Dos and don'ts for customer service: Upgrade your amenities

In some dental practices, little thought has been given to the question of what amenities to make available to patients and other guests in the reception area. Other practices may have paid attention to this issue -- but not for several years. Either way, they're falling short on customer service. By welcoming patients to your office with thoughtful little extras, you can strengthen their loyalty to the practice tremendously.

Think about what your patients would like and try to provide it. You may love golf, but stacks of your old golf magazines will probably not win points with most of your patients. Set your personal preferences aside and -- with the help of the front desk coordinator and other team members -- figure out what patients will appreciate. How can you entertain them? Make them more comfortable? Enable them to communicate easily with the outside world? Your answers will identify the most desirable amenities.

Don't let years go by before your next upgrade. Things change so quickly these days that something that seems perfect now may be completely outdated a year from now. To ensure that your office amenities will remain appealing, review them at least once a year -- and be prepared to make improvements.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the chairman and CEO of practice management consulting firm Levin Group. You can connect with Levin Group on Facebook and Twitter (@Levin_Group) to learn more strategies and share ideas. Also, check out Dr. Levin's free practice management videos at www.levingroup.com/gp.

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