Word of Mouth: The Power of the Patient Experience
James C. Kulild, D.D.S., M.S.
From the west side to the east side,
From the north side to the south.
You’ll never get bad information
If you believe in the word of mouth.
—Mike & The Mechanics, Word of Mouth
Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication—from the cave paintings of the Aborigines to Facebook, people seem to have a natural need to share their experiences with others, no matter how trivial. But when personal stories are shared in combination with an opinion about a product or service, this “word of mouth marketing” has a special kind of power. Research shows that we’re more likely to believe product information from a personal referral than other formal forms of marketing because we assume the storyteller has nothing to gain. For endodontists, this is a golden opportunity to build on the built-in credibility of our patients’ experience and their trust in our capabilities.
Positive word of mouth about an endodontic practice is achieved when we deliver endodontic services that exceed patient expectations and naturally generate conversation-worthy “buzz.” It takes significant time and effort to create these realities because exceptional service requires more of “us” than executing a technically superb treatment. If you want patients to be a proactive advocate for your practice, every interaction with you, starting before they ever enter your office to long after they are gone, should be positive—from their perspective, not yours.
In today’s technology-saturated world, patients rely increasingly on the Internet for information about their health care. It doesn’t matter whether they are referred by their general dentist or researching treatment options on their own—a growing population of patients who need root canal treatment looks for information about your practice, and you, online before they walk through your doors. Do you know what they will find if they Google your name? Have you personally “Googled” your own name lately? If not, please do so and see what your patients and referrers “see.” Often, if you aren’t actively managing your online presence, patients see a hodge-podge of information, or misinformation, that could be helpful or harmful to your reputation, including websites that post patient ratings of local dentists, links to scholarly articles you may have written or White Pages listings with your home address!
Having a practice website is an excellent way to ensure that patients see what’s important, and it can also enhance their interaction with you and your staff. Providing patients with biographical information about you and your dental team, photos of your office, facts about endodontic treatment and what they can expect during a routine visit, and preregistration forms that they can download or complete online in advance of their visit, are all good ideas for content that empower your patients and set the stage for a successful experience with you in their minds.
There’s also no reason to “wait” for personal contact. Patients will appreciate an introductory phone call or welcome mailing with information about details that will help prepare them for their visit, such as transportation and parking information, or building access instructions for the elderly or disabled. Also remember to offer multilingual resources for patients who need them (the AAE offers patient brochures in several languages in print and online). And remember: whoever answers the phone in your office must have a “genuine-smile” voice, with the thought that every caller might be a new
patient or referring dentist.
Once patients are in your office, think about the kind of first impression you give them. Everything from the physical environment, to the customer service they get from your staff, to the clinical treatment itself matters. Office amenities and pleasing aesthetics are details that get noticed—background music in the reception area as well as the operatories, immaculately clean offices, including clean bathrooms, windows and entrance areas—are good places to start.
Customer service is, of course, king. Do your staff approach patients by talking about financial arrangements and being direct and business-like, or do they start the patient interaction by acknowledging anxiety, calming fears, offering acceptance/assurance, and projecting an internal attitude of genuine caring for each and every patient? Which would you prefer if you were a patient?
Our services are every bit as much about empathy as they are about clinical accuracy, a lesson all endodontists should prioritize. Show them how much you care first, before you show them how much you know. How often are you willing to accept emergency patients on short notice—daily? Once the patient is in your chair, how well do you communicate with that person? How well do you adjust your approach to each individual’s needs? Ideally, every person you treat should get an overview of the treatment they are about to receive before you begin work, including an introduction to the equipment that will be needed. They should receive updates as treatment progresses, with active listening for signs of discomfort. When the treatment is complete, the patient should hear a thorough summary of what was achieved, including a discussion of any problems that were encountered. On occasions when patients have a legitimate complaint, they should be rewarded with a resolution that gives them more than what they said would satisfy them—exceeding expectations.
The patient’s departure is often an overlooked but critical aspect of care and service. It is not enough to put a prescription in someone’s hand “in case they need it” and tell them to call if they have problems! Take the time to explain post-treatment care, with clear instructions about why they are (or are not) getting medication. Make yourself available and accessible, and take the time to call your patients in the evening to see how they are doing—this takes minutes, but the impact lasts so much longer. Genuinely thank the patient for trusting you with his/her dental health care needs.
Your staff can also make modest investments in patient satisfaction: ask them to fill any prescriptions for the patient on site if possible and schedule a follow-up visit with the referring dentist before the patient leaves your office (to signal the value of his/her role as the gatekeeper of patient care, and ensure an optimal clinical outcome for the patient). Train them to do subtle PR work that continually informs patients about all the services you offer, and have examples of those services readily available with radiographs, clinical photos and other visuals where possible.
Consider developing and distributing to each patient a feedback survey. Ask patients for specific input about their experience before, during and after their visit. Review this feedback personally and with an open mind, and get everyone on board to revise an approach that is not working, or expand an approach that is working well. Don’t let your ego or the ego of any of your staff get in the way. If one patient mentions a problem with the office, there were probably 20 other patients who felt the same way but didn’t report the problem to you.
AAE research shows that next to the general dentist, personal recommendations from family and friends are the most influential factors affecting a patient’s decision to see an endodontist for the first time. By under-promising and over-delivering to every patient, you’ll ensure that he/she returns to you, and spreads the positive word of mouth you want to others!