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Dental Practice Customer Service Tips
When you take the time to show your patients a little extra consideration -- whether it's giving them a little gift or taking the time to be more efficient -- it pays off. The rewards are not always material. You are quite often rewarded in compliments or simply feeling good about yourself. The better we feel about ourselves, the better we "show up" in the world. This leads to well-earned and deserved success. Below are some examples you can follow to show your patients you care:
- At the finance desk, keep a basket filled with samples that you receive from companies, such as toothpaste and denture adhesive. Invite the patients to help themselves.
- Keep a vase of flowers on the front desk and invite the patients to pick one to wish them a happy day.
- Create a schedule sheet for each patient's chart that has their name; home and work phone number; their medical alerts; and their pharmacy phone number. Below that information have four columns for the amount of time needed; the procedure to be done; the day and date of the appointment; and the time of the appointment. When the schedule sheet is filled do not discard it. Attach the next sheet. This will give you a running record of the times and days they prefer to come in.
- When you make an appointment, ask the patient the best time to call to confirm and the phone number where they can most easily be reached. Put that next to their name in the appointment book for ease of confirmation or on their schedule sheet if you use a computerized appointment book.
- Check the obituary column daily. If a patient or family member of a patient passes, send a sympathy card. This is greatly appreciated and helps to avoid those embarrassing calls for recall patients.
- Ask your doctor to give mini courses on the operatory procedures. If you don't spend time in the operatories, this will enable you to answer questions the patients may ask without having to disturb the doctor. Since the doctor gave you the information, it will be given to the patients the way he or she would want it given. This also instills confidence in the patients that the entire staff is knowledgeable.
- If you work in a general dental office and the doctor sends a patient out to be referred to a specialist's office, call that office and assist your patient in making an appointment before they leave your office. The sooner the specialist completes treatment the sooner the patient will return for restorative treatment.
- If you work for a specialist, get to know the staff members of your referring doctors. Make every effort to get their patients in on a timely basis. Staff cooperation will often influence a doctor to refer patients.
- Send birthday cards to your patients. Everyone gets holiday cards, but their birthday is theirs alone. Our patients often thank the doctor for their birthday card and they tell their friends and family.
- When your doctor does something for you be sure to let him or her know you appreciate it. Doctors need positive feedback as well as employees.
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