Providing a five-star experience for patients is always a goal for dental practices, but there are some improvements they could pick up from the hospitality space, according to Thomas Allen, DDS.
Dr. Allen, the dental director at Old Farm Dental in Salt Lake City, said the entire staff of a practice has to be on board with providing that five-star, hotel-like experience, and it starts with delivering A+ customer service.
Patients can feel when they are getting two-star service, and will spend accordingly, Dr. Allen told Becker’s.
Dr. Allen recently connected with Becker’s to discuss how dentistry can learn from the hotel industry.
Note: Dr. Allen’s response was lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What should dentistry borrow from another industry?
Dr. Thomas Allen: The big thing that dentistry can learn from is hospitality. The “five-star” concept started with hotels and follows true to the level. If it’s a two- or three-star hotel, you know it’s not a five-star hotel. The whole concept in the hospitality industry is built on return business and referral and that’s why their service is geared toward that. People in hospitality are trained in a way to acknowledge customer service. In dentistry, we talk a lot about the enhanced patient experience. That not only falls on the dentist, but also the practice’s staff. What people are looking for, and what’s going to set you apart, is that five-star experience.
The trick is that the whole staff has to be on board and trained in handling things like the front desk of a five-star hotel would. When something goes wrong at those hotels, the staff knows how to handle it. In dentistry, a lot of their training is based on the procedures and efficiency, and there’s not a whole lot of training when it comes to customer service.
Q: How can dental offices apply the aspects of hospitality into practice?
TA: Staff have to embrace that mentality. If you can’t look in the mirror and sincerely say that you can do that, then don’t do it because you’re just going to hurt yourself. There’s a lot to learn and a lot of self reflection you have to do before you embrace something like that. Because people know when you’re not. It takes just one employee to destroy the whole thing. It just takes a couple of bad reviews to where you’ll need to get a couple 100 to drown the bad ones out.
By increasing your customer service level to a five-star experience, you would reduce the challenge of financial or treatment planning. Compare it to the hotel example. Why do you pay $700 a night versus $150? It’s because of how you got treated. If you treat patients well, they’ll be more likely to go along with treatment.
At the Becker's 5th Annual Future of Dentistry Roundtable, taking place September 14-15 in Chicago, dental leaders and executives will gain insights into emerging technologies, practice growth strategies and the evolving landscape of dental care delivery, with a focus on innovation, patient experience and operational excellence. Apply for complimentary registration now.
