Last week we received the following note from a patient:
“You are an artist, not a dentist in my eyes! Fantastic job and thank you very much. You and your team have made this experience so enjoyable, that I don’t have a fear of coming to see “the dentist” anymore. For years, I would have to talk myself into it weeks before, or as you can see, not go at all. After the first visit with you and your team, you all made me feel so welcome and your genuine concern made me at ease and I immediately trusted you on that first visit. I knew I would be safe and you were there to help me. What an amazing job you have done changing my perception of dentists and my fantastic new upper grill, and can’t wait for you to finish your masterpiece when we take care of my bottom teeth next year.”
Of course, we were thrilled with this note since it is our goal to provide every patient an awesome dental experience. Dr. Nielson and our entire team deserve the credit for helping this patient have a great experience. There are at least a couple of take-away messages from this patient’s note worth reflecting on in this blog post.
The first take away message is that awesome customer service is indeed a team sport! If you notice in the message above the patient emphasizes that everyone on our team helped him feel welcome and at ease. There are no unimportant roles on the dental team. To deliver excellent customer service, the Dentist and every team member must be positive, cheerful, and on their game.
This reminds me of a conversation I had at a client office recently. An administrative team member asked me the following, “Gary, what if on some days I just don’t feel positive and cheerful and friendly. Do you want me to fake it?” I said, ‘YES, I want you to fake it! From 8-5 your job description includes being positive, cheerful and friendly. Fake it if you must, but that is a requirement!” Your patients deserve nothing less.
Another take away from the message above is the importance of learning how to deal with patient fears and apprehensions. The ADA recently reported that over 40% of Adults in the US put off a visit to the dentist because of fear. Dr. Nielson and our entire team have advanced training in dealing with apprehensive patients and this training serves our patients well. One excellent source for this type of training is provided in the link below:
http://www.docseducation.com/home
Our goal is to help as many patients as possible enjoy the benefits of great oral health. Helping our patients feel comfortable in our office and providing solutions to overcome their fears and apprehensions are two ways we can help more patients. Receiving notes like the one above make all the effort worthwhile! Keep Smiling!
