With a good scheduling system and a commitment to not keep patients waiting, your patients will spend very little time in your reception area. However, you and your team should still work to make it a more welcoming, comfortable, interesting, and impressive space. By showing your commitment to exceptional customer service, the amenities you provide reaffirm patients' decision to rely on your practice and can even make them look forward to coming in.
Provide little extras that show you care. Working together, you and your staff (who probably know more about the subject than you do) should brainstorm ideas for creating a WOW experience for your patients. From fresh flowers to free Wi-Fi to bottled water, flatter them with your thoughtfulness. Think about what would impress patients so much they'd tell their family members and friends about it -- and then provide it.
Don't assume what you've done for years still works. Times as well as people's tastes and habits change. Look at your amenities with fresh eyes -- patients' eyes -- and find new ways to please your patients during the time they're at your practice. It's a relatively small investment that can pay major dividends.
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
