- When was the last time you sat in your reception area?
- Is your practice website one you are proud of and would use as a patient?
- Have you listened to how your front office answers your phone when they don't think you are listening?
Whether you’re the owner, a partner, or an associate, somedays you just need to walk into your office through the front door to find out…..literally.
We have all been there as a patient, waiting in the reception area before a medical appointment and wondering if you have selected the right office before you have even seen your doctor. Are you taking mental notes as you wait for your appointment, reminding yourself of why you want to see things done differently with your own patients?
The first impression starts before a patient even walks through the door.
- Is your office easy to find?
- Can your staff guide your patients to your office with landmarks?
- Are there directions on your website that are clear, especially for your new patients?
- How does your office address these questions?
Yes, we all have Google Maps but locating a new building can be tough the first time around. Patients often already have anxiety about their appointment. They do not need directional challenges that could result in them running late to add to the stress
Once you make it through the door, take a look around to see what your patients see.
- Is your waiting area clean or cluttered?
- Are there dusty bunnies in the corners? No…..look harder.
You know what a patient thinks if they do not see a clean environment-that must mean the ops are dirty too. If the ops are dirty, that means the instruments that they are putting in my mouth are dirty…and down the rabbit hole they go.
- What is the greeting from your staff like when you walk through the door?
- Do they offer a friendly greeting with eye contact?
- Is the conversation amongst the front office immediately halted, leading patients to wonder “are they talking about me?” as someone waits to break the awkward silence.
- After you sit down, are your staff talking about other patients within earshot?
- This leads patients to wonder “what do they say about me when I’m not here?”
The conversations may have nothing to do about any patients but patients’ perception is their reality and that is not the impression you want them leaving with. Did you know that 64% of patients polled stated the staff was one of the reasons they left the office, not the doctor?
Does your team have the tools they need to communicate with your patients professionally?
When you make your way to the back office, can you hear the staff down the hall and in other rooms?
Can you hear your front office staff from the back office? The volume can already be high in a dental office between drills running full blast and HVE suction at way too high of a decibel level.
Conversational tones often end up competing with all of the background noise and can make patients feel like they are walking into a construction site instead of a calm soothing environment.
And you do not have to practice in Versailles or have every expensive tech toy to impress your patient-they ultimately want a space that is clean, up to date, a team that provides cordial and professional care, and an experience that is better than they expected. Oh, and by the way, you only have to be just a little bit better than they expect to blow their socks off and your consistency in delivering a positive experience from beginning to end is what brings patients back to you time and time again. That’s not very hard to do. However, it is a mark that is very easy to miss if you’re not intentional about it.
Providing a great patient experience is everyone’s job. Our team members need to be on the lookout for ways to improve just as much as our doctors whether you are a partner or associate. It affects us all.
What do you value when you are the patient and how can you offer the same benefits to your patients?
