Dentaltown March 2013 - (Page 72)

practice management feature by Tom s Hopkin How many dead files do you have? How many patients came in once or maybe twice, and have never come back again? And, more importantly, what are you doing about them? Rather than letting their information take up space in your manual files or digital files, assign a staff member the task of working with them. Their goal is to either reactivate them as patients or determine that they are not “re-activate-able.” Your initial thought may be that this is a non-productive task. I beg to differ. Even if those inactive patients do not reactivate, finding out where they went and why could help the future of your practice tremendously. Next to sales functions, customer service functions are vital to overall success and must be given appropriate emphasis. Poor customer service will cost your practice as much revenue as having poor or no marketing plans. Besides, aren’t you curious to know what happened to them? If you’re the truly caring, dedicated dental professional you profess to be, you will want to know. 72 MARCH 2013 » dentaltown.com There are primarily three reasons people do not come back to your office after an initial visit: 1. They move away. At least they move far enough away that it’s too much of a hassle to come to your office. With some patients, even if it’s a bit of a drive to get to you, they’ll make a day of it – visit dentist, shop, have lunch, etc. It’s a mini road trip for them. I know of patients who are willing to drive 30-45 miles to visit a dental professional they like and trust. These patients might drive past as many as 40 other practices on the way there, but Dr. “Smith” is their guy (or gal) and they don’t want to go anywhere else. For them, having a dental appointment is like having a hair appointment. They’re regularly scheduled and it impacts what kind of day they have. 2. They die. It happens. Hopefully, you knew about it and you sent a sympathy card to the family. 3. They go to the competition. This should not be acceptable to anyone who is running a professional http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown March 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Dentistry Could Come Back with a Vengeance
Professional Courtesy: I’m No Anti-Dentite
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: Should Endodontists Place Implants?
Needle Stick Question
Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Know How to Use My Loupes?
The Patient Blames Me for Cracking His Tooth
Corporate Profile: {KöR}
CAD/CAM Materials
Dentaltown Research: Cosmetic Dentistry
Do-it-Yourself Finance, Part IV: Savings and Investing
Product Profile: Centrix
Keep Them Coming Back
You Should Know: Likeable Dentists
Multimodality Endodontics
Endodontics for the Recent Graduate: Instrumentation
Continuing Education Porcelain Veneers: From Case Selection to Cementation
8½ Tips for Dental Safety Checklists
How Prepared Are You For a Medical Emergency?
Dental Stem Cell Preservation and the Dawning of Regenerative Oral Medicine
Product Profile: Ivoclar EvoCerem
Narrow Diameter Implant Overdentures with Locator Attachments
In This Issue: Zeroing in on Xerostomia
Perio Reports
Ad Index
Profile in Oral Health: Substances for Targeting Xerostomia
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown March 2013