Orthotown April 2013 - (Page 62)

practice management // feature I have been spending more time than usual in airports, on airplanes and in hotels in the past few months and the one thing I have come to realize is just how bad customer service is in the travel industry. Now I know you are thinking, “I’m not in the travel business, how does this relate to my dental practice?” Whether you provide a travel service or a dental service, you are in the business of taking care of people. Providing remarkable, extraordinary and consistent patient care is what will set your practice apart from your competitors. We all have the horror stories of flight delays and even cancellations. Recently, while traveling to Costa Rica with my husband, we had a layover in Houston, but ended up in Dallas for four hours sitting on the airplane waiting for weather to clear. We had already traveled from Sacramento (about 3.5 hours) and now had an additional wait in Dallas. We grabbed a quick breakfast at Starbucks in the airport before we boarded, but had no lunch and, by this time, no dinner. When my husband asked the flight attendant for some water, she curtly told him, “We are out of water!” There was no effort to offer a replacement beverage and her angry demeanor intimidated him. He decided not to ask for anything else. The flight to Costa Rica had plenty of water, but when I asked about food to purchase, they had none. I am sure some of you reading this have had worse treatment by a major national airline. From personal experience they act as if you are bothering them when you ask for more water or an extra pillow. They act like they do not care or appreciate you as a customer because they might be 62 APRIL 2013 // orthotown.com the only game in town to get you where you want to go. They got your money because you really had no choice in the matter. We in the dental profession do not have the luxury of being rude, uncaring, angry or mean to our patients, but everyday, somewhere in a dental office, a patient is being treated rudely, or left waiting, or ignored or disrespected. Do you know how your patients are being treated in your office? Is it extraordinary? Is it remarkable and memorable? Is it consistent? Are your patients raving about the experience in your office or are they ranting about it at lunch to their co-workers? Certainly, your patients are paying your staff and your salary as well as the office overhead. How well are they respected? Are they thanked at each appointment for coming in and choosing your office? Is your front desk “helping” your patients get the needed appointments and treatment or are they putting up barriers by saying “no,” “not available,” “that day is booked solid,” or, my favorite, “the doctor is on vacation the entire week.” Teams that are patient-centered and delivering extraordinary service will say “yes, we have availability on Tuesday and Wednesday,” or “yes, Mrs. Jones, we do need to see David next week to replace his braces that came off his teeth.” Westin Hotels did a survey and found that if its customer service agents used the client’s name three to four times during a phone call, the likelihood of that client booking a hotel room or vacation increased significantly. Just implementing that single detail when on a call with a new patient can make all the difference in the end result to your practice’s productivity. http://www.orthotown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown April 2013

Orthotown.com Highlights
Wired for Success: Big Brother is Listening
Industry News
Some Suggestions Would Be Great
Poll: Bracket Systems
Fun Class III Two-Jaw Case
You Should Know: Motion View Software, LLC
A Protocol for Creating Images from CBVI for the Practicing Orthodontist, Part II
AAO Annual Session Product Showcase 2013
Office Visit: A Community Pillar
New Products
AAO Feature AAO Membership – What’s in it for me?
Smile Assist
You Should Know: Gaidge Practice Metrics
The Combined Value of the Frontal Analysis and Growth Prediction
Getting Social Media to Grow Your Practice: A Primer for Successful Orthodontic Social Media Engagement
Get Patients to Rave About Your Practice
Ad Index

Orthotown April 2013