OFFICE APPEARANCE---A KEY TO KEEPING PATIENTS

After reading this, close your eyes and take a mental stroll through your office.  Be critical in your evaluation.  How does the office appear to patients, particularly during an initial appointment?  An appealing, clean, organized, up-to-date office speaks volumes to patients about the type of dental care they will receive there.  An attractive, tidy, well- tended office portends the same type of dental care in a patient’s mind.  A cluttered, worn, uncomfortable space with dirty carpet, torn chair coverings, bugs in the overhead lights, boxes in the hallways, chipped paint on walls and woodwork, etc., gives the idea that the dental care received there will be of similar quality.

Patients are more likely to accept treatment and enroll in the Recare System if they find the office appearance and overall ambiance above the norm.  Office appearance starting with the external look of your building and signage and carrying through to every feature inside the office is the first yardstick patients use to measure the quality of your practice.  And once patients are satisfied with the office itself, the physical plant, they progress to a sense of trust in the dental team and the quality of care they will receive.

If you are not entirely pleased by the appearance of your office, recruit staff members to help you evaluate what needs to be done.  Set aside time to let business staff members walk through the clinical area, making a list of necessary improvements.  Ask clinical staff to do the same for the business and reception areas.  Both groups can assess the outside appearance of the building, landscaping, parking area, entryway, night time lighting, etc.  Looking critically with “fresh eyes”, staff members can most easily spot problems and needs for improvement in the area of the office in which they do NOT work.

Once the walk-through review is done with a list made of opportunities for improvement in office environment and appearance; prioritize projects, set a budget for expenses, and name dates by which projects will be completed.