When people are looking for a new dental office they want to
choose the best possible office for their family’s needs. What constitutes ‘best’
is often subjective. We can look at the quality of the dental work, pricing,
office facility, staff quality, friendliness of the office, ability to offer
financing, location of the office, hours of operation, services offered…. the
list of qualities to measure is quite extensive and subjective.
But ask yourself… how do you measure up to your competition
in some of these metrics? Is my staff as welcoming as they could be? Are my hours
of availability patient friendly? Does my office look clean, modern and what a
patient would expect to see in a quality dental office? Does my staff make
navigating insurance and financing easy? Are we offering the most up-to-date
treatment care? Be honest in your evaluation!
A while back a friend of mine asked me to honestly evaluate
his office. I came in as a pretend patient and went through a cleaning
procedure. I took mental notes and wrote a ‘to do’ list for my friend
afterwards. The list had a lot of action items… many of these items he agreed
with and he fixed immediately. Other items he did not think needed adjustment
and he made no changes. He said over the next six months he saw a 50% increase
in new patient traffic without any additional marketing. The improvements that
he made gave his current patients the confidence they needed to refer their
friends to his office.
I suggest, at minimum, you take a personal survey of your
practice from soup to nuts. Better yet, I suggest you have a dental friend make
a list for you of areas they think you could improve. Then put your ego down,
evaluate the suggestions, and make improvements to your office. The benefits
will be staggering!
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
I think that is a great question to ask. If you wouldn't go to your own office you need to change something. We need to treat each other how we would like to be treated. It's the golden rule we all learned as children.
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ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good method for a self-evaluation. Quality care and patient confidence is a gigantic priority. Providing a comfortable environment and great patient service helps any facility. http://www.dentistrywithaheart.com/contemporary-dentistry.html
ReplyDeleteI am getting ready to start dental school, and am having to think a lot about my future practice. I don't know a lot about running a business, but I really hope to give the best customer service possible. It really makes sense to ask yourself if you would personally go to your own practice. That's a question any business owner should ask about his company. http://www.blackhurstdental.com/
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I have been looking for a dentist that our children could visit. We are pretty new to our area, and we want to start our children out now so they develop good brushing habits. I would also like to see if any of them would need braces in the future, so that we can prepare for that.
ReplyDeleteZach Thalman| http://www.blackhurstdental.com/
My family and I recently moved, and we are looking for a new dentist. I hope we can find someone with a similar mindset as yours. It is very important that the office is welcoming and kid friendly. We all know how difficult it can be to get children into the dentist.
ReplyDeleteJerry Boggs | http://www.dentistedwards.com
Great post!
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Good luck!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
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That's cool that he had you play patient for his office. My family just moved into a new area. It's time to find a new dentist. My kids think they've gotten out of appointments just because we live in a new house. Think again, twerps. http://www.aberdeendentalarts.ca/about_us.html
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I feel about that. It would be convenient too have the dentist come to you. However, I don't know if I would want my office to become a place for teeth cleaning. I have mixed feelings.
ReplyDeleteElisa Jed | http://choice-dental.com.au
Interesting question, there are many dental websites which provide you various information on dental services and even offer videos of the treatment. Internet marketing strategies can provide them increase in ROI.
ReplyDeleteI never thought to ask this question when picking a dentist, but it's a great thing to think about. Kind of along the lines of a chef eating their own food. This was really insightful, thanks.
ReplyDeleteJane | http://www.centennialdentalcenter.com
I think that every professional should ask that about their own business. I would definitely shop at my store because we have really great customer service. If I was a dentist I would also strive to have great customer service so that everyone is completely satisfied with their experience in my office. http://www.allentowndentist.com
ReplyDeleteIt seems like your office puts a lot of care into your patients. That is something that means a lot to people. I'm looking for a new dentist because my family and I moved. Hopefully we find one soon.
ReplyDeleteAmber Johnson | http://www.doctorben.ca/
Thanks for sharing this. All dentists really should evaluate their own services and staff to make sure they are up to date and friendly to all types of patients. Great post- thanks again!
ReplyDeleteSeth Ashford | http://www.jamesjuliendds.com/about
This is an interesting question. Any dentist should give the same treatment that he would expect in return. I am looking for a new dentist in my area, and I will have to keep this in mind. I have never had very good teeth, so, in the past, I have had a close relationship with my doctor due to constant visits. The importance of a reliable and confident dentist cannot be stressed enough. http://auburnplazafamilydentistry.com/111-2/#1
ReplyDeleteIt must have been difficult to honestly evaluate a friend like that, and even harder to do it to yourself. It is hard to give yourself an honest opinion all the time, so good for you. If all dentists did this, I think experiences at the dentists office would be greatly improved. http://www.parkwestdental.ca/en/
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips. My father owns a dental office and his office could definitely benefit from an evaluation. I thought the idea of you going as a pretend patient was genius! I will forward these ideas to my dad in hopes that they'll see an increase in new patient traffic.
ReplyDeleteMax Enger | http://www.anydaydental.com
I think a lot of business's should ask themselves these questions. I'm glad you helped your friend out by pretending to be a patient. I think that is a great idea and way to get realistic feedback.
ReplyDeleteDean Reese | http://www.wayneheightsdentalcarepa.com
I think this is the best way to improve yourself, it can be applied to any business, but yes as you say ego should be kept aside, beautiful article.
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ReplyDeleteOne of my friend having dental problems actually she needs to get done root canal treatment so she want a good place where she could feel comfortable during treatment. I don’t have any idea dental office will be right or not for this. Could you guide us regarding this?
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