Of course we want to WOW our patients. Most people think they already achieve this.
Maybe because they have a few good reviews or people tell them how great they are, but you can just about be guaranteed that you are not really wowing them in the way that is going to make them talk about you when they leave.
And there in lies the secret my friends. The secret to knowing if you are really making an impact, is if you can stay on top of their minds so that they tell others about you and share their experience.
The biggest problem with “wowing” people is that we usually wait to wow them after they pay, say yes, move forward (which is long after we should have).
You don’t thank someone after they have done something, you thank them as a guide to keep them moving forward. Remember our philosophy together is always “reward good behavior.”
This is just like treating patients like your kids, which is what you should do, telling them when they did something right so they will continue wanting to do it and wanting your positive attention.
If you position enough “wow’s” throughout your patient experience then you will be blown away at the impact of this.
These are often subtle and small little ideas that will pay big dividends to give you leverage throughout your patient flow and case acceptance.
Now, to be clear, before I give you these 3 action items, I’m not talking about anything tied into the patient experience or what you are doing with them before, during, after the clinical interaction – only things to compliment that (we will be dealing with that another time, though you have endless and the most complete resources possible from me already about all of the tactics for the actual patient experience).
1st – Making it personal, creating emotional connection, immediately after the phone call.
One of my favorite strategies and finer touches is for the person who talks to the patient on the phone, who schedules the new patient visit, to send a little positive, hand written card the same day and get it in the mail. This note just acknowledges the phone call with one sentence that shows the patient you listened and reaffirming your excitement about the new patient visit.
2nd – In an ideal world, we would have the Doctor call the patient the night before the new patient visit.
We know for a fact that most every phone call will receive voicemail, not a live answer…so having the doctor make a very nice, short, brief, personal voice message telling the patient how much you are looking forward to seeing him/her and if at all possible state one of the goals or concerns on the telephone.
If you have more than a few new patients a day, you can do this with the A Patients and segment the ones that make the most sense.
This will have dramatic impact on the comfortableness of your new patients and their anticipation for their experience.
3rd – Of course many people do this but I love doing something extraordinary when the patient first walks in, some practices follow an old strategy from a veteran doctor who has fresh baked cookies in their office…a dentist, cookies, fresh baked, wow the scent and the paradigm shift – it’s dramatic.
You could also have scented warm or chilled towels depending on your geography and weather. You could have something like a dessert or “celebration” that you are doing that day in your office (that happens to be every day), showing people how much of a family style concierge practice you have.
Or you can make something up that matches your vision and culture. I could imagine new patients who comes in 15 minutes early (on purpose, because you scheduled it that way) and they go to a little corner of the office with a massage chair and someone giving them a shoulder and neck rub before they go into the patient experience.
I don’t care what you do, just do something that changes their psyche from a dental visit to a patient experience. Do something that shows you are obviously different. Do something that shows you are serious about them and their health. Do something that shows how much you respect and appreciate their patronage.
Above all else, with these ideas you are showing that you are assuming their conversion as a patient, that you are treating them like they are one of the family and that you are working hard to earn their trust … wowing them every step of the way.
These are so easy and nearly free. Yet they will dramatically increase your case acceptance and accelerate your conversion into treatment.
Commit to these – I dare you – and see if you can handle all the money, opportunity, feedback, new patients, referrals and positive energy.
