Patient Experience: Leverage for Huge and Lasting Returns
No matter what you see in magazines or read on message boards, there is only one real thing you can do to see lasting growth in a business. You have to give more in value than you take in money. In practice, it means you have to consistently over-deliver patient experience. Over-deliver, over-deliver, over-deliver. Over-delivery means giving the patient or customer more in service value than they give you in dollar value. You can’t expect to get rich by giving a patient exactly what they paid for. That’s simply called meeting expectations! And meeting expectations is not going to get you that boatload of referrals you dream about. You’ve got to WORK for those referrals. Over-delivering, over-delivering, over-delivering = what a TRUE patient-centric office represents.
To put it bluntly, if your practice is not prospering, then you’re NOT over-delivering. Period. If you were, I guarantee that your patients would be paying you back (plus some!) in lifelong loyalty and referrals. The proof would be sitting right there in your bank account. So, if your bank account is stagnant or dwindling, I’m sorry, but … you aren’t quite knocking it out of the park.
But hold on—this is the fun part. Let’s say you admit it. You realize that it’s time to make some changes… What you’ve been doing for the last five or ten years just isn’t bringing any exciting growth or wealth to your practice. So, are you ready to get started? (If you’re just skimming over the post, STOP HERE!!!! PAY ATTENTION! This is the MOST important tip that I can give you… One that’s neglected by most offices and will supercharge your referrals. So listen up!)
It doesn’t matter what mood you’re in, or if you’d rather poke your eye out than deal with people… Your whole team had better act like that patient is the only patient you have and make sure you serve that person’s every need. The patient experience should be that of a loved family member, and nothing less. THAT is over-delivery.
Patient Experience: Why You Should Set Yourself Apart
Here’s a good analogy. Twenty years ago when I traveled, I would stay in whichever nice hotel was available—with no particular preference. None of them stood out to me, so it didn’t seem to matter. But then I stayed in a Ritz-Carlton… And I’ve refused to book a night at any other hotel chain since. Do you want to know why? Because their people are SO well trained, the décor is SO immaculate, and they wait on you hand and foot. You ask for something; they bring it. They have perfected the hotel experience for their guests and because of that… The Ritz-Carlton has my business for life. The truth is, you don’t need to have the cheapest prices in town to attract patients—and you shouldn’t want to! You just need to deliver a level of service that blows your patients away. You need to set yourself apart from the other practices in your town. Aim to be the Ritz-Carlton of Dental Practices… NOT the Econo Lodge!
Team Training: The Cornerstone to Your Success
Another important part of increasing your productivity is YOUR HUMAN CAPITAL, aka Your Team. They will play an integral role in your ultimate success. Just like you need to invest in coaching for yourself, you will need to invest in training for your team.
Your team is your biggest asset for productivity. Investing in specialty team training with Scheduling Institute will come back to you in the form of increases in New Patients, Collections, and Net Worth … not to mention the increases in engagement, enthusiasm, and intention on the part of your employees! Fostering a culture of constant learning and improving is a key value of the Scheduling Institute, and should be in your office too!
Check out what these team members say about their practice and Doctor, and imagine what your team would say about you! Watch this:
Is Your Practice Performing at its Highest Potential?
Having a well-trained team to implement your vision and goals for your practice is essential. Training your team is not a cost. Training your team is an investment in the productivity of your practice. This simple change in perception is crucial! A cost is something that doesn’t produce value or a return. Investments have a measurable return.
So many Doctors look at their team payroll as a necessary expense and believe that training them is an optional expense. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Investing in your team makes them more efficient, knowledgeable, consistent, and engaged … all of which are essential elements for them to create a one-of-a-kind patient experience that will bring them back time and time again for years.
Do You Want to be in a Category of One?
Your team will produce far better results for your practice when they have been given the right tools, or the how and why behind what you want them do, and this can only be done by investing in them through training. Once you fully realize the value of your staff, it will entirely shift your interactions with them, and your attention to constantly training and investing in them!
Think like the Ritz-Carlton … they’ve grown into a Category of One, internationally renowned business because of their quality staff. That doesn’t happen overnight! They invest 280+ hours of training every year into their team (YES, even brand NEW team members)! Be honest with yourself … are you even investing a tenth of that on developing your team for optimal patient experience?
Remember – to get world-class results, you have to invest in and build a world-class team. YOUR TEAM TRAINING INVESTMENT WILL BE A HUGE CAPITAL RETURN. Regardless of salary, your employees should not be a money drain for you. If utilized and trained correctly, this capital is your opportunity for the biggest return, as each member of your team should over-deliver on the value they are bringing to your practice daily. Whether it is by scheduling New Patients, creating impactful marketing, or streamlining efficiency so that current clients are retained, your team can make or break your success.
It’s time to invest in your team so that you can start getting a return on that investment.
Call the Scheduling Institute today at 770-518-7575 or CLICK HERE to schedule a time to speak with one of our Practice Growth Advocates!
