It’s amazing how the wonders of technology can shoot us in the foot.
I’ve written before about the Dental Assistant who used to announce while working in the treatment room:
“Your next one’s here”
with little or no respect for the current patient already in the chair.
Make that none.
No respect….
This scenario floored me when I went to work for a dentist located near my farm.
You see, what was happening here was the use of technology was being allowed to override people to people communication.
Instead of a human being coming into the treatment room to courteously announce the arrival of the next patient, that practice had allowed their dental software to replace the human communication.
Which meant in fact, that the offending Dental Assistant was literally clock watching the appointment book on the computer monitor rather than giving her undivided one hundred percent attention to the current patient at hand and also to her dentist.
Hardly inspiring stuff from the patient in the chair’s point of view, I’m sure.
In the same way that technology here was used to create a Customer Service System Fail, I’ve worked with Dental Offices that have allowed technology to take over after the treatment is completed, with a resultant negative impact upon the patient.
Again, I have written previously about a Dental Office I worked with where the patients were brought out from the treatment room with only a request for an ongoing appointment length, and no mention at all about the treatment or experience just received.
I know of another practice where patients leave the treatment room unescorted, and make their ways to the front counter, where a pop-up message on the receptionist’s computer is all that is relied upon to handover the patient to that receptionist.
And is it any wonder that this scenario produces significantly lower re-appointment rates?
All of a sudden there is no human-to-human communication to personably transition the disoriented patient from the horizontal treatment position to the now standing, vertical reappointment and money extraction position.
It leaves me cold just thinking of the supposition that some geek made to think that this scenario was indeed even appropriate or acceptable?
And yet like lemmings the dental profession has accepted this as the best available modus operandi?
You’ve got to be kidding me!
It’s about as personable as having to leave your table at a fine dining restaurant and having to go to a counter and place your food order and be given an electronic buzzer to return to fetch your meal when it was cooked.
Sure that technology is present at your local pub maybe, but is it used at fine dining where you’re actually being served?
I don’t think so….
I say the number one reason that our valued dental patients leave our Dental Offices and seek treatment elsewhere is because of apathy and perceived apathy from our staff and our team and our dentists towards those valued patients.
Don’t allow technology to purvey apathy towards your valued customers.
Wherever possible allow human beings to respond and interact with your paying clients rather than automation.
How do children spell “LOVE”?
T.I.M.E.
And our patients spell it exactly the same way.
Want to see your case acceptances rise and your cancellation numbers plummet?
Spend TIME with your patients.
Not automation…
******
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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