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Attention
All Implant Team Members:
Under-promise & Over-deliver!
By JoAn Pickett-Majors
It's at the core of great customer service everywhere.
Think about the last purchase you made that you would consider
a significant cost: how did you feel when you wrote the
check? I'm constantly in search of a great service story.
Whether at dinner, purchasing clothing or on hold with a
dealership about the service on my car, I wonder what promise
they will make to me and if they can live up to it.
What if we, the implant team members, decided we wouldn't
make a promise we couldn't over-deliver on? It is a simple
concept that makes a huge difference to your patients, especially
in terms of their repeat business and their referring other
quality patients to the practice. "Under-promise, Over-deliver"
is something we regularly remind teams of during our trainings.
Patients love it when they discover our service is better
than they ever imagined it could be and better than we suggested
to them that it would be.
If you are not 101% sure that you can have a fifty-six-year-old
patient's papilla look like the photo she brought in of
herself at twenty-six when she had her original anterior
teeth, then why say it? Although we know that many times
we can expect outcomes this remarkable, what if this patient
happens to be the one for whom it just doesn't happen as
you planned? In implant dentistry we like to say, placing
the implant is like placing a wedding ring: you are married
to them now.
Don't misunderstand what I am suggesting here, though
some of you may. Patients only know what they know---they
don't know what you know! Most of the time you've seen and
helped produce incredible results, but be careful because
patients will remember the exact picture you showed them
or the words you said exactly. Why tell them they'll have
"no more sore spots" with the appropriate structure
design and proposed to support the denture? Instead, tell
patients their sore spots will be dramatically reduced and
the denture will be stable. When they have no more sore
spots, you're their hero! It's a lot more gratifying than
being the villain who did not deliver on her promise. For
the record: just because you didn't say it doesn't mean
they don't think you said it, doctor! If a team member misspeaks,
it is often the patient's perception that the information
comes from the doctor. Team members must understand how
powerful our words and actions are to build or destroy the
relationships in the practice. Patients believe well trained
and well trusted team members.
Consider a perfect specimen of an over denture. It snaps
into place; it fits beautifully with no real movement, but
there is an area where food can still get lodged underneath.
The disappointed patient will address all complaints with
the haunting phrase, "But you said," time and
time again. As we all know, patients often feel less intimidated
to ask a question (or ask the same question again) after
the doctor leaves the treatment area. So take the "Under-promise,
Over-deliver" oath as a team to ensure an environment
for success.
Team members have such a vital role in implant dentistry
due to the fact that this is an area where misunderstandings
run rampant. We must be crystal clear about what we say
to patients. If you have not taken the time to do a FAQ
on implants and scripted the answers the group agrees on
so that you can speak with confidence, then call a team
meeting and get out your pen and paper out because your
words are crucially linked to the success of the implant
treatment our doctors offer. If you don't believe in it
and can't support it whole heartedly, don't think for one
minute the patient won't figure it out. When they get mixed
signals, expect a train wreck!
When a patient asks how long it will last due to their
very urgent schedule and upcoming class reunion, offering
the wrong information can cause real heartache. However,
when we understand the subtle nuances of our words, team
members can take patients to a new level of satisfaction.
Preface your comment with a phrase like, "In instances
like this, I have seen Dr. Majors do wonders." This
allows you to brag on the doctor's treatment skills and
leaves an open end for details we shouldn't necessarily
discuss at this point anyway.
So take time to prepare as a team. What you don't know
can and will hurt you. Not asking the questions of each
other and preparing the answers the doctor wants (in your
own language) will surely come back to bite you. It has
been happening for years! A patient leaves a practice due
to a misunderstanding and the team member never knew they
played a role in it. Most especially the doctor never got
to make it right.
Furthermore, by taking the time to prepare the answers
to the questions you want to have support your team approach,
you avoid the old "spay and pray" method, that
is, spray something out there and hope it sticks. You're
better off having a team meeting where you ask (and answer)
the questions. If you don't invest any time in the front
end, don't expect you will be able to save your back end!
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions and possible answers
make a request to info@DentistryByChoice
Subject Line: FAQ Web 08.
Author of the Open the Door to Your Purpose Series
and founder of Dentistry by Choice, a training L.L.C., JoAn
Majors has been described as a team member who has temporarily
left the office. Her highly sought-after presentations are
known for their authenticity, humor and engagement. Her
area of specialty is in working with teams from traditional
industries---like banking, real estate, health care, education
and her favorite, dentistry---to produce non-traditional
transformation with profitable people skills. She's serious
about her seminars and crazy about her clients. Contact
JoAn at 1-866-51-CHOICE. The time is now, the choice
is yours.
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by JoAn Pickett Majors
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