This post presents five recommendations. Implementing any or all of these suggestions will enhance your practice performance and increase your production.
- Work towards creating Five-Star Customer Service in your practice.
Nothing impresses patients like a practice that exceeds others. In this case, by “others,” I do not mean only other dental practices. I am referring to any business. The truth is that most businesses have low-level customer service for a number of varied reasons, giving you and your practice the opportunity to stand out as an incredible experience. When you provide Five-Star Customer Service, patients stay with the practice longer, referrals increase, and everyone (patients and staff) is much more highly satisfied.
- Increase referrals.
Regardless of the type of practice you have, patient referrals are essential, just like any business. One of the true vital signs of a healthy practice is increasing referrals. Every practice loses patients. To be successful, you need to know how many referrals you currently get from current patients and how much you can increase in the next 12 months. Have a plan and assign it to a specific person in the practice to ensure it gets carried out.
- Raise fees.
The easiest way to increase production is to raise fees. There’s a psychological component to this, and some practices are hesitant to raise fees out of fear that treatment will be rejected. Keep in mind that very few patients have any idea what your fees currently are. In today’s world of higher practice overhead, it is essential to raise fees just to keep up and to move ahead. Just make sure you look like you’re worth it and treat customers as they should be. (And when you do raise fees, be sure to submit your new fee schedule to your insurance plans. They may not increase reimbursements, but it is wise to keep them aware of your fees.)
- Follow up on unaccepted treatment.
This may be the hidden gem that so many practices do not do and do not think about. Some are even embarrassed and feel like they’re pressuring patients when they follow up with them. In actuality, following up on unaccepted treatment is a form of customer service. This is a chance to contact the patient, answer questions, clarify information, and help them make a decision. The best follow-up is by a person, and the second best is by email. You will be amazed how many people you reach out to will go ahead and have treatment.
- Increase staff longevity.
Although all dental staff are not perfect, in my observation, the longer your staff is with you, the better chance you have of maintaining higher levels of production. It seems that they know what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and get it done. The only negative of a long-term staff is the potential for complacency, which is the enemy of growth. It is up to the leaders of the practice to keep everyone motivated to continually improve and have great attitudes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the CEO and Founder of Levin Group, a leading practice management consulting firm that has worked with over 30,000 clients to increase production. A recognized expert on dental practice management and marketing, he has written more than 60 books and over 4,000 articles and regularly presents seminars in the U.S. and around the world. To contact Dr. Levin or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit www.levingroup.com or email rlevin@levingroup.com.
