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Are You Providing Five-Star Service? by Jay Geier

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In my life and career, I've traveled throughout the United States and to several countries around the world. Whether I'm traveling for work or for pleasure, I know that I will always book my stay at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. If there isn't a Ritz-Carlton around, I will compare every hotel at which I stay to the Ritz-Carlton. Do you want to know why?

What's the big difference, say, between the Ritz-Carlton and another 4- or 5-star hotel chain? Both provide clean beds, cable television, hot showers, room service, and more. So why is the Ritz-Carlton world- renowned and twice the price? Why are so many people (including myself) willing to pay so much more for the unmatchable Ritz experience?

It's because the Ritz-Carlton is run on a 100 percent, client-centric business model.

Ritz-Carlton staffs are trained for hundreds of hours per year to perfect the art of customer service and satisfaction, and they always, always, always put the customer first. Their people are impeccably trained, they ensure the décor is immaculate, they consistently over-deliver, they customize their service to suit your wants and needs, and they wait on you hand and foot. You ask for something—they bring it. You expect something—they surpass it. They constantly go above and beyond the call of duty. They have actually created a hotel experience that is completely unique for each guest and, because of that, they will have my business for life.

Puttin' on the Ritz
What does this have to do with you? Well, the Ritz-Carlton has figured out the secret to attracting and keeping lifelong customers. This secret will allow you to revolutionize the way that you run your practice, and create a flood of patient referrals. Do you want to achieve this model and its awesome results? First you may have to face some facts. If your practice hasn't experienced significant, booming growth over the past five years to 10 years, then I can tell you two things:
  1. You aren't living up to your potential.
  2. Your practice is not 100 percent patient-centric.
If you can accept those two things, and accept that there's room for improvement when it comes to your practice's patient experience, then it's time to get to work making some changes.

First, the issue: 99 percent of all businesses—including yours—are based around the comfort of the person or people who run the business. Plain and simple.

The only way you will become truly patient-centric is if you intentionally shift the focus from yourself and your team to what is most convenient for the patient, even when it's inconvenient for you. And I promise you—sometimes it will be.

Like the Ritz-Carlton, you need to go out of your way to over-deliver to your patients. Give your patients more in service value than what they give you in dollar value. It's unrealistic to expect patients to love you if you're just giving them exactly what they paid for: a typical trip to the dentist, basic services, minimal effort, a mediocre experience, etc. That's called “meeting expectations,” and let's face it, sometimes dentists don't even do that.

The existential dentist
And let me tell you, meeting expectations is definitely not going to get you that boatload of referrals you dream about. No, if you want to see serious practice growth, you need to make a significant effort to stand out from the other offices in your town. You need to become the Ritz-Carlton of dental practices.

I've got a few pointers on how to do just that. The first one is deceptively simple. You and your staff need to give the impression that you exist for the sole purpose of making each patient as comfortable and happy as possible for the entire time that she or he is in your office building. It doesn't matter what mood you're in, or if you'd rather poke your eye out than deal with people. Your whole team had better act like that patient is the most significant person in the world, and make sure you serve that person's every want and need.

Unfortunately, people have a natural tendency to look for flaws, especially when they're paying top dollar. It doesn't make them mean-spirited people. We all do it. The fact is, when your patients walk in to your office for the first time, they are waiting for you or your team to mess up and disappoint. They are sizing you up—from what you're wearing to what you say, from how the carpet looks to how the environment makes them feel.

So if your staff member is having a bad day and makes a curt comment or his or her expression is less than cheery—you can bet that's the last time you'll see that patient. The patient—and the patient's money—will go somewhere else.

Supercharge your service
That brings me to my second point. You need to stop thinking about the money you are spending and start focusing on the value you are providing to your patients. You can start by supercharging your patient experience.

Add new-patient gifts, remodel your office, send out a cool new marketing piece, create a monthly newsletter, and hold patient appreciation events. Remember, these are investments with an enormous return—not expenses! These changes will help set you apart from the crowd, and have your patients coming back for more.

Another crucial investment that you need to start making is in staff training. I mentioned that the Ritz-Carlton trains its staff for hundreds of hours each year (more than 200 hours, to be exact)—so why aren't you doing the same thing? Think about it this way. Your staff is your single largest overhead expense. But they are also your largest existing resource (and asset)! In order to maximize that resource and give your patients an experience they'll talk about to all their friends, you must take the initiative to train your staff. Set high expectations, help them set personal goals in the office, and create a culture of performance and continuous improvement. You want your staff to be proud of the work they do, and it's your job to give them the necessary tools.

If you're already investing in training your staff, I guarantee that you could be investing more and receiving higher payback. If you are currently committed to training your team and growing your practice but you're not seeing results, there are only two possibilities for what's occurring. You're making the wrong investment, or you have the wrong team.

When you work with thousands of dentists, you learn a lot about their teams, their habits (good and bad), and their strengths. After 25 years in the practice-growth business, I now know that the highest-earning, most successful doctors invest in training their teams every single quarter, whether it's in scheduling efficiency, hygiene, the new-patient experience, or team building. So, assess your practice. Isn't it time you, your team, and your practice start achieving maximum potential? After all, isn't that what your patients—and you—deserve?

So let me encourage you to invest in your practice. Invest in yourself. Becoming the Ritz-Carlton of dental practices may not be easy, but it can give you the kind of practice you always dreamed of having—and your patients will think they've found a dream come true!



Jay Geier, founder and president of the Scheduling Institute, is a well-known coach and speaker and has helped more than 11,000 dentists nationwide grow their practices and change their lives. For more information on Geier's programs, call (877) 317-6514 or e-mail info@schedulinginstitute.com or go to www.schedulinginstitute.com/dentaltown.


Dentaltown Magazine
May 2024
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