5 tips to keep your dental patients happy and loyal
Through: Anais
Currently in the US there are more than 200,000 active dentistsand about 60% of Americans visit a dental office at least once a year.
With so much competition, you may be wondering how your dental office can keep patients, especially happy and loyal ones.
5 tips to keep your dental patients happy
The following tips can help keep your dental patients happy and coming back for regular care.
- Offer flexible appointments
- To communicate
- Offer options for dental financing, memberships and personalized discounts
- Optimize your website
- Create a relaxing environment
1. Offer flexible appointments
With several dentists to choose from, patients are unlikely to wait for an opening, especially for emergency care. Instead, they can easily check with local dentists to see which office has the earliest opening to fit their schedule.
To mitigate patient loss due to scheduling conflicts, provide:
- flexible morning, evening and weekend appointments
- give your patients the freedom to book online and by phone
As a result, you can accommodate patients on active schedules and increase the likelihood that they will be satisfied, repeat customers.
In addition, your patients probably have their days well booked. In turn, they can’t waste precious time waiting after their original appointment time.
To avoid exposing your patients to long wait times and potentially losing them as customers, you need to implement better scheduling practices. For example, if a regular dental cleaning appointment lasts about an hour, allow an extra 15 minutes in case the patient is late or has questions after care. This ensures that you don’t lose your next customer because they are not happy with the extended wait time.
2. Communicate
In the last year, 59% of customers stated that they have higher expectations of customer service.
First and foremost, patients expect more transparency and educational information from healthcare professionals. So communicating regularly with your dental patients can help you build better relationships, promote satisfaction and ensure their loyalty.
For example, educating your patients about good oral hygiene and preventive care can increase customer relationship. In addition, you can set up consultations to make it easier for your patients to come by with specific questions or concerns.
While the Internet offers convenience and a wide range of information, patients can easily misdiagnose their condition. Instead, a face-to-face conversation with a professional about their dental health can boost confidence. This can help make your patients feel more comfortable and better informed about their dental health.
Also, 57% of patients said they expect appointment reminders and follow-up care via automated messages, especially texts, phone calls and emails.
In addition, 58% of patients appreciate the responsiveness of dental clinics to follow-up questions via email or telephone. With the increasing expectations of customer service, dental professionals must adapt to their patients’ desire to be attentive.
By going the extra mile to send personalized appointment reminders, follow-up surveys and treatment plan emails, you show your patients that you care about their long-term well-being. In turn, patients who feel valued will value your dental practice with loyalty.
Finally, make sure encourage customer feedback. By listening to what your patients like and dislike about your dental practice, you can improve areas that may be missing. This in turn shows your customers that you value their input and actively seek to improve their care and experience, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Offer options for dental financing, memberships and personalized discounts
Unfortunately, around every year 30% of Americans do not receive the necessary dental care because they cannot afford the services.
Offer your patients dental financing options can help them get the dental care they need at a price that fits their budget.
If insurance doesn’t cover the cost of their procedures, your clients can pay the remaining balance in installments with a payment plan. As result, dental financing promotes customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing a win-win for your customers: they get the care they need with flexible reimbursement options.
Of plan membershipare patients two to three times visit the dentist more often than uninsured patients. For example, you can offer patients a six-month membership with a 30% discount on all dental services. This encourages your clients to return to a dental practice that provides quality care at reasonable prices.
In addition, 80% of respondents preferred companies that offer personalized experiences and care. For example, you can implement a loyalty program to encourage repeat visits. After the fifth visit, your patients can be cleaned for free.
To add a personal touch, you can send promotional discounts to patients on their birthday. This gives your clients a financial and emotional incentive to return to a dentist who recognizes and values them.
4. Optimize your website
When comparing dentists, patients are likely to consult the practice’s website for more information. Often the deciding factor between two practitioners is the quality of their site.
Therefore, your website should contain:
- educational information
- FAQ page
- Dentist bio to build trust and expertise with potential clients
When looking for dental information, patients are likely to turn to the Internet again. By putting educational information on your website, you can become a valuable resource for your patients.
Second, a FAQ section provides customers with access to the most relevant information. Both pages suggest to potential customers that your dental practice is concerned with patient care and well-being.
Finally, potential clients will likely want to thoroughly vet their medical professional before making a visit. Therefore, including a dentist bio page can help patients learn about the educational and professional background of the dentist.
For example, add information about where you obtained your degree, how many years you practiced and what your specialties are. This can promote the client’s confidence that the dentist is an expert with relevant experience in the field.
5. Create a relaxing environment
Unsurprisingly, 75% of adults have a fear of dentists, often leading to extreme dental anxiety that prevents them from receiving necessary care. And others may choose not to return to a dentist after just one bad experience. While all the pain and discomfort of dental procedures cannot be alleviated, dental practices can take extra care to create a welcoming and relaxing environment.
Dental offices can calm anxious patients by offering free Wi-Fi or video entertainment. Especially during lengthy procedures, your patients may distract themselves by watching a movie with noise canceling headphones. This can help your clients calm their nerves by focusing on an activity other than the anxiety-inducing procedure.
In addition, create a soothing waiting area and treatment room. Often the sight of sterile white walls is enough to make a patient tense. Instead, brighten up the walls with paintings, photographs, plants, or a mini water fountain.
In addition, some clients may dislike the sounds or smells of a dental clinic. Playing music and using aromatherapy diffusers can promote a more relaxing environment.
Overview
While quality dental care and attentive staff can be vital to a successful dental practice, it may not be enough to keep your patients happy and loyal.
Still, there are tips to help you keep up with the competition and rising customer expectations.
Most importantly, flexible appointments, communication and dental financing are the most important strategies for keeping your patients happy and loyal.
Next one: When you have everything you need – except dental patients