patient experience – Patient Focus

3 Practice Characteristics Dental Patients Look For In A Practice

It’s easy to fall into the rut and routine of your daily to-dos and tasks in a dental office. But have you have stopped to think—really think!—about what dental patients are looking for? We recommend you do, as it could be the key to your continued success.

Here are 3 of the most important things your dental patients are looking for in a dental practice.

An Honest Conversation About Cost

It’s no mystery that most dental work is expensive. According to a study done by 1 800 Dentist, a resounding 91% of patients said they are more likely to continue patronizing dentists who engage in an honest and clear conversation about costs.

One of the biggest obstacles dental patients face is finding a dentist who is willing to openly discuss dental fees upfront. Dentistry HQ has some helpful tips on how to be open and upfront with your dental fees:

Before discussing the price with your dental patients, communicate the long-term value
Always discuss cost upfront and before starting any treatment
Establish trust first, then expand the conversation to include a dental treatment plan that is in their best interest
Offer different treatment options and costs

Friendly Staff

Observe how your staff interacts with your dental patients. These interactions truly will set the tone for the entire visit. Something as painless as a cleaning can be insanely stressful to dental patients. An honest smile, friendly banter and genuinely listening to them can quickly dispel any stress and put their minds at ease. The easiest way to keep them coming back is to make them feel comfortable and important. Looking to hire dental staff? Here are three things to look for to ensure your staff fits the friendly bill:

Positivity-a positive attitude goes a long way in the dental practice
Someone who is patient, energetic and outgoing will help ease patient’s stress about going to the dentist
Someone who smiles easily and is approachable and welcoming

A Social Media Presence

You do not need to have 20 social media sites for you or your dental practice, but having an online presence will go a long way with potential and current dental patients. When searching for a new dentist, a patient’s initial instinct is to type in the name of a practice or dentist into a search engine and hit ‘enter’. Aside from a clean, up-to-date website, they are looking for an active presence on social media—where they can see happy patients, photos of the dental team, how many followers there are and comments. Maintaining an active social media page will give you an opportunity to showcase happy client testimonials, engage with prospects, answer questions and build trust and credibility.

Whether your potential dental patients are searching high and low for a warm smile or a social media presence, following these 3 tips can help ensure you cover all of your bases and bring more dental patients into your practice!

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In only three simple steps you could be up and running with Patient Focus! Learn more today.

How to Enhance Communication in Dentistry

It’s an understatement to say that all dental professionals need to have excellent communication skills. We need to communicate effectively with our dental team members, labs, supply reps and especially our patients. The goal of communication in dentistry is simple: to empower our patients with the knowledge necessary to make an informed decision about their oral health. Before you jump into talking to your patient about not flossing or how they’re brushing way too hard, here are some acceptable subjects for communication in dentistry to break the ice:

The weather
The patient. People always love to talk about themselves.
Pets. Does your patient have any pets? Do you have pets? Talk about them! Animals make everyone happy.
Recent news

Sometimes just an honest smile and a joke can make all the difference in the world. Friendly banter and some humor can dispel the patient’s stress. Making a dental patient feel comfortable in your practice is one of the easiest ways to keep them coming back.

Communication in Dentistry: Chairside

One of the most important elements to building a successful dental business is your chairside communication with your patients. Try these quick steps to effective chairside communication in dentistry:

Explain to your patients their dental problems precisely and in terms they will understand
Inform patients of your treatment recommendations
Let them know the potential consequences if treatment is delayed or ignored

Avoid these 10 mistakes from The Curious Dentist when presenting a treatment plan.

You’ll find that a compassionate approach will keep your dental patients engaged. If you can’t communicate well with your patients and your team, you can’t win. Communication in dentistry requires patience, humility, effort and is a process for continual improvement.

One of the biggest downfalls to a successful dental practice is the patient’s fear of treatment. Patients can skip cleanings and put off treatments because they feel apprehensive. You can prevent fear of dental treatment in the first place by simply talking to your patient. Communicating—you guessed it—effectively. If your patient needs a “scary” treatment like a root canal, break it to them gently. Explain in detail why the treatment is necessary, allow the patient to ask questions and thoroughly describe how the procedure works. When patients are aware of what to expect, they feel more confident in you and about their treatments.

It can be easy to get in the bad habit of herding patients through your doors like cattle to the point where patients start feeling like that. Remember who they are—people! No one wants to feel like “just another patient” in the lineup of your busy schedule. Connect with them. Communicate—really communicate—with your patients. Take quick notes after your appointment about your conversation and follow up with your patients next time they are in. Ask them how their family vacation was, how things are going at their new job and how their son’s big game went.

Communicating effectively and actually remembering details about your dental patients will make them feel special. And guess what? That feeling and connection creates a feeling of loyalty. Patients who leave feeling special and connected to you and your practice are more likely to refer their family and friends.

There you have it. Improving communication in dentistry with these simple tips can potentially bring more patients into your practice! Happy communicating!

In only three simple steps you could be up and running with Patient Focus! Learn more today.

5 Tips to Cultivating the Happiest Dental Patients Around

Patient happiness and satisfaction is an area that many of us in the dental industry take for granted. It’s become to say ‘we are not just treating teeth; we are treating people’, but it is oh so true. There is tons of lip service given to this idea, but most times not a lot of action behind it. Sure your dental patients may leave your practice with the healthiest teeth, but how was their experience? How well were they treated?

Dental patients will appreciate the overall dental experience if they leave happy. Then, they will come back and maintain excellent oral health and refer your office to friends and family.

Happy dental patients = successful dental practice

It’s time to provide your dental patients with quality care while making their office experience unforgettable. Here’s how you can provide them with the best dental patient experience your office can offer and keep them smiling the moment they walk through your door.

Greet them.

Say hello and give your dental patients a warm welcome right when they come in the door. It shows that you recognize them, that they matter and most importantly, that you care.

Remember who they are.

Everyone wants to feel special. Make it a point to connect with them and remember details about their lives. Connecting will not only ensure happy dental patients, but will create a sense of loyalty.

Don’t talk over their heads.

Patient education is important. Always keep in mind your dental patients didn’t go to dental school. Speak in terms that they’ll understand.

Stay passionate.

It’s so easy to get into a rut at work. Try to reignite that passion you felt when you first started practicing when you go about your day-to-day routine.

Use their name.

Call your patients by name whenever possible. This will give them the sense that they are unique and being served personally and not just another number in your chair.

Making your dental patients happy should be your number 1 priority. Why? It’s simple—without patients you wouldn’t have a practice. Use these tips to start cultivating the happiest dental patients around.

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In only three simple steps you could be up and running with Patient Focus! Learn more today.

Secrets to a Great Dental Team

Dental practices face many common challenges including how to be more efficient clinically, how to reduce their overhead, how to motivate the team and how to get more patients. You may be constantly searching for solutions but may be overlooking the most impactful and obvious piece of your practice: the dental team that you are working with every single day.

Your Dental Team Is the Most Important Asset In Your Practice

Take a moment to consider how every system, every interaction and procedure involves and relies on your dental team. A motivated and well-trained team will work together to consistently provide high-quality and exceptional patient care while increasing efficiency in the practice.

Discover the essential secrets to successfully filling your dental chairs. Download your 5-Point Checklist to A Full Schedule now!

It\’92s critical to instill and develop a sense of teamwork, to be motivated to work hard every day. In addition, creating a sense of investment and satisfaction with their job to stay committed to work with you for years to come\’97keeping the turnover rate low. A great team is made up of people who have a deep understanding of how their daily contributions are part of a larger purpose. \’91That\’92s not my job\’92 is never a part of their thinking and it is understood that everyone\’92s role is to contribute to the success of the dental practice.

Here are a few quick tips to creating the dynamic and effective dental team that your practice deserves:

Thoroughly train your team on all systems in your dental clinic

Document the step-by-step process for each of your practice systems to serve as your foundation to build a successful team

Motivate team members with performance reviews

Keep your dental team up to speed with anything new

Set measurable goals and communicate to the entire team

Providing the most positive dental experience takes a team. Having the right dental team in place can have a huge impact on your dental practice. Make sure your team is great for the straightest road to dental practice success.

Want to improve your dental practice? Patient Focus can help your clinic find success through dental recall. Contact Patient Focus now to get more appointments.

3 Reasons Why Your Dental Patients Don\’92t Come Back

The average dental practice loses 15-20% of their dental patients every single year. Why are you losing these patients? What is happening to your dental patients and where are they going? It\’92s important to uncover the why – to get to the root of the issue – to effectively take action and do something about it.

Like most business owners, dentists can have various blind-spots when it comes to weaknesses in their practice. Stop simply wondering why your dental patients aren\’92t returning and start uncovering the real reasons.

Here are 3 of the most common reasons why dental patients walk out the door and don\’92t come back.

Unbearably long wait times

Time is important to everyone. And that includes your dental patients. There is nothing worse than sitting in the reception area just watching the clock tick away slowing waiting for your name to be called. You expect your patients to be in your practice on time, and your dental patients have the same expectation of you. Your staff should schedule realistic appointment times and remember to avoid double booking patients. Of course there can be unexpected delays or emergencies that pop up causing a delay in wait time. If that is the case, make sure that the dental team clearly communicates to the patient. The pain in waiting often comes from the unknown. You\’92ve most likely experienced this feeling while sitting in traffic–not knowing what caused the traffic jam can drive you crazy! And the moment you\’92re aware of what the issue is, it immediately reassures you that it will soon come to an end. Then the wait doesn\’92t seem quite as unbearable! If there is a wait, simply communicating with the patient as to why and how long that wait will be can work wonders in building trust and making them feel valued.

Ready to discover the essential secrets to successfully filling your dental chairs? Download your checklist here!

You don\’92t ACT like you care

While we know you appreciate and care about your patients (you wouldn\’92t be in business if it weren\’92t for them!), it\’92s all-too common for dental patients to think that you don\’92t truly care about them personally. Since it\’92s incredibly easy to get caught up in the clinical side of what you\’92re doing, it also becomes incredibly easy to forget to take a moment to pause and pay proper attention to the patient. Let them understand that you are there for them and do what you can to ease their fear and discomfort when at all possible. No one likes feeling like they\’92re just another number.

Your staff is unfriendly

Having a friendly and helpful dental team is critical to patient satisfaction and retention. It will be easy for dental patients to jump ship if they don\’92t feel welcome and respected. Train the entire team to greet every single patient by name and always welcome them with a smile. Ensure everyone on your team knows how important their role is in patient retention, and the impact they can have in making your patients\’92 day. When dental patients feel valued and comfortable, they are much more likely to return.

A successful dental practice makes their highest priority providing exceptional patient care. Getting new dental patients is tough enough. It will be well worth the effort to keep them!

Are you ready to simplify and streamline your efforts to grow your dental practice? Follow this link to request a consultation with one of our call experts, or call us today at 888.978.2615 and get started in only three simple steps!

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Step Up Your Dental Patient Communication Skills in 2 Steps

Communication skills are something we learn and improve upon throughout life. Some of us develop into excellent communicators while others never seem to quite grasp the skill. By definition, communication means, \’93the exchange of ideas, messages or information.\’94 As a dental professional, it is crucial to make sure that every message, idea and piece of information you communicate is received clearly and appropriately.

Pay careful attention to each of these essential dental patient communication skills.

Ask for Feedback

Going to the dentist is stressful. No one really likes to go to the dentist\’97it generally is coupled with feelings of stress and anxiety. If someone is stressed, it is not always easy to hear and really take in what others are saying. To prevent communication misunderstandings, use open-ended questions and prompt the patient to ask for clarification when necessary. Ask that they repeat back takeaway and action items back to you to ensure they absorbed what was discussed. Patient communication is not only about talking, but making their visit comfortable and more pleasant will be beneficial for both parties.

Ready to discover the essential secrets to successfully filling your dental chairs? Download your checklist here!

Listen Up

The dental office is a busy place and it can be all too easy to forget to really listen to what your patients are telling you. Active listening shows that you are really listening and hearing what the patient has to say. Effective communicators have the ability to \’93read\’94 others\’97that means both verbally and nonverbally. Check that you incorporate these three vital components to becoming an active listener to step up your patient communication skills:

Intentionally listen to what the patient is saying. Don\’92t become distracted, always maintain eye contact and ask follow-up questions based on what the patient is telling you with their actions and their words.
Watch the patient\’92s facial expressions and posture when they are speaking to you. Watch for any signs of irritation or confusion and address these concerns before they leave the office. Also, watch your own body language to ensure you are communicating effectively and not sending any mixed messages.
Keep an open mind. Never assume that you know your patient\’92s circumstances or judge. Be compassionate and understanding to all patients.

Effective patient communication is a precious tool in your dental office. We\’92ve given you several things to improve your own communication skills for a fulfilling and successful business.

Are you ready to simplify and streamline your efforts to grow your dental practice? Follow this link to request a consultation with one of our call experts, or call us today at 888.978.2615 and get started in only three simple steps!

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Create a Sensational Dental Patient Experience in 3 Simple Steps

patient-experience

We\’92ve all at some point in our lives experienced a lack of customer service. Has an experience with poor customer service left you asking yourself, \’93Do they not want my business?\’94 It can be one of the most frustrating things when a business treats you as if they couldn\’92t care less. That is why exceptional customer service is so valuable. Providing this positive patient experience helps to set you apart from competitors who are too stressed, too busy or just plain oblivious to providing a superior patient experience to their patients.

Always do everything you can do to exceed the patient\’92s expectations and stand out in their minds for excellent customer service.

Here are 3 simple steps to create a sensational dental patient experience.

Give Patients Some Control

A lot of times, dental patients feel like they have no control when they are with their dentist. Before you begin the exam, sit down and take the time to talk with them about how you can help, listen to their problems, fears, and concerns. Then, explain in detail what you will be doing to help them to make sure they fully understand the procedures you will be performing.

Project Enthusiasm

Team members should always exude friendliness whether answering phones, welcoming patients at the front desk or during treatment. A good rule of thumb is to treat patients like you would an old friend, instead of an interruption in your busy day.

Follow Up

Dental patient contact shouldn\’92t end after they leave your clinic. A quality patient experience involves ongoing communication. When you reach out after the initial patient visit, you show attentiveness and build and strengthen solid relationships that keep patients coming back.

Strive to set yourself apart from the rest. Creating the best environment possible in your dental office enhances the patient experience. Use these tips to keep your patients coming back.

Want more dentist reviews? Improve patient satisfaction with these 3 tips!

How to Avoid Dental Patient Complaints

patient-complaints

It can oftentimes be our first instinct to avoid conflict or become defensive when we hear a patient complaint. But, if you are a dentist and you ignore or do not handle an upset patient appropriately, then a negative trickle effect can begin.

An unhappy patient may not only complain to their friends and family, but may go online and post negative reviews about your dental practice – whether they are justified in their complaining or not.

Read this blog to see how you can use a patient satisfaction survey to improve performance.

Even the best and most careful dental practices can make mistakes or have an \’93off\’94 day, and no matter what we do, we can\’92t please everyone. In the event that you do receive patient complaints, never ever ignore it! Patients often just want to know that they are being heard, recognizing their complaint and acknowledging that they matter can go a long way in calming a frustrated patient.

But, we want to help you avoid those complaints to begin with! Reduce the likelihood of patient dissatisfaction with these helpful tips to avoid patient complaints altogether.

Clearly Communicate

One of the best way to ward off patient complaints is to make absolutely sure that they fully understand what you are explaining to them about their treatment or diagnosis. Clearly communicate and establish a good rapport and spend time and effort in really getting to know them. Avoid terminology that they don\’92t understand and be straightforward while providing as much detail as necessary. To ensure they understand what you have explained or the advice given, ask questions. Always allow the patient to be in a position to make an informed choice about their treatment without seeming too pushy or rushing them in any way.

Record Solid Records

Always make sure you take clear notes documenting all of your advice and treatment plans\’97and make it legible! In the event of a patient complaint, solid records are essential.

Get Feedback

After your patient\’92s visit, contact them for their feedback. It shows you truly care and want to address any concerns that may have come up since they were in. A qualified team member could make the call for you and it could be something as simple as, \’93Doctor X. asked me to call you to see how you\’92re doing after your visit with us yesterday.\’94 Giving patients an opportunity to talk with you before they give feedback with their network or online.

Always remember that if you have any patient complaints, respond to them quickly and in a positive, helpful manner. Your dental patients ultimately care more about whether or not you have attempted to make things right than their complaint in the first place.

Discover how you can begin realizing the increased revenue of a reactivated patient database with these 3 Simple Steps to Increased Revenue.

4 Tips to Get Better Dentist Reviews

dentistreviews

We live in a time where even one online review, if it\’92s bad enough, can really hurt your business. But that shouldn\’92t scare you away from Google My Business and Yelp, because managing your online reputation can be a really useful tool in attracting new dental patients and keeping old ones.

If you\’92re ready to take control of what your patients are saying about you and your dental practice, use these 4 tips to get better dentist reviews.

Get Your Patients\’92 Input

Talk to your patients and find out if there\’92s anything about your practice that can be improved. Allowing your patients to give their input on what could improve is a great way to change your practice for the better. People like to be heard, and when you take their thoughts into consideration, they\’92ll notice! And hopefully write a positive dentist review.

Ask for a Dentist Review

It never hurts to simply ask! Have your staff ask your patients if they had a good experience after their appointment is complete. If they say yes, your staff should ask the patient to write a dentist review. The worst that can happen is the patient declines. But if they agree, that\’92s another positive dentist review contributing to your online reputation.

Respond to the Dentist Reviews Out There

If you\’92re using a platform like Google My Business or Yelp, you have the opportunity to respond to your patients\’92 reviews. If the dentist review is not so positive, let the patient know that you\’92re sorry, and that you\’92ve heard their complaint. Then put your words into action! Change what needs to be changed in order to prevent that patient\’92s poor experience from happening again. If you need help responding to a negative review in a positive way, use these tips.

If there are positive dentist reviews, thank the patient for their kind words. Acknowledging your patients\’92 feelings will help you improve your practice and acquire more positive reviews.

Make it Easy

Some patients won\’92t want to go out of their way to provide you with a dentist review. So make it easy for them! Send your patients an email after their visit. The email can thank them for coming in to see you and segue into asking them for a review. Providing the link for them will increase your chances that they write a dentist review.

Just about everyone is online nowadays. Which means when prospective patients are looking for a dentist, they\’92ll see what your current patients think about your service. Use these tips to build a positive online reputation for your practice.

Want more dentist reviews? Improve patient satisfaction with these 3 tips!

How to Get Word of Mouth Referrals for Your Dental Office

While your dental office can make great headway marketing through digital media, it\’92s hard to beat a good word of mouth referral. We see ads and receive newsletters all the time with enticing images and catchy slogans, but nothing beats your best friend telling you that they had a great experience with any given product or service. Why? Because we can trust our friends. In fact, 92% of people say a word of mouth recommendation is the reason they buy a product or service.

So how do we increase the number of word of mouth referrals we get? It\’92s certainly not something you can buy like traditional marketing or advertising services. But there are a few things you can do to get those word of mouth referrals flowing.

Try these 3 tips to get more word of mouth referrals for your dental office.

Incentivize Your Current Patients

If you want your patients to start making word of mouth referrals, offer referral bonuses. For instance, if a current patient refers a new patient, send them a $5 gift card. The reward can be whatever you want it to be, but making it worth their while will encourage patients to start referring you to their friends.

Give Them Something to Refer

Your patients aren\’92t going refer their friends to you for no reason. Ensure that every patient\’92s experience is a great one so they have a reason to make a word of mouth referral. Going the extra mile by following up with patients after procedures, or even just making their overall experience an amazing one can go a long way in getting people to speak highly of your dental office.

Just Ask!

If a patient is leaving the office after having a good visit, kindly ask that they spread the word about your practice. More often than not they will be willing to help out. It never hurts to ask!

Word of mouth referrals are very effective. Try these 3 tips to increase the number of word of mouth referrals for your dental office.

With all the new patients you\’92ll be getting from the word of mouth referrals your practice will be very busy. Improve productivity in your dental office with these three tips!