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Seven ideas for keeping your patients

Attracting new patients is one challenge. Keeping them loyal to your practice is another. Here are seven ideas for making sure your patients never want to leave.

1.   Make your first impression a great one

Your patient’s first impression takes place before their first appointment. Any new patient who comes through your door has likely already been to your website, bounced around your social media page and searched third-party review sites for your practice. Take a look at your web presence from a personal point of view.

2.   Time is of the essence

You hate having your time wasted. So do your patients. The more you can do to run a tight ship and decrease wait times the better.

3.   Improve your chairside manner

You don’t need to be funny or charming to provide an excellent chairside manner to your patients. More than anything, you need to give them time to share their thoughts and concerns.

4.   Upgrade your technology

Modern dental patients are savvy and have a good idea of the technology that’s out. Letting your practice fall behind the technology curve may encourage patients to look elsewhere for the latest in dental care.

5.   Ask for feedback

Nip grievances in the bud by asking for feedback. Find out what your patients like and don’t like so you can do more of the good and find solutions for the not-so-good.

6.   Offer a membership plan

Dental memberships are a good strategy for converting new patients into return patients. Patients pay a set annual fee to receive a certain set of diagnostic and preventive services per year along with discounts on other treatments. Patients improve their oral health while saving money and you enjoy a loyal patient with a higher treatment acceptance rate.

7.   Provide top-quality care

Avoid getting lost in all the non-clinical sides of running a practice. Being a great dentist is still the best thing you can do once a patient has already chosen you versus the competition.