dentistry? Whatever the vision you have for your practice is, make sure your message and your efforts align with that vision. Your patient’s perception of your practice and your treatment starts long before they ever step foot into your facility: through reviews, your website, your online channels, your telephone skills and your guidance in prepara-tion for the appointment. If you are successful in those elements of build-ing the relationship, then delivering an experience that not only meets, but exceeds their perception is key. Ken Blanchard, in his book, Raving Fans , states that you must be willing and able to deliver every-thing that is expected PLUS a little bit more in order to create raving fans that not only stay loyal to you and your practice, but also help to spread the word about you, bring-ing your practice those ever-valu-able new patients by way of referral. It is important that your website, social media and all online marketing channels have unique content that is specifically yours, digging deep into the topics of the treatment you wish to provide. In doing so, when people in your area start searching for that treatment, you will be the authority on the topic that they will find. You are building the pillars of Trust and Value simply by providing this unique content to the world. Beyond the words that you speak, write and share, make sure your image and brand aligns with your vision as well. Is your website up to date and reflective of the level of dentistry you provide? Are your printed materials and treatment presentation materials professional and up to date? Is your facility clean, updated, attractive and enjoyable to be in? Are your uniforms, scrubs, professional attire reflective of the level of profession-alism you desire? Each piece of the patient experi-ence that your patient hears, sees, feels, smells can either build up their perception of value or diminish it. I highly recommend that you look through your online presence, your branded materials, your facility and even walk through your entire patient experience with this question in mind: If YOU were a patient in your practice, would you be excep-tionally pleased? If the answer to any eleents discussed here is no, those are prioritized areas for urgent attention and improvement. Every improvement you make in the patient experience is a step closer to higher treatment acceptance and the attraction of more of the right types of patients coming to your practice. phone call to the patient? With tremendous verbal skills and professionalism, you can make yourself available to answer ques-tions, have another opportunity to plant the seed of education and motivation, all through a minute or two of effort. Do you share educational information via text or email about the treatment you have recommended? People learn and process information through what they see, hear and experience. Make sure you are repeating the message and information multiple times in order for the processing of information to take place. Your patient needs to hear the message multiple times. Repeti-tion is the key to learning. ᕤ Don’t forget to FOLLOW-UP! According to dental studies by Synchrony Financial and Care-Credit, it can take a dental patient up to 70 days to make a dental purchasing decision. It is important to keep in mind that according to the same study, consumers struggle with paying out of pocket for treat-ment costs of over $500. When a patient says “I’ll think about it,” what is your next step? The Patient Experience and Case Presentation processes are not over when the patient leaves the practice. In fact, some of the most pivotal pieces of interaction that determine their decision about the treatment can happen after they leave. Here are some pieces in the follow-up process to take into consideration: Are you intentionally making room for new photographs to be taken and further conversa-tions to take place at the patient’s next appointment? The Doctor Hygiene Evalua-tion during a hygiene appoint-ment is key to practice build-ing. Make sure you are doing this piece of the patient’s expe-rience with great intention. Build your verbal skills. Make the patient experience easy. Align your message, experience and brand. And finally, make sure to follow-up. Remember this question: How easy do you make it for a patient to get what they want or need? Your effort and investment in time, money and energy to create and execute an exceptional patient experience will come back to you multifold. Do you provide them with a professional treatment plan to review when they are home? Many patient communication software options now make it possible for you to share this digitally via text or email. Make sure these are branded with your logo, professional and easy to follow. Do you follow-up with a treat-ment presentation by text or www.orthodontics.com Summer 2024 23
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Summer 2024: Page 23
