Tiếng Việt
Is service a priority in your dental practice? Do you and your team try to understand how your patients are feeling at all times? Often, it’s the small things that make a big difference in terms of whether patients are happy to visit your practice, and most importantly: whether they are happy to come back.
Studies have shown that dental practices that put the patient at the heart of everything do not only enjoy greater patient satisfaction but can also increase their turnover. Happy and satisfied patients will recommend you to others and speak positively about you.
So how can you improve the patient experience and patient satisfaction in your dental practice? We have 9 tips that will help you make patient visits to your practice a positive experience without spending a lot of money right away.
1. First impressions
A nice smile at the reception desk when a patient enters your practice is obviously important. However, a patient’s first touchpoint with your practice is in fact much earlier, when they are searching for a suitable dental practice. Make sure that your patients can find you – online and offline. Keep your website up to date and read your Google reviews from time to time to see if your patients share the same first impression of you that you would expect.
2. First things first: Making contact
Once a patient chooses your practice, they then make contact and arrange an appointment. Provide your patients with different options for contacting your practice. This allows every patient to choose their preferred approach so that they feel comfortable with you right from the start. If someone prefers to make an appointment by telephone, the call should be answered in a friendly manner without being stuck on hold for a long time. For those who prefer to make their appointments online, this can be handled in a straightforward manner on your website. Confirmation of the appointment in real time and an automatic reminder before the appointment make patients feel like they are in the right practice right from the very beginning.
3. Social Media as a magnet for patients
Facebook, Instagram & Co. and a dental practice – is that really a good match? You would be surprised. In fact, to position your practice as a brand, social media is a must-have. That’s because almost everybody is on social media these days. So why not you and your practice too? Social networks allow you to present your practice, give your patient’s a voice, interact with others, and showcase your work. The content must provide added value for patients, and entertain, inform, advise, and inspire. Your practice team is sure to include people who are talented in this respect. Take a little time to share insights into your daily practice routine, short videos, before/after images of treatments and success stories with and about your patients. It will be worth it.
4. Create a relaxing atmosphere
Give your practice a certain wellness factor. Often, a visit to the dentist doesn’t exactly inspire cheers of joy in patients. However, with a more relaxing atmosphere, the planned treatment can be a positive experience for your patients. Give your patients a warm welcome, and surprise them in small ways, for example by taking their coats or jackets. If possible, keep bureaucracy to a minimum or offer to help fill out forms. Make the interior design of your dental practice friendly and comfortable. Natural tones, the appealing decoration of walls and comfortable seating in the waiting room can help to calm your patients. Offer healthy, sugar-free drinks and provide reading material. The treatment room can also help to relax your patients before and during treatment. Calming imagery on the ceiling, the relaxing sound of the sea and a pleasant fragrance all have a positive impact on patient satisfaction.
