Jacqui Goss explains how you can provide a service to delight patients



Seeing your customer service through the eyes of your patients is not easy. Dentists and the practice team use different yardsticks to measure service than patients.

Dentists measure their performance on technical merit, for example: Did I do the work properly? Did I meet professional standards for GDC and CQC regulations? Practice teams tend to measure their performance by their efficiency, for example: Did we adhere to practice policies and protocols? Did the patient journey go smoothly?

However, patients measure your performance on their perceived value of the overall experience, for example, they ask themselves: were my expectations met; did I get value for money?

Interpreting customer satisfaction surveys, a patient attends a practice with two sets of expectations:

1.    They expect the service to be problem-free, technically correct, and delivered as promised

2.    They expect for it to be better than they thought it might be. What makes the difference (leading to high patient retention and satisfaction) is a service experience that surprises and delights them, i.e., exceeds their expectations. These patients will then be superb ambassadors for your business as a (free) word-of-mouth referral service.

To achieve this, a practice needs a focused and committed team, which includes a patient coordinator. Along with front-of-house staff, the patient coordinator role is often undervalued or overlooked. Each of these functions needs a special type of person able to perform exceptionally every day—in the manner of the graceful swan paddling furiously beneath the surface.

Focusing here on the patient coordinator, what should they be able to do?

•    Communicate according to a patient’s ability to understand
•    Develop an empathy with patients to understand their needs
•    Deliver exemplary customer service
•    Maintain a sound knowledge of clinical procedures and services
•    Interpret clinical reports and discuss them in an appropriate manner with patients
•    Discuss with patients all financial options (and process them)
•    “Close the sale”
•    Maintain an accurate record of all contact with patients
•    Contribute toward business targets and goals
•    Be a highly effective team member.

Let’s consider some of these in more detail.

Communication
A patient coordinator should be one of the first points of contact a new patient has with a practice. Unlike busy receptionists, they can invest time building the rapport that is important for a good patient experience. As only 7% of communication is verbal, a patient coordinator must interpret body language (55% of communication) and how the patient speaks to them (38% of communication is the speed, tone, and inflection of the voice).

They need to be able to determine what is important to the patient, why they have come to the practice, deal with any underlying concerns, and assure the patient about any reservations they have. They should be attuned to the patient and check for understanding using language appropriate for each individual.

Develop an empathy with patients
A patient coordinator must build a rapport with patients to then develop an empathy with them. This process begins with an understanding of how body language and nonverbal communication influence the feelings and emotional state of others. This is a huge topic covered comprehensively by neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). I suggest all practice coordinators should have at least a working knowledge of NLP. The point is that the better you get to know someone, the more likely they will like and trust you and the more likely they will do business with you.

Deliver exemplary customer service
Patients want you to deliver what they want or exceed their expectations. This is possible if a patient coordinator is available to answer any questions or queries, often in the evening or on weekends when patients are more relaxed and able to talk more freely. Do you have anybody available at those times?

Interpret clinical reports
As Figure 2 shows, although only 10%-15% of a patient coordinator’s skill is understanding the different treatment options (the remaining 85%-90% being attributable to people skills), it is crucial that they do—otherwise it will undermine a patient’s confidence in them. To make an informed decision about treatment, patients need to understand their options. Many dentists describe treatment options in technical terms. Patients do not perceive the value of the treatment proposed until it has been explained in words they understand and in a relaxed environment away from the dental chair.

Often a dentist will offer a (albeit clinically correct) solution to a patient without finding out what it is that they are looking for. Remember that most patients want their expectations exceeded, not dashed by a comprehensive list of oral problems. The patient coordinator concentrates on what outcomes a patient is seeking and will benefit from.

Discuss and process all financial options
Patients will not commit to a treatment plan they think they cannot afford. If you do not make it affordable with finance options as a method of payment, you may lose the patient to a practice that does. A patient coordinator must be comfortable with talking about and selling finance.

Close the sale
The patient coordinator must be enthusiastic and excited about the end results of the treatment plan and communicate this to the patient. Having before and after pictures of similar cases to present and discuss, along with testimonial letters, makes this process easier.

The patient coordinator should ask questions such as: How does this all sound to you? Are you more comfortable about it? Can you see the long-term benefits of this treatment? Importantly, they should give the patient the opportunity to proceed by asking a direct question such as: Would you like to go ahead?

To summarize, the patient coordinator role is a challenging but exciting one. It must be undertaken by the right sort of person with the attributes and competencies outlined above. Invest wisely in their training to develop their people skills. Alternatively you can use an experienced remote patient coordinator. Either way, watch your bottom line grow!

Bio
Jacqui Goss is managing partner at Yes!RESULTS. For further information, visit www.yesresults.co.uk.