not adding value to that patient’s overall experience and you’re certainly not exceeding her expectations.
Start With the Phone
I encourage all of my clients to call other practices in their area to get a sense of what that experience is like for patients. They tend to find that they’re greeted with little more than a short, rushed “Dental office!”
Would that make you feel welcomed? Important? Or would it make you feel like an inconvenience to the person who just picked up the phone?
What would happen if you had your staff answer incoming calls with “Thank you for choosing XYZ Dental, this is Sandy; How can we make you smile?” I can tell you it would certainly exceed the patient’s expectations!
Take the Time Now and it Will Pay Dividends
If you take the time up front to understand your patients’ needs, then when it comes time to present treatment options, you won’t find yourself handling objections or having to convince them to accept care. It’ll just happen because it’s the logical next step in your relationship.
Are you meeting your clients’ needs or are you somehow falling short? Take a few minutes to imagine what it would be like to walk into your office as a patient. Are you happy with what you find? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.
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