While most of your focus in your dental practice should be on perfecting your skills and investing in new treatments, patients also value a good customer experience. If you want to have loyal patients who are willing to recommend your practice to others, it’s important to offer a top customer experience to every visitor. If you don’t know how to improve your practice in that direction, here are a few ideas that will make your customers comfortable, happy and satisfied:
Splash the walls with soothing colors
Certain colors are natural relaxation devices that can also boost healing, so make sure to choose colors that create comfort. A mix of neutrals (awaken feelings of cleanliness and purity) and bold pops of color (green is very relaxing and also reminds people of health) is what usually works the best for the largest number of patients.
Choose relaxing furniture
When your patients come to see you, most of them spend at least a few minutes in the waiting room. Make that wait time easy and comfortable by providing customers with cozy furniture in the lobby. Provide coffee tables with magazines and cushions for back support. And don’t forget comfort in the dental chair! A model with massage features can make all the difference in patient satisfaction. Additionally, many patients have to bring their kids with them for the appointment, so provide your little guests with plenty of toys and fun books. When kids are comfortable in your office, they will quickly turn into new patients and parents will remain loyal to your practice.
Focus on visual and physical comfort
Patients don’t like to be attacked with harsh lighting and sounds—these only boost stress and anxiety. Instead, focus on natural lighting and practical ambient lighting. If you practice dentistry somewhere hot like Australia, your office also needs good air conditioning, so consider hiring an experienced electrician in Brisbane to install AC units and handle necessary upgrades to switchboards or main power. Your electrician can also install a nice TV so you can play interesting videos and movies for your patients to enjoy while they wait.
Provide transparency
Modern patients are more than familiar with their healthcare and are willing to participate actively in their wellbeing. This means you need to be transparent went it comes to practices and cleanliness protocols. Today, in the time of COVID-19, sterilization and infection control are crucial for patient satisfaction. One thing that can relieve your patients’ stress levels is open sterilization centers that will make all your hygiene processes visible. This shows that you are serious about safety and hygiene and you have nothing to hide.
Add a few beauty touches to your treatments
The focus of your practice should certainly be on fixing teeth, but some small beauty touches can play a huge role in patient satisfaction. For instance, a quick surface clean of the teeth can often be included in the price of extensive procedures. You can also offer lip balm to tend to chapped lips after keeping the patients’ mouths open and dry. These little beauty care touches will not make a huge difference in your expenses, but they will certainly make you stand out from the competition.
Offer an office tour to new patients
Many people feel discomfort in new places, so make sure to remove that stress with a quick tour of the office. Comfort stems from familiarity, so show your patients all your offices and rooms, focusing on high-tech equipment (that’s often very interesting for civilians) and your hygiene practices.
A visit to the dentist doesn’t have to be stressful and uncomfortable. With your top-notch customer experience, you will not only retain old patients, but gain new ones, and develop a great reputation in your area.
