Five-star service

Good customer care goes beyond the front desk and few industries know that better than the hospitality sector. MED quizzes the region's leading hotels for top tips on bolstering the patient experience in your clinic.

It might surprise you to learn what sets your practice apart from its rivals. Is it the reputation of its staff? The catchiness of your tagline? Perhaps the quality of the dental care? While these factors might help, they don't make or break the deal.

Instead, studies have shown that what draws patients back through your doors is simply how special you make them feel.

So we've called in the experts. The hotel industry has long understood that good service makes you stand out, and they're prepared to share their secrets. Here's MED's guide to transforming a routine hygiene visit into a winning patient experience.

Back to basics

Step one is to restyle your strategy so the focus is on patient satisfaction. Prioritise the customer's needs over everything else, explains Lee-Anna Nussbaumer, director of human resources and training at Movenpick Hotels. "In a highly competitive business, customer service is what is going to differentiate you," she stresses.

One way of ensuring your team is on the same page is to establish benchmarks to promote patient satisfaction. Hotels call these ‘brand standards', and they are non-negotiable for employees.

Begin with laying down ground rules for greeting patients, advises Gary Kaas, cluster director of training for JW Marriott Dubai.

"The absolute minimum, as soon as somebody walks in the door, should be eye contact, a smile, and a greeting," he says. "Telephones should be answered by the third ring, and customers shouldn't be left on hold for more than 20 seconds."

"These tiny things can have a huge impact on the whole experience."

Know your customer

For repeat guests, hotels use guest histories to personalise their services. Done well, the result is an emotional connection between the company and the customer.

"Personalised attention to detail really means something," explains Ahmed Lasheen, human resources director at the Hilton Dubai. "If you can greet that customer by name, it makes them feel valued."

The patients that regularly crop up in your chair are likely to be those with ongoing problems, such as periodontal disease. Small gestures, such as remembering the patient's name and relevant details, helps create a memorable dental visit that will encourage repeat business.

Complaint culture

Learning how to handle aggrieved patients could be one of the most cost-effective things you do. Surveys have shown that mishandled patient relations - by dentists or their staff - lead to lost business. So when faced by an irate patient, it's important to keep your cool.

"Behaviour breeds behaviour," advises Kaas. "Try to remain calm. The customer is not angry with you, it's either the practice or the situation."

Nussbaumer teaches staff a four-step process for complaint management. "Firstly, give the customer your full attention. Then, acknowledge there is a problem and apologise," she says.

"Give the customer a solution, deliver it within a set timescale and then follow-up to ensure the situation has been resolved."

The follow-up is key, she continues, because it shows you value the customer's good will. "That is what the patient will remember, " she explains. "If they complained and you do nothing, they'll tell everybody."

Time management

With a little forethought, you can eliminate one of the major sources of irritation in dental clinics: time management. The nature of healthcare means that appointments run over and emergencies happen. But by alerting patients early, Kaas explains, you can manage the problem.

"Handle delays proactively, ahead of time," he stresses. "If the morning appointments are running late, call the afternoon patients and explain that you're behind. Or explain as soon as they arrive, and ask if they would like to reschedule."

Kaas suggests offering something small, such as a voucher for a complimentary coffee, to smooth over the delay.

"If you can come up with a suggestion before the customer gets angry, it helps," he says.

How am I practising?

The hospitality industry regularly uses audits, such as mystery shopper schemes, to rate their customer service. For dental clinics, the all-important vote of confidence comes from patients - but how often do you survey yours?

Take a tip from larger healthcare organisations. The Cleveland Clinic sends out some 20,000 patient satisfaction surveys each year. Patients are asked to rate their overall experience, and the marketing team reviews the results to identify the major issues and improve the patient's care. Typical questions include:

• Rate how satisfied are you with the practice?

• Did you have to wait to see the hygienist beyond the scheduled appointment time?

• Did the hygienist spend enough time with you?

• Were all of your questions answered by the hygienist?

• Would you recommend this clinic to others?

And when the results are in, walk the walk on survey recommendations. For example, staff with low scores may need extra training. "Make the changes you need to, even if it means a substantial rethink in strategy," adds Nussbaumer.

Response rate

When a clinic is your workplace, it's easy to forget that many patients panic at just the sight of scrubs. "Few people want to visit the dentist," Lasheen points out. But clinics have the opportunity to turn these visits into positive experiences.

If you can offer care, as opposed to just treatment, economic benefits will come in the form of higher revenues.

A simple goal to aim for is that, if you asked every patient the question: "How likely is it that you would recommend this clinic to a friend?" the answer should always be positive.

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