Sally McKenzie, CEO McKenzie Management Printer Friendly Version

Patients Don't Complain…
They Leave

Poor customer service seems to be everywhere these days. Employees ignore waiting customers. “I don’t care” attitudes are prevalent. Supervisors don’t have the time or resources to train workers and are forced to cut corners to preserve the bottom line. All of this comes at a price, usually of the customer. The few companies that do deliver what they promise make headlines because even though excellent customer service is the expectation, most of us would agree that it is rarely the reality.

So when was the last time you considered the quality of customer/patient service your practice is delivering each day?

“But Sally, our patient service is fine. We almost never get any complaints.” Welcome to the “no news is bad news” club. Patients complain even less often than dissatisfied customers of stores and recent studies show very few customers bother to make the effort. In fact, a typical business only hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers. The other 96% quietly go away. Of this 96%, nearly 70% never reveal their dissatisfaction because they believe the owner, manager or employee simply doesn’t care.

In a dental practice, the scenario may be somewhat different but the outcomes are the same. Patients rarely complain to the dentist because in most cases of poor service they still think highly of the doctor. They appreciate the dentist and usually don’t want to bother him/her with a complaint. The patient will tolerate the poor service, negative attitudes and problem staff for a while, believing that the doctor will address it or the situation will improve. When it doesn’t, they simply leave and the doctor never knows why.

Improving customer service requires you and your team to look at your systems as well as your attitudes. Start with the most fundamental rule: Never ignore the patient standing there. If you are on the phone with another patient or speaking to a staff member, you can acknowledge the first patient’s presence and indicate that you will be right with him/her.

Accept the daily disruption. Many dental employees can become frustrated because they feel they are constantly interrupted. Patients sense the frustration and it makes them uneasy. In some cases, system changes may be in order, but so too may be attitude adjustments. A day in a dental practice is typically a series of interruptions, from the answering the phone to accepting an emergency case, addressing the complaints from an unexpected patient, the ignoring a screaming child and receiving deliveries from the mail carrier. Keep in mind that being successful is being able to perform your job well under the circumstances you are given, not under the circumstances you would prefer.

Listen to your instincts. Most dental teams have been working with specific people and patients for a very long time. It is common for employees to perceive that a patient isn’t happy or is dissatisfied with something, but they often choose to ignore it and hope the problem will just go away. If you perceive that something isn’t right, open the door for the patient to communicate a concern to you.

Why should you set yourself up for a possible complaint? Recent data indicate that 7 out of 10 complaining customers will do business with you again if you address it. If you resolve it on the spot, 95% will do business with you again. I’d certainly be shooting to retain 95% rather than to lose 96%.

Speaking of instincts, patients instantly recognize which team members care about their well-being and which employees simply want to check them off the schedule. Patients are far more likely to want to stay with a practice with a team they know cares about them as people instead of as just another case on today’s line-up.

Build rapport with every patient. People do business with people they like. Make the effort to learn about your patients. Know their preferred names. Does patient Anthony John prefer the nickname AJ? Take an interest in the patients’ interests, children, grandchildren, pets, businesses, hobbies, etc. Ask questions that encourage more than a one-word answer. “How are the children?” typically results in a response of “Fine.” A question such as, “What activities are your children involved in these days?” will engage the patient in real conversation rather than perfunctory small talk.

Finally, love what you do. If you or any member of your team doesn’t want to be there, patients know it. And if you think you don’t want to be there, believe me, neither does your patient.

Interested in speaking to Sally about your practice concerns? Email her at sallymck@mckenziemgmt.com.
Interested in having Sally speak to your dental society or study club? Click here.

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