When a patient has finished a dental treatment, be it a routine cleaning or a major tooth restoration, they’re likely going to let out a big sigh of relief and try to put it behind them. They probably feel pretty good about getting through it, grateful that it’s over with, and excited to go on about their daily routine without thinking about their next trip to the dentist.
One of the most important aspects of maintaining your dental practice with consistent and maximum profits is the retention of your patients. It’s up to you and your office to ensure that your patients keep coming back.
Following Up With Your Patients after Treatment
Going to the dentist is one of those things people tend to actively avoid, or desperately rush into. They avoid it because they are fearful of the dentist, or pain, or the expense of the treatment they are seeking. They rush into it to because they are in pain, or they need to maximize their insurance benefits by the end of the year.
The key is to get patients to schedule their next appointment as soon as possible, preferably before they have left the office after their current treatment. There is a thin line between being pushy and being insistent however, and it’s prudent to practice doing it, and to set protocols in place in order to keep your patients appointments consistent and up to date.
Let’s face it though-many of your patients for various reasons aren’t going to make their next appointment on the same day as treatment. There are lots of reasonable excuses for not doing so, such as needing to talk with their spouse about the cost of treatment, or the logistics of timing for the next appointment.
And that is ok. The important thing is to have a system in place for you and your office to adhere to in order to ensure that the appointment does get scheduled.
How to Follow Up With Your Patients
People have varying methods of conducting their affairs. This includes scheduling (or not scheduling) their appointments. Some people use e-mail as their primary means of communication for everything they do, while others prefer phone calls and talking to a live person.
It is important to communicate with each patient, and ask them their preference. This way, when someone hesitates to schedule an appointment, you know how to reach out to them in a way that won’t make them feel pressured, or like they are just on a list you are checking off.
When you tell your patients you’re going to do something, it’s imperative that you do it. If you say your office is going to call next week, or email them tomorrow, make sure that it happens. This is where a set protocol is important.
A calendar system is highly recommended for this aspect of office management. In the day to day running of a dental office, follow-up procedures tend to slip through the cracks. It is best if your follow-up procedures are built into your dental teams daily routines. The offices that do have a tight system of follow-up procedures tend to have higher rates of happy patients and case acceptance.
Helping Dental Patients Get the Treatment They Need
Going to the dentist is a difficult thing for many, and people need gentle nudging and encouragement to stay current with their treatment plans, as well as regular maintenance. With the proper protocols and systems and place, you can assist and guide people towards accomplishing a difficult task they will be better off for in the long run, and therefore grateful and more willing to come back, which means more profit for you.
If you’re looking to streamline your dental business, and gain more effective tools for patient follow-up and scheduling methods, contact us today! We are experts at maximizing efficiency and profits for dental practices and look forward to working with you.
