Moments of Magic, Part Five: New Patient Office Tour
In my lecture series, “Lost that Lovin’ Feeling? Success Is All About Relationships,” I talk about how my practice implemented relationship-based systems that are simply powerful and powerfully simple to enhance our success.
In a previous “Daily Grind” post, I discussed the Pareto Principle, whereby it is my contention that 20% of our practice success is due to our clinical knowledge and skills and 80% is from everything else. I like to talk about that 80%.
Knowing that “mindset + systems + consistency = success,” I talk about how inexpensive systems done consistently and with the right attitude can transform our business for long-term success. One of those systems, if done consistently, is what I call “Moments of Magic,” which are 10 or more moments that change how our patients respond to us and become raving fans who pay their bills, show up for their appointments, schedule their next appointments, and refer their family members and friends (what I refer to as pay, stay, repeat and refer).
In this blog series, I will outline each one of those Moments of Magic. The fifth one is the “new patient office tour.”
Name a celebrity you would love to meet and spend time with. Now imagine that person was coming to visit your home. How would you greet them? What would you do?
The new patient arriving at your office is one of those celebrities. They are just as special. Front desk staff should know which appointment times throughout the day are scheduled for new patients. Since the vast majority of patients seeing us in any one day are familiar (we should have their pictures in our practice management database so we recognize them when they arrive), the front desk staff can use simple process of elimination when a new face appears near a new patient appointment time and welcome the new patient by name.
If their work allows it, the staff member should get up, come around the front desk and greet the person face to face. It’s a personal touch that is a signature part of the customer experience.
What most practices tend to do at this new patient visit is hand them a bunch of papers to fill out (personal contact info, medical and dental history forms). While everyone knows these are necessary, I recommend you (again) surprise this new patient with a brief tour of the office. This is an opportunity to show off your facility and talk about what you are proud of — the hospital-grade disinfection and sterilization procedures, the procedures you like to do (implants, cosmetics, Invisalign, etc.), or anything else. It is your chance to brag, just a little. Sometimes, I have had other patients who have gone through that tour wave to the new person.
I guarantee the patient has never had a tour of a dental office. They have visited one many times, but they never paid any attention to the layout and how it all works. They will see your office with a new set of eyes and be impressed.
Now, they will be happy to fill out whatever paperwork you request of them and be ready for the next step.
How will you surprise them next? I will discuss that in the sixth Moment of Magic, the Golden 10.
In a previous “Daily Grind” post, I discussed the Pareto Principle, whereby it is my contention that 20% of our practice success is due to our clinical knowledge and skills and 80% is from everything else. I like to talk about that 80%.
Knowing that “mindset + systems + consistency = success,” I talk about how inexpensive systems done consistently and with the right attitude can transform our business for long-term success. One of those systems, if done consistently, is what I call “Moments of Magic,” which are 10 or more moments that change how our patients respond to us and become raving fans who pay their bills, show up for their appointments, schedule their next appointments, and refer their family members and friends (what I refer to as pay, stay, repeat and refer).
In this blog series, I will outline each one of those Moments of Magic. The fifth one is the “new patient office tour.”
Name a celebrity you would love to meet and spend time with. Now imagine that person was coming to visit your home. How would you greet them? What would you do?
The new patient arriving at your office is one of those celebrities. They are just as special. Front desk staff should know which appointment times throughout the day are scheduled for new patients. Since the vast majority of patients seeing us in any one day are familiar (we should have their pictures in our practice management database so we recognize them when they arrive), the front desk staff can use simple process of elimination when a new face appears near a new patient appointment time and welcome the new patient by name.
If their work allows it, the staff member should get up, come around the front desk and greet the person face to face. It’s a personal touch that is a signature part of the customer experience.
What most practices tend to do at this new patient visit is hand them a bunch of papers to fill out (personal contact info, medical and dental history forms). While everyone knows these are necessary, I recommend you (again) surprise this new patient with a brief tour of the office. This is an opportunity to show off your facility and talk about what you are proud of — the hospital-grade disinfection and sterilization procedures, the procedures you like to do (implants, cosmetics, Invisalign, etc.), or anything else. It is your chance to brag, just a little. Sometimes, I have had other patients who have gone through that tour wave to the new person.
I guarantee the patient has never had a tour of a dental office. They have visited one many times, but they never paid any attention to the layout and how it all works. They will see your office with a new set of eyes and be impressed.
Now, they will be happy to fill out whatever paperwork you request of them and be ready for the next step.
How will you surprise them next? I will discuss that in the sixth Moment of Magic, the Golden 10.
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