continuing education Welcome letter to the new employee Once you've found the right person, it's important to communicate expectations. This letter can become part of the write-up for the position and kept in front of the job description binder. Dear Director of First Impressions: We have chosen each other in an employee/employer relationship, and it is important that I help you understand my expectations so your journey with us will be long, pleasant and beneficial to us both. Your responsibilities are challenging, and the effectiveness of our office will depend on you and your abilities. You will be the first contact a new patient has with us. This initial experience will begin to shape their opinion about who we are and the type of dentistry we provide our patients. Therefore, you must realize the business side of our practice deals with people and that we must make people-and the quality of their care-our business. You must be genuine and appreciative of the wonderful people who visit our practice. You must be conscientious when seating patients in a timely manner and ensuring they move through the office smoothly. A patient calling or stopping in must leave with the distinct impression they are the only patient in our practice. When you can achieve this goal-and I know you can-you will become an outstanding ambassador for our practice. [Your signature] Statistics kept and reported monthly Each position in the practice should be assigned a set of performance monitors that align with their position. The director of first impressions should be responsible for: * Number of new patients for the month. * Number of welcome letters mailed to new patients. * Number of " thank you for referring to the practice " letters mailed. * Number of " no cavity " letters mailed. Conclusion First impressions create lasting impressions. They build loyal long-term relationships and create patients who will go out and spread the good word about your practice to their friends, co-workers and family. Good first impressions will help lower your marketing expenses and improve your patient retention. Many practices have failed when it comes to appointing someone who could become an ambassador for the practice. This person presents the practice to the world! It's important to have the right person in the job. Even more important, though, is to define the role and put it into action. ■ dentaltown.com \\ DECEMBER 2020 DT1220_Pardue_CE-Staffing.indd 101 101 11/17/20 3:19 PMhttp://www.dentaltown.com