Saturday, December 22, 2012

Dental Office Stakeout-Lessons in Customer Service

Dental offices would be wise to learn lessons in customer service from other industries.

Take "Restaurant Stakeout," a Food Network TV show, where restauranteur Willie Degel sets up hidden cameras in a restaurant to assess what is really going on when the owner is away.  Scenes such as rude waitresses, messed up orders, lazy employees, food fights and drinking on the job. Wow. Yes, much of the show is staged, but these kinds of things really happen in real restaurants and businesses.  Willie's advice and customer service philosophy is usually spot on for any field dealing with people.

As medical and dental professionals, much of our training and education was scientific and treatment oriented.  There was almost no attention given to human relations and certainly not how to run a business.  In addition, many in the medical and science related fields spent much of their time studying by themselves not developing social skills.

Recently, a physician posted on the blog KevinMD about how doctors can learn from working at Starbucks.  Yes, I have noticed physicians especially have lost touch with human relations, service (in the business sense), and personal relationships with patients.  It's not all their fault as much of medicine has drifted away from free market private practices sensitive to the patients concerns, to third party influenced businesses focused on volume and less and less time with patients.  They are running on a treadmill.  Dentistry has, for the most part, escaped much of this trap.  Patients still have the choice to go to the dentist down the street.

Probably a scenario closer to fact is the TV show "Airline" from a few years ago, where a camera followed around customer service employees from Southwest Airlines on any given problem ridden day.  These are higher stress, higher stakes, more emotional scenarios that cannot be fixed by just a complimentary cup of coffee and a smile.

Richard Branson says to set high expectations of great customer service for your staff, maintain your great reputation, and be the best in the market.  We try, but it is very difficult to master great customer service.  There are so many interactions, so many chances to succeed, or to fail.  There will always be those who will complain, or who are not satisfied.

It's not easy and I don't know anyone who does it all perfectly all the time.  I don't think setting up hidden cameras is critical, nor dramatic confrontations.  What is necessary is a constant attention to the customer (patient) experience.

1.  Have a clean, well taken care of facility
2.  A welcoming friendly staff with a good attitude
3.  Appropriate attire
3.  Clear communication including diagnosis and proposed treatments
4.  Clear communication of financial arrangements and expectations
5.  Reasonable flexibility when things don't go just as expected
6.  Listening to patient concerns and getting feedback
7.  Systems in place for standard operating procedures and ways of doing things
8.  Realizing people are sometimes emotional and irrational
9.  Realizing you cannot please all of the people, all of the time
10. Have a medical or dental visit yourself-actually be the patient, you will remember what it's all about


Jim said...

I definitely agree with your thoughts. On top of that, it would also be helpful if the employees of every dental clinic will undergo a customer service orientation/seminar to improve their interaction with the customers

Joe Tagliarini said...

"A welcoming friendly staff with a good attitude"

A warm smile can go a long way with a patient. Think about how many of your patients dread walking through your doors. You should strive to make them feel as comfortable as possible in your office.

Dentist in Hillsboro said...

Well, You are correct. Employees should undergo from customer service.So they can understand stat of mind of customers. So they can improve their connection with customers

Dental Implants In West Hills said...

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Unknown said...

Hi doctor,
My 8 year old has been complaining about teeth and jaw pain for about a month now. She started saying her ears hurt but her pediatrician said her ears were good. The ENT doc said the same thing. So we took her to her dentist and after some x Rays he said there was no sign of tooth decay. Why is she then in so much pain?? No one seems to know and it kills me to see her like that. She missed 3 days of school in a week due to pain. Do you have any thoughts??
Thank you,
Worried mom

Dr. Dean Brandon said...

I see a lot of kids that age with vague tooth aches, and it is often just baby molars beginning to become loose or the new teeth erupting. I am sorry, but I cannot say exactly what is the case with your child. It is good to rule out things like ear infections and the like and followup with your pediatric dentist. If there is a history of a lot of fillings decay etc, then those teeth are always suspect.

Annabelle said...

I have a 2 yr. old that fell on Tuesday of last week so hard that it broke his left front tooth. I urgently brought him in to the nearest pediatric dentist( which did a consult that included X-rays) however she said it could not be saved. She was worried about it abcessing and or possible infection. Immediately prescribed antibiotics and sent us the the front counter to get scheduled for an extraction of the tooth.
To this day I have yet to receive a phone call from the office with an appointment. My toddler is irritable and hungry but scared to eat. I've managed to get him to drink pediasure and water via syringe. I'm worried about him loosing weight as he is a very picky eater.
They warned me that they will administer Versed (in a small dose)to make him forget the ordeal.
Any suggestion or what to expect when the time comes? Also, how long can a tooth stay broken in a toddlers' mouth before getting extracted?

Dr. Dean Brandon said...

Annabelle, if you are concerned about your appointment at the pediatric dentist, I would suggest calling the office to confirm a specific time. I cannot speak to your specific case, but most kids do quite well while waiting for treatment. Of course, there would be some concern if there is swelling, unusual pain, etc. You can always call your pediatric dentist if those things occur.