Sometimes a new patient may decide to make an exploratory visit to your dental office for an initial consultation. This is more likely to happen when you have a robust online presence through your website and social media, and enjoy high local search engine rankings for major keywords. These efforts could bring over a patient who is impressed with your online presence, but wants to be more convinced before committing themselves to a dental procedure.
Once the patient is at your dental office, everything will depend on their overall experience at your facility. Make sure that you have well-trained staff to welcome the patient in a warm and friendly manner, and make every effort to make them feel comfortable. Every subtle gesture of the staff should be aimed at making the new patient feel valued. Regardless of whether the new patient wants to have just an initial consultation, a minor procedure or a major treatment, they should be treated with equal care and personalized attention.
During the waiting period, one of your staff members may offer an office tour to the new patient to show and explain them about various areas, amenities and dental equipment available at the practice. Once the patient is more familiarized with the office environment and staff, they will begin to feel more at home. This will increase the chances of the patient liking the place and selecting it for treatment even before they have met you.
All said and done, the consultation with the dentist still remains the most vital part of the process. As a dedicated dentist, you should encourage the patient to freely share their concerns, and listen to them with careful attention. You should answer all questions of the patient in a detailed manner, and clarify their doubts and concerns.
Wherever required, you may encourage them to review before and after images of a particular procedure, or show them the testimonials of past patients about their experience with your practice. These simple efforts will go a long way in establishing a good rapport between you and the patient. A patient who feels satisfied with the initial consultation is not only likely to choose your practice, but may also turn out to be a ‘brand ambassador’ for your practice in the long run by spreading the good word about you to other people.
About the Author
Naren Arulrajah is President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, a complete Internet marketing company which focuses on SEO, social media, marketing education and the online reputations of dentists. With a team of 140+ full time marketers, www.ekwa.com helps dentists who know where they want to go get there by dominating their market and growing their business significantly year after year. If you have questions about marketing your practice online, call 855-598-3320 to speak one-on-one with Naren.
