Dos and don'ts for practice management: The value of patient satisfaction -- Part 3

A dental practice may have very nice people working on the team, but this may not be sufficient to create outstanding patient satisfaction. It is critical to develop and implement strategies that ensure a consistently positive patient experience.

Make promises to your patients and keep them. Let them know that your practice will treat them exceptionally well. Make it clear that if they ever have an emergency, you will take care of them. Teach them about all of the new services in the practice and why it is a leading-edge office. Most of all you should reinforce that your practice is dedicated to outstanding patient satisfaction.

Don't surprise patients. Don't let your patients be surprised about anything going on in your practice. If you have made an error in calculating their bill, let them know and apologize. They will appreciate you taking responsibility right away. If you add new equipment or software, let them know. Inform them of any personnel changes. In short, keep your patients aware of everything your practice experiences that may have an effect on them.