Loveboat…A blast from the past!

Remember Julie?  The bubbly woman whose job it was to ensure every guest had a wonderful experience while aboard?

In dentistry, we have the opportunity to drive a distinct shift in consumer expectations; an opportunity to set ourselves apart from the rest. We can break the mold, which is settling for status quo, and provide our patients the best technologies, services and experience.   

So who is your Julie? What’s your New Patient routine? Have you clearly defined the patient process at every touch point?  And is your team “Loveboat Quality”?  Yes, this is a silly analogy in some ways, but one thing was clear when guests boarded their ship:They wanted their guests to feel loved and leave with an unforgettable positive experience.  The crew of the Loveboat knew their “Why” and provided Five Star service!

Do you know your “Why”? 

All too often, we put the “What we do” before the “Why we do it” and this approach is quite uninspiring.  You see, there are dentists all over the world and everyone knows “what” they do.  But when we are able to sit down and really determine “Why” we come to work every day we can then begin to build our boat. 

Sure we can all build a boat to house dental chairs and equipment for fillings and crowns, but when we truly understand WHY we are doing it, the plans drastically change and we can then begin to determine how we choose to furnish our own interior, who we want as crew and what type of patientswe want aboard our boat. Every dental practice has a different “Why”.

Are your new patients greeted by one person, seated by another, treated by yet another?  Do you have a protocol in place, which insures your patients will feel important from the moment they call your office?  If not…channel your inner Julie! Get the “crew” together and decide what you want your patients to experience now that they have decided to make your office theirs! 

You might have a “Julie” who meets, greets, tours, but your entire crew has a role in each and every touch point your patient will experience. Make this the topic of your next team meeting.  Ask yourselves and your team why they come to work each day and how this has a positive effect on your patients.  Form a clear understanding of your “Why” so you can begin to build a dental office that is sustained by this very core principle.  Then the “How” and the “What” we do just makes sense.

A ticket on the Loveboat wasn’t for a journey at sea, it was for an experience at sea.  Those who understand the difference will find themselves with  a sustainable flow of quality patients and a highly successful dental practice.

Cyndee Johnson is a world expert in hygiene production and delivering value proposition in dentistry. Her unique programs and collaborative team of experts bring success to those who call upon their services.