Yes, that’s right.
It’s too small to have someone less than fantastic at the front desk.
I know this photo isn’t quite relevant, but I like it anyway.
It’s too small to avoid being on Facebook.
It’s too small to not have convenient hours.
It’s too small to ignore the competition.
It’s too small to not sign your own checks.
It’s too small to ignore online reviews.
It’s too small to not give every new patient a tour of the office.
It’s too small to have any employees who don’t have a great attitude.
It’s too small for the dentist not to do personal welcome calls to all new patients.
It’s too small to let any call go to voice mail.
It’s too small to not ask each of your patients for referrals.
It’s too small to not have a great website.
And no matter how big your practice gets, these will all still be true.
Yes Fred.
Dentists should only do these things if they want to stay small….and go out of business!!
This is a great little list of the little things that make a BIG difference..
Great blog post. Thanks for sharing!!
How do you do the personal welcome calls?
Hi Alan,
The detailed explanation is in my book, but basically what you do is at the end of the day your receptionist hands you a list of every new patient that called that day, with their phone number, the day they’re coming in, and anything relevant to their case. Call each of them that evening and say words to this effect: “Hi, this is Dr. Alan, I understand you’re coming in on Thursday, and I wanted to let you you know that when you’re a patient of ours you’re like family, so I wanted to welcome you personally to the practice. And if you have any questions about your teeth now or about the practice, I’m happy to answer them. Otherwise I’ll see you Thursday.”
It works almost as well as a voicemail. But it starts the relationship, and makes it very difficult for them to be a no-show. It’s the principle of doing the unexpected, so that you are memorable to your patients. And you may learn some interesting things about the patient before they come in; are they extremely fearful, or do they have a wedding coming up, for example. Try it for a week–I think you’ll love it!
Great Summarization Fred. I am working on it to make them part of culture rather than one off thing.
That’s the way to approach it, Adnan. Temporary change is only disruptive, while a permanent change, even though it takes some time to make part of the culture, is where the real results show.