In Part I of this three-part series, you learned the first two ingredients— Patient/Parent Aggravation Were Non-Existent and Empty Promises Are Never Made. In Part II you learned, three more ingredients to WOW New Patients —You Must Manage the New Patient’s Experience, Involve the New Patient and Have Fun!
In this final and third article, you will learn key ingredients six and seven of the 7 Patient-Centered Pearls to Wow New Patients. There’s no black magic to sprinkle or spells to cast. You and your team must have a desire to keep the best interest of the patient first and foremost in your minds even when handling scheduling conflicts.
#6— Recover Readily and Remarkably
I’ve read, to err is human but to really foul things up, you need a computer. I am sure it seems that way at times, especially with scheduling. You must be reminded a human is the one operating the computer. What goes in it was put in it by a team member.
Here’s a scenario for an orthodontic practice to consider:
A new patient arrives for a consultation on the wrong day. What is standard operating practice for your office? Do you tell them you are sorry “but they will have to come back on the appropriate day and time?" Do you say “you are already booked and cannot work them in?" If your goal is to “Wow" your new patients 100% of the time, your team should make every effort to see the new patient while they are in your office, regardless of who made the error. Yes, you have an exam in progress and the operatory is busy but the bottom line should be to do this exam today. I remind you, the patient typically wants to know three things: type of braces, how long it’ll take and how much it’ll cost. That process could be handled in 15-20 minutes or less and the exam can be performed in the operatory with a chair side assistant.
SOLUTION: When taking care of patients, admit the error and apologize; then make it right. A patient-centered orthodontic or dental practice would do that immediately. Don’t try to cover up a mistake or worse yet, blame the patient. Patients are very much aware of what is happening around them. Be sincere. The patient will respect you more for making every effort to improve their experiences with you. As soon as they discovered there was an error, they expected to be told they could not be seen and sent away. Wow them and do the exam anyway!
#7—Do Everything Better
In the scenario above, what do you think your #1 competitor would have done? Look at what other orthodontic practices are doing. Look at any business that services customers, what are they doing? You will see exceptional customer service or a lack of service. Most often, a lack of good customer service is seen everywhere.
SOLUTION: Observe, learn and take notes. Capture the good ideas and discard the bad ones from other service-oriented businesses. Think about how your team answers the
telephone. Pay attention to how patient information is asked for and entered in your computer system. Take note of how new patient packets are processed and mailed. Learn what can be done better or made more efficient. How can the patient be made to feel your practice is the best practice in town?
When you combine all seven of these key ingredients, you will have built a patient-centered practice and knocked the wind out of your competition’s sails. Your competition started on this path but stopped as abruptly as they started. You and your team must make a daily commitment to lavishly apply these ingredients to your day. You will “Wow" your patients and they will “wow" you in return with referrals. Take exceptional care of your patients and no one else will. They will remain loyal to you.
