Easy ways to score better on customer service

By DR SIMON HOCKEN

Fortunately the bar for customer service in dental practice is still set pretty low. I phoned a client’s practice yesterday lunchtime and spoke to their answer phone. I mean, really.

But why fortunately? Well, there’s still plenty of opportunity for dental practice owners to stand out from their mediocre competition without having to break into a sweat.

You don't need to make high rolling moves like this to improve customer service

You don’t need high rolling moves like this concierge service on Harley Street to improve your customer service

So, unless you work on Harley Street, you won’t have to go out and buy a brand new Bentley Mulsanne to pick up your VIP patients with – you can start a few rungs further down the ladder.

Here’s nine bread and butter bar-raising tactics

  1. Answer your phones between 0800-1800
  2. The rest of the time have a short message asking the caller to explain what they want rather than call back
  3. Check and respond to phone messages first thing in the morning every day
  4. Run on time
  5. Practice painless dentistry
  6. Run your practice as if it were a theatre and every day you are putting on a show. Be energetic, enthusiastic, positive and charismatic and have your team be the same
  7. Be confident and transparent in your pricing
  8. Be relentless at follow through. Make those calls, send those treatment plans, chase those patients who are thinking about their treatment plans
  9. Do your own 24/7 emergency cover – your patients don’t want to be faced with the NHS weekend emergency service

If you’d like your practice to stand out from your competitive set, call me for a chat on 07770 430576.

With all good wishes,

Simon

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Dr Simon Hocken is Lead coach: business, practice & clinical leadership at Breathe Business. Email simon.hocken@breathebusiness.co.uk or connect with him on LinkedIn to see what he’s reading and talking about.

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