Why do I need to worry about customer service? My practice is a healthcare facility, not a coffee shop.
Today’s dental patients have been conditioned to expect excellent customer service from every product and service provider, including those in healthcare. If dentists want to retain patients and grow their practices by adding more, the practice team must deliver superior customer service to every patient, every time. This benefits practice performance, but a practice that develops and maintains a high level of customer service is also a pleasant place for people to visit and work.
To assess customer service, it can help to break it down into levels. One-star customer service is essentially no customer service. Next, you have 2-star customer service. This represents the lowest level of customer service, like what you can expect to find at places such as “dollar stores,” which offer customers a shopping experience where they can find items for the lowest possible price. This is a level of customer service that you never want to have at your practice. Three-star customer service is “just okay.” It’s nothing special, but it is also nothing bad. It will not necessarily cause patients to leave, but it also will not attract new patients. The next level, 4-star customer service, is where a practice provides good service and the patients are relatively happy, but there may be a few complaints. Some patients will refer others when asked about the practice; however, 4-star customer service does not motivate patients to refer everyone they know. Finally, 5-star customer service represents superior customer service. This level is relatively rare, and only about 5% of general practices achieve it. Practices with 5-star customer service have a high level of patient satisfaction, excellent and numerous online reviews, and patients who go out of their way to tell their family members and friends about them.
Five-star customer service is what practices should always be striving for because it leads to a larger base of highly satisfied patients, higher case acceptance from patients who trust the doctor and practice, and less patient issues and complaints—all of which result in increased practice production. In addition, 5-star customer service results in a happier team, which is simply a byproduct of having happier patients. This creates what we refer to as a “culture of positivity.” Building this type of culture is key for practices striving to reduce staff turnover, especially at a time when staffing is a major challenge in dentistry.
There is no question that you can achieve 5-star customer service by going out of your way to design systems that are adhered to consistently. When this is accomplished, the practice will benefit, production will continue to increase, and you and your team will better enjoy each day.
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the CEO and founder of Levin Group, a leading practice management consulting firm that has worked with more than 30,000 practices to increase production. A recognized expert on dental practice management and marketing, Levin has written 67 books and more than 4,000 articles and regularly presents seminars in the United States and around the world.
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