When was the last time you had an exceptional customer service experience? Chances are that when you are impressed with the quality of service you receive, you make it a point to keep going back.
Think about the kind of customer service you want patients new to your practice to experience. You want to provide an encounter that is so positive it will keep them coming back for years. With a little bit of planning and some help from your Dentrix software, you can create an exceptional new patient experience in your office.
Reserve Time for New Patients
One thing you can do to provide exceptional customer service is to make it easy for new patients to be seen right away. Dentrix makes this easy by allowing you to set up provider time blocks to reserve specific times in the Appointment Book for new patient exams.
Once you set up and activate a new patient time block, you will see a colored border surrounding the blocked time that shows the time block name and the provider assigned to that block. If you attempt to schedule another type of appointment during the reserved time, Dentrix warns you with a message.
Make a Personal Connection
During the initial phone call, make sure to gather some personal details about the new patient. Document this information in the patient’s appointment note by double-clicking on the new patient appointment and typing the details in the Notes field.
When the patient arrives, refer to the notes so you can personalize your connection with the new patient. By taking the time to gather, review and talk about these personal details with new patients, you emphasize that you are interested in them for more than just their business. Make sure to transfer any relevant notes to the patient’s Family File when you create the patient account.
Follow Up
The exceptional new patient experience doesn’t end when the new patient leaves your office. Be sure to follow up the patient’s visit with a phone call asking for feedback. Ask specifically what you did well and what you can do better. Add a New Patient Exit Interview questionnaire to the Dentrix Questionnaires module and use it as a script for the phone call and as a place to store patient responses. End the phone call by thanking them for choosing you as their dental care provider.
Review the responses to the interviews you’ve stored as a way to help you identify where your new patient experience is succeeding and where you’ve got some room for growth.
Excellent customer service can turn a new patient into a lifelong patient. By taking these steps, you create a truly exceptional new patient experience.
Learn More
For additional information on how to set up provider time blocks in the Appointment Book, refer to the Perfect Day Scheduling Overview in Dentrix Help.
For more information on setting up and using Questionnaires, see the Questionnaires Overview in Dentrix Help.
