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By Deena Ali, Enhanced Hygiene
Going beyond the clinical to develop rapport, trust and loyalty with patients
Patients have choices. Not just a few choices, but a lot. Patients also have many factors that are influencing them on where to seek dental treatment, whether it is from friends, their insurance plans or a simple review on Google. So how do you stack up in comparison to other dental providers? Providing outstanding dentistry with state-of-the-art equipment and great customer service may no longer be enough.
Many dental professionals are constantly seeking guidance from known industry leaders and advocates such as the ADA, CDC and other well received resources. The industry has provided CDT codes to help with assessing and categorizing dental services. The mix of such services are constantly in review and can be validated with the annual addition or subtraction of codes as the profession evolves. However, if dental professionals all follow the same common core values, what is truly distinguishing from one clinician to another? And what can clinicians do to engage and retain patients as they land in their hygiene chairs?
This article will outline four easy steps to help every clinician — both new and seasoned — with specific techniques and tools to capture and retain patients!
Listen
Clinicians might be the experts in dentistry, but the patients are the experts in their needs and wants. Clinicians or their dental teams must take the appropriate time at the beginning of every conversation to uncover the patient’s wants. This doesn’t mean asking if the plan a clinician is creating works for the patient, but instead discovering what the patient’s concerns are at the start of the appointment to help create the plan “with” them.
Pay attention to their ques to help you with their “language” style. Listen for specific words to help determine what drives their value proposition. Is the patient more interested in cosmetics, function, or feel? Whatever it is, listen for their communication style and try to emulate that style. For example, if they mention wishing their teeth were whiter, and you diagnose gingivitis, express the need to get their tissue healthy and the disease under control first, so you can then accommodate their whitening needs. Not verbalizing their needs and only addressing your clinical needs will leave them feeling unheard.
Validate
It is vital to address that you hear and understand their needs. This is especially important when their perceived needs might be different than their clinical needs. People want to feel acknowledged and validated. Patients today are more informed than ever, and often have previous knowledge of a situation or treatment perception, and clinicians must be respectful of that. You can do this by genuinely validating their fears, anxieties, and concerns. The patient might not always agree with your assessment, and might have a completely different idea of what should take place. To overcome this obstacle, it starts with validating them.
Solve
Lead with the findings and potential risk factors, and allow the patients to seek the solution. Clinicians often provide solutions to problems before a patient even sees or acknowledges this as a problem. An example of this is explaining how a scaling and root planning procedure will help treat their periodontal disease before you have even shown them the infection in their mouth. Clinicians often talk too much, or appear like they are “selling” as they try and engage patients in the solution they are seeking patients to accept and follow.
Instead, use tools such as your camera, radiographs and other clinical findings to help patients see their problems first. Wait for the patient to ask for solutions before you provide them with the treatment plan that helps solve their concern. Make sure you use simple words and stay away from dental jargon. It is not a time to impress them with fancy dental lingo, but a time to help them see clear solutions and potential risks for not acting on the prescribed treatment. As humans we all like to feel we are not alone, and a good idea is to use the rule of social norms as a way to compare their dental solutions to what other patients have also accepted. An example of this can be done by using the following verbiage: “Most of my patients choose this as a dental option.”
Advocate
A lot of the dental treatment clinicians provide is routine to them, but it can be overwhelming or even embarrassing to patients. Keep this in mind as we move forward in treatment. Stay away from making patients feel “shame” or “guilt” for not seeking dental treatment earlier. Instead, be excited about what their future dental health holds. As a dental professional, provide comfort and support by verbalizing you will help them throughout their dental treatment. Use positive and energizing words such as ‘let’s” and “together” so they feel motivated and not alone. Research shows that patients remember the last part of the appointment, and when that is positive, they are more likely to return for subsequent appointments. Ending all appointments with a simple phrase such as “you did great today!” can help increase the likelihood patients will come back to complete their future dental needs.
In conclusion, clinicians must remember that professional development goes beyond seeking new advances in dental procedures and sharpening our clinical skills. Clinicians must remain aware of the psychological needs and relationship building techniques to develop rapport, trust and loyalty. These techniques are designed to help bridge the gap of patient acceptance instead of creating unintentional obstacles.
