7 Ways to Impress Patients Before Treatment Even Begins

First impressions mean everything for a business and your dental practice is no exception. There are around 7 ways to impress a patient before treatment even begins. These things can provide an opportunity to gain your patient’s trust, make him or her feel valued as a client, and build up excitement and achieving a healthy and beautiful smile at your office.

Impressing Patients Before Treatment

Below are 7 opportunities for your office to make a good impression on a new dental patient:

1. Initial phone call – Make sure the staff members you put on the phones are friendly, knowledgeable and personable. The initial phone call to your office will be your patient’s first impression of the dental practice, so make sure it’s a good one!
2. New patient paperwork – Make sure the patient paperwork is clear, concise, and contains information about the first exam at your dental office.
3. Appointment verification – A few days before the patient’s appointment, make sure he or she is contacted and reminded. In addition to the reminder, take the opportunity to make sure the new patient paperwork has been filled out and ask if the patient has any questions about the directions to your office.
4. Appointment greeting – Make sure your patient is welcomed as soon as he or she enters the office. The front desk staff should greet each patient, identify the patient, and acknowledge any guest that the patient may have brought to the appointment.
5. Consultation – During the consultation, it’s important that your patient has time to discuss any questions or concerns regarding their oral health. Use this time to go over your patient’s goals for his or her smile as well.
6. Initial examination – During the examination, make sure you’re speaking language that your patient can understand. Talking over their heads or using technical language can damage trust that you may have built up. Additionally, communicate with your patient during each step of the exam (X-Rays, photos, CT scans) about why the tests are necessary and what you hope to learn from them.
7. Follow-up call – After the appointment is over, a member of the staff should call the patient to follow up. Use this time to answer questions the patient may have about the exam or any suggested treatment.

By making sure the above areas are all exceptional for your patients, you’ll be sure to make a good impression and gain trust. Here at CTC Associates, we can help with dental transitions and training to make sure that your dental practice is successful and running smoothly. For more information, please contact our office today.