Running a dentistry, or any kind of medical customer facing centre such as a GP or physiotherapist can be really hard work. You have to know your craft inside out whilst also providing a fantastic service to the customer so they’ll come back.
Reduce Those Waiting Room Times
We’ve all been sat in a dentist’s waiting room, sitting idly by, watching the clock tick down. Its tedious, and if there are any way in cutting the time down you should. Make sure your receptionist tells people a reasonable accurate time. If they have an appointment for 10:30 do try and ensure they get seen at 10:30, and if something has run over apologise to your customer. In the meantime equip your waiting room with a bevvy of time wasting tools. A TV comes as standard, but some newspapers and magazines, a colourful fish tank and even some children’s toys will go a long way in alleviating any boredom. There are many other ideas out there too.
Cleanliness Is King
The majority of businesses owners keep their properties clean, but in terms of medical companies that expectation goes through the roof. Nobody wants to go to a grimy dentist with unclean corridors and waiting areas. If they’re unclean, so could be the tools that go into people’s mouths. With a medical business you need to ensure everything is sparkling, it affects customer perception and if they don’t like what they see they’ll go elsewhere. Use a service who offer medical cleaning, they’ll know exactly how to clean your instruments and what chemicals can and can’t be used. You can do it yourself of course, but it is so time consuming, it’s better to let the professionals handle it, you can find some here.
Advertising
You need to see your dentist just like any other business. Advertising is key, meaning you need to have an online presence. A website is a must, every dentist these days seem to have a website with price listings, opening hours and even some with complex patient booking systems. You should also get involved with social media advertising, especially if you own a fairly new practice. There are some great beginners guides to get you started.
People Management
If you own a dentistry you’ll likely employ office managers, receptionists, hygienists, dental assistants and of course other dentists. The trick is ensuring everyone works well together to create a great place to work. Try out a monthly or weekly staff meeting, this way people can talk about what’s not right or what needs to change. It also ensures everyone meets and knows each other and stops your practice becoming too clicky. Celebrate staff birthdays and perhaps once or twice a year use team building days to foster a sense of togetherness. If the staff aren’t happy then your customers will sense the mood and be put off.
Running a dentistry can be hard, demanding work. You’re likely a dentist yourself having to put hours in, so coupling that with running the business can really stack up. Just stay strong and keep your team on side. Customer service and cleaning are huge, if you keep these all in check, and you’re good at your job, then you can’t go far wrong.