From the third-string little league football benchwarmer to the world-class concert violinist, nobody ever improves their performance without feedback. Constructive, specific feedback is what allows all of us to get better at what we do.
Have you ever ridden as a passenger in your own car?
It’s weird, isn’t it, to ride in your own car with somebody else in “your seat.” It’s downright strange to look down at the dashboard from a different angle. Your view of the world is entirely different from the passenger side of the windshield. And the car just doesn’t seem to handle the same when someone else is driving.
Everything feels different because it is different. The seat you are occupying in your car shapes your entire experience of the drive. That seat you occupy – your literal point of view — is the lens through which you view the experience.
Have you ever looked at your practice from your patient’s point of view?
Think about how you might answer these questions:
- What does your front desk look like?
- How are you greeted when you walk in the door? Does the person behind the desk stop what they’re doing and smile, greeting you by name and welcoming you?
- How does the waiting room feel? Is the décor inviting? Are the colors soothing? Is it too warm? Too cold? Just right? Is it clean and tidy?
- What is your interaction with the staff like? How does it sound? What does it look like? How does it feel? Is the staff friendly? Approachable? Cold? Clinical? Professional? Casual?
- Is the treatment room inviting? Is it comfortable? Is it a soothing, healing place? Is it quiet? Noisy? Organized? Chaotic?
- What kind of information do you get as a patient? Do you learn about Dentistry? General health benefits of good oral hygiene? The practice itself and how it operates?
For many of my clients, experiencing their practices from the client’s point of view for the first time can be a real awakening. That awakening is the first step toward becoming a Patient-Centered Practice.
Most dentists want to focus on building their practices by creating and filling an ideal schedule with quality patients. That’s a fine goal, but to accomplish it requires you to make one simple shift: your focus. Instead of focusing on the clinicians, focus on your patients. In other words, create a Patient-Centered Practice.
You don’t need to change your practice philosophy or clinical concept. All you need to do is look at your practice from your patient’s point of view and create what I call the “Disneyland Experience.”
Typically, most practices operate in ways to make life easy for the staff and the doctors. They design their operation that way with the best of intentions, as the concerns that drive practice design are mostly clinical.
But here’s the thing: your patients don’t care about your convenience. From the patient’s point of view, visiting the dentist is an obligation, not an opportunity. It’s a “have to,” not a “get to.”
The good news is that you can “move the needle” on your patient’s point of view from obligation to opportunity, if you simply design your practice around how your patients want to experience dentistry.
Creating a Patient-Centered practice experience will attract patients who look for and value the one-of-a-kind experience.
Any dentist can produce high patient volume by creating a cookie cutter experience for every patient who rolls through the “assembly line.” But in order to grow–to create real wealth–you must focus on creating a one-of-a-kind patient experience for every single patient.
The question you’ll want to answer is this: do you want to drive your patients around your practice in a go-kart for your convenience, or a Lamborghini for theirs? Which experience will cause them to rave about your practice? Which experience will cause them to refer their friends, family, and colleagues? Which one will shift their experience from obligation to opportunity—from “have to” to “get to”?
When I consult with clients, we examine every touch point between the patient and the practice. We look at step-by-step actions that can practices can implement to create powerful leverage points with their patients.
The smallest and simplest changes to procedures – from check-in to checkout—can produce the greatest effects on patient referrals, case value, and practice bottom line.
When you shift to a Patient-Centered focus, your patients will be happier. Happier patients create a happier staff and better office morale. A happier office and better morale attracts better talent to your staff, causing your practice to thrive.
Working with and empowering your staff to focus on the patient experience helps you create the kind of “Lamborghini” environment that will attract quality patients who see visiting your practice as an opportunity.
This one simple shift in point of view will put you back in the “driver’s seat” on your road to the practice of your dreams.
We’d love to discuss your practice marketing goals, and specific ways you can shift your own practice focus. Schedule your complimentary Discovery Call today.
Because of the high demand for our consulting services, call times are limited.
If even one idea, one tiny shift, could make your practice more satisfying and profitable, why wouldn’t you take advantage of this complimentary opportunity?
We’d love to help you reach your goals. We look forward to your call.
We welcome a chance to show you how we can help you. Call us today to schedule a complimentary consultation.
