Last weekend, I went to an event that I'd had booked for months. It was quite expensive, but the communication I'd had in advance was pretty bad, and had left me wondering if I'd made a pricey mistake.
But as soon as I arrived, and at other points throughout the weekend, it became clear that the organiser had actually put lots of thought into the event, and wanted her customers to feel truly valued.
There were two free, up-to-date magazines and a small bar of chocolate waiting in the room when I arrived, prettily wrapped in ribbon. The next day a small gift was left when the room was cleaned. And at the end of the event, we were all presented with huge, beautifully decorated cupcakes.
Small and inexpensive touches, but they completely changed my opinion of the event - I switched from feeling dissatisfied to being completely happy, and feeling that I had made a good decision. And yes, I will recommend the event to others.
From a dental perspective, this doesn't mean you can skimp on communication - far from it, it is absolutely vital - but it does illustrate just what a huge difference a few extra touches can make.
Have a think about some of the small changes you could introduce to make your patients feel truly valued, and carry them out! You don't need to go overboard - just making one positive change every six months (the average period between visits) will work wonders.
