3 Things that Harm the Patient Experience
Some periodontal practices work diligently to improve the patient experience, but the majority tend to think of it as an afterthought. The patient experience isn’t just about the quality of care the patient receives. Rather, it’s more about their overall impression and interactions with your practice, from the moment they call to schedule an appointment until they’re back in their general dentist’s chair for a follow-up.
In an upcoming blog article, I’ll discuss the specific roles the patient plays in building your referral business with dental professionals. But for now I want to dial in on some specific things you might be doing that can negatively impact patient perceptions and what you can do to fix them:
#1 - Inattentive Staff
Your staff plays a major role in how your patients feel about your practice. They’re the first ones to greet the patient to make them feel welcome and comfortable which sets the tone for their visit.
But...
How to Prepare Staff for Changes in the Practice
Change can be downright scary, especially in industries like Periodontics where things tend to relatively stay the same (including the office furniture!). If you’re like most practices, the mere mention of changing something is enough to send staff members into a frenzy. You can rest assured they’ll have an opinion about it, even they are not comfortable enough to tell you what it is.
As the Periodontist, you’re ultimately in charge of deciding when change is necessary. But the reality is that you still need to earn staff buy-in if whatever it is you’re changing is to be effective.
Whether you’re changing the scheduling process or something that saves you numerous hours per week like adding PANDA Perio to your operations, you can put the following tips into practice to get your staff prepared, and maybe even excited:
#1 - Announce Changes Before You Roll Out
Moving right into a major change without warning is setting your staff up for...
