Have you ever been to someone’s house as a guest and wondered what’s behind a certain closed door?
There’s a lot of intrigue associated with “finding out” about places that seem to be off limits.
Does this come from childhood inquisitiveness?
Or is it simply just a fear of missing out [FOMO]?
In a Dental Office, there’s a lot of opportunity to show all when it comes to letting patients know what we do and where we do it in our office.
A colleague of mine even had the mantra in his dental office that there should be “No Back Stage”.
By this, what he meant was that there should be no mudrooms.
He said there should be no areas in the Office that we would be embarrassed for our patients to see.
His words were that every part of our practice should be able to be shown to anyone and everyone such that we should be proud of our practice and every inch of it.
And in so having that pride we should maintain the office in such a way that it is always “open for inspection” at all times.
So what exactly does that mean to you?
At any point in time, can you take a patient into your steri bay to see exactly how your infection control works?
Could you show your patients your staff room where employees relax and eat their lunch in a tidy environment?
Or what about your doctor’s private office?
Is it a room where your doctor would be proud to have patients see how he works on the back end of the business?
And your lab? Is it tidy or is there plaster and stone everywhere?
I recently visited an office where the concierge was proud to offer all new patients a guided tour of their facility.
It was my honour to tag along with one patient during a tour, so I was able to see the practice being presented, and how it presents to the new patient.
This was a real eye opener!!
This is because the tour needs to be presented in such a way that the patient only hears the WIIFM message.
[WIIFM = what’s in it for me?]
The tour should not be a grandiose presentation about the practice that has very little relevance to the new patient.
What the tour does need to be is a delivery of information that has the patient saying to themselves:
“This is my kind of place.”
“I’m so glad that I’ve decided to come here.”
“These people know their stuff, and are happy to show it”
Here’s what a new patient is looking for on a guided tour:
1. Happy smiling faces
A new patient is looking for employees who love what they do. They’re looking for people who enjoy working there.
2. Cleanliness
New patients want to make sure that your dental office is clean, and efficient.
It’s like those restaurants where the kitchen is on show and visible to the diners…we’re looking to see that they are preparing our food in a clean orderly environment where everything is in its place.
Nobody likes to see the buckets of cleaning products out in full view at a restaurant.
We just want to see clean.
3. Tidy organised office space
We want to see that the people running the dental office are working in an orderly manner, and a clean office shows us that everyone is on top of their game, and are not getting behind on anything.
Piles of paperwork tend to imply a lack of control.
4. Family photos of the dentist.
Patients are not looking for certificates and degrees.
They assume that if you have a dental office, that you have the paperwork.
They don’t know the difference between a BDS and a DDS and a DMD.
Patients certainly don’t know the difference between a MAGD or a FRACDS or an FPFA.
Or a CSP for that matter….
What they want to see is the dentist and his family in a happy, professional portrait.
Real people looking beautiful.
It’s amazing what sort of message a professional photo sends.
So rip down your degrees and certificates and pop up a family photo or two.
And not a photo taken with a blackberry with poor background lighting….
5. New technology
I’m not sure that patients understand what a row of laser machines and CAD-CAMs actually are.
But they seem to be impressed with a CBCT or OPG machine.
Those are kind of hard not to miss….
And a milling machine in action looks impressive too…
6. Your infection control area
It’s nice to be able to show your patients where you do your washing up.
And that the area is spotlessly clean.
Now I know some dental practices are hesitant in showing patients this area.
But this is an opportunity for your Dental office to really shine.
Have you ever seen the workshop at a European car dealership where clients’ cars are serviced?
They’re immaculate. In a way that puts your local corner store grease monkey to shame.
We should strive toward that same sort of image in our dental office.
I know some dental practices are hesitant to take patients into steri in case there are some bloody instruments and trays on show.
But those are rare.
And really, it’s simply about having a protocol for those moments so that those instruments and trays are dealt with quickly, so that we can keep the steri-bay on show.
Like I said, patients want to know that you’re clean, and that you practice clean…
7. Simple language
Resist the temptation to baffle the new patient with jargon and technology during a tour.
Talk to them in simple language that they understand, and of course, rather than just state facts, as much as possible follow each statement with the simple to understand explanation:
“…which means for you….”
*
The new patient guided tour is a simple to implement point of difference to separate your Dental Office from any other practice that your patient has ever ever visited before.
Simply because most other practices are never doing them.
And that means the dentist down the road…
And so when your patient returns to work and says to his co-workers:
“You’ll never guess what I just had at my new dentist?
A guided tour of their practice!”
Guess what the co-workers will say?
“My dentist never does that!”
Easy to do…
Easy not to do…
Be the point of difference….
******
My upcoming in depth two day workshops will be held in London in August.
You can reserve your places here: Click Link To Order
*****
Have you read my book , How To Build The Dental Practice of Your Dreams [Without Killing Yourself!] In Less Than Sixty Days.
You can order your copy here: Click Link To Order
*****
The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com
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