Dr. Roger P. Levin brings you the most thought-provoking topics from the Dental Business Study Clubs, an organization focused on the business of successful dentistry. Each month, Dr. Levin will explore an aspect of the business of dentistry in detail.
Sometimes, it's the little things in life that matter most. You've heard the cliches, but in the dental world, little things increase production, profit, customer service, referrals, and patient satisfaction.
5 things
Do these five little things each day to make a big difference in your practice.
1. Select three patients and send them handwritten notes
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the executive founder of the Dental Business Study Clubs.Select three patients per day and write a note that comments on something that happened or was said during the patient's visit. It's a simple way to let patients know you care and that you were paying attention.
2. Call patients at night
Top practices tend to call patients at night, which shows the three C's: caring, concern, and compassion. Whenever you can show all three, patients will be appreciative and develop much stronger bonds and loyalty to the practice.
Remember that half of the patient calls you make will go to voicemail. With the other half of calls, you'll simply ask how the patients are doing. They'll probably tell you that they're doing fine so it will be a short call but happily appreciated.
3. Texts
We recommend that practices send new patients a text within 10 minutes of them leaving your office. Try sending a short text that lets them know you hope their experience was positive and that they can ask any questions.
Taking the time to send this text will impress patients who aren't used to receiving this level of caring or customer service and solidify their desire to be with your practice long-term. It's one of those little things that takes about two minutes but can make a big difference.
4. Ask for reviews
Every patient that comes to the front desk to check out should be asked to leave a review. As you're talking, hand the patient a card. The card should have your logo and Google's logo, thank them for being a patient, ask them to leave a review, and tell them how to do it. We find that this card acts as a great reminder and many people leave a review two or three days after their visit.
5. Thank them for referrals
Any patient who referred a patient since their last visit should be thanked by every team member and doctor they see. This sends a powerful message of how much you appreciate their referrals and creates an opportunity to reinforce that you would appreciate it if they did it again.
Making a difference
Little things truly make a difference. When you add them up, they become a big thing. Top practices always look for little ways to demonstrate appreciation and show the three C's -- caring, compassion, and concern.
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the executive founder of the Dental Business Study Clubs.
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.
