JANUARY 2018VOLUME 20 ISSUE 01

by Laura Hatch

You Always Make A First Impression

(No Matter What You Do)

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. From the moment a new patient arrives at your office, you and your team are making a first impression. That is a fact. The question is whether that impression is good or not-so-positive.

Why do first impressions matter so much? It is the beginning of your relationship with the patient, who will make all future decisions based on the initial impression of you, your team, and the practice. If patients feel confident they made a good decision to come to you, if they feel cared for and observe your attention to customer service, they are more likely to stay with you long-term and follow the recommended treatment plans. Alternatively, if their initial feeling is doubt or mistrust, with concerns about your team’s ability to do their dentistry, then the entire time in your office will be spent in “decision-making mode.” The patient will be looking for any reason to walk out of your office to find a second opinion elsewhere.

All too often, I see dental offices that make bad first impressions. Following are some examples:

Trojan Today provides a forum for industry professionals to offer a diversity of information and to provide ideas and suggestions in the area of dental practice management. These articles are meant to be informative and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. 2

POSITIVE: A clinical employee, Jesse, comes out into the reception area to greet Ms. Adams with a handshake, addressing her by name and offering a reassuring

smile. Jesse introduces himself and invites her to follow him back to the operatory to get situated.

NOT-SO-POSITIVE: A clinical employee opens the door and calls Ms. Adams’

name from across the reception area. When Ms. Adams stands up, the employee says, “This way” and begins walking toward the back without a backward glance.

THE TAKEAWAY: The clinical staff is the bridge between a new patient’s experience in the waiting area

and her experience in the chair. It’s important for the patient to continue to feel welcomed and reassured as they enter the operatory.

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POSITIVE: After Sam Jones gives the completed paperwork to the receptionist, she reminds Mr. Jones to help himself to coffee, tea, or water offered in the

reception area and to feel free to grab a magazine. If Mr. Jones is waiting for more than a few minutes before being taken back to an operatory, the receptionist makes small talk with him: “Mr. Jones, do you have any fun plans for the weekend?”

NOT-SO-POSITIVE: When Mr. Jones gives the paperwork to the receptionist, she

thanks him and returns to working silently on her computer. Mr. Jones looks around for something to read but finds only two-year-old magazines.

THE TAKEAWAY: It’s an important part of the receptionist’s job to interact positively with patients in the

waiting area.

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POSITIVE: While Mrs. Johnson is filling out paperwork, the receptionist checks in with her to see if she needs help or has any questions. She conducts the entire

conversation with a smile and a relaxed but helpful attitude. When a dental assistant steps behind the desk to speak with the receptionist, they keep their voices low and the conversation brief so it is not disruptive for Mrs. Johnson.

NOT-SO-POSITIVE: While Mrs. Johnson fills out her paperwork, the receptionist ignores her

and chats with the dental assistant about plans for the weekend. Mrs. Johnson looks up once or twice with a question but feels awkward about interrupting the conversation.

THE TAKEAWAY: When patients are treated in the waiting area as if they are invisible, or when their needs

are ignored while staff socialize in the public area, patients feel belittled. They will not be eager to return to an office that does not put patient needs first.

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POSITIVE: When John Andrews walks in, the receptionist at the front desk stands, shakes his hand, and cheerfully says, “Hello, Mr. Andrews! Welcome to our office.”

The receptionist then asks Mr. Andrews to fill out the paperwork and gives him a verbal tour of the reception area, letting him know what is available for his comfort as he waits.

NOT-SO-POSITIVE: John Andrews walks in and states his name. The receptionist

remains seated while handing him a clipboard, saying, “Have a seat and fill out this paperwork.”

THE TAKEAWAY: The patient should feel staff went out of the way to make him feel welcome and

comfortable. A new patient should never receive impersonal treatment that makes him feel like a number.

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What do these examples have in common? Each of the positive examples demonstrates a small effort that costs nothing but makes a significant impact on how new patients feel in your office — and whether they decide to return. By adjusting staff behavior with new patients, your staff can make a first impression that turns into a lasting relationship.

Laura Hatch, CEO and Owner of Front Office Rocks, is a sought after public speaker and author of 200 published articles, who has helped hundreds of doctors grow their practice.

FMI: www.frontofficerocks.com

As we commence with the New Year, I would like to express my gratitude to all clients and employees of Trojan, for supporting our improvement agenda in 2017.

We enter our 42nd year as a company in 2018. We celebrate Trojan’s recertification through the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) that ensures the patient information you put in our trust is safe and secure.

We continue our theme “GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT COMPANY, IN THAT ORDER.” to celebrate the employees who work every day to deliver value to our clients.

I wish you a productive dental practice in 2018.

Mark Dunn, CEO Trojan Professional Services, Inc.

Trojan Today provides a forum for industry professionals to offer a diversity of information and to provide ideas and suggestions in the area of dental practice management. These articles are meant to be informative and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. 3

Ask the Consultant

We prepped a tooth for a crown on October 8th. The fees were accepted by the patient. At that time, she paid $450 of

the $906 fee. December 8th, I left a message for her to schedule. December 28th, we exchanged emails. On January 5th, we advised her to come in every six weeks to let us remove and clean the temporary at no charge until she can pay the balance due. She responded on January 5th that she would call to schedule and still hasn’t. March 3rd, I sent a letter stating consequences of not having the crown seated. No response. I have since changed the code from 2750 to D2799 for temp crown and have written off the balance. May I send a dismissal letter to her?

You have certainly gone overboard with this patient who won’t come in to complete treatment or to receive a free cleaning.

However, if the patient were to come to you in the future and you refused to complete the work, it would be abandonment. I think you are better off letting the patient know you are there for her, but you won’t be contacting her again.

Responses provided by Patrick J. Wood.

Q:

A:

The first African American to earn a dental degree dates back to 1869, and the first female dental assistant was employed in New Orleans in 1885.

However, most Americans did not adopt good brushing habits until after World War II, when soldiers stationed abroad brought the concept of good oral health back to the United States.

Trojan Today provides a forum for industry professionals to offer a diversity of information and to provide ideas and suggestions in the area of dental practice management. These articles are meant to be informative and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. 4

Magic of LinkingDo you have Trojan Benefit Service with the ability to attach Trojan Benefit Plans to your patient’s coverage table? If you answered yes, you need to know this!

For every Trojan Benefit Plan you link, those patients’ insurances and coverage tables may update without your even knowing it. How can that be? Here’s an example.

• Each Trojan Benefit Plan has its very own Trojan Plan Number. Let’s say you have linked Trojan Plan Number 12345 to five patients in your practice management system. These five patients all have three things in common:

1. Same employer

2. Same group/policy number

3. Same Trojan Plan Number linked to their file in the practice management system

• Next, you, or maybe even another Trojan client, asks Trojan to update Trojan Plan Number 12345 for just ONE PATIENT.

• While only ONE PATIENT was researched by Trojan, when you process your update, ALL FIVE OF THOSE PATIENTS WILL BE UPDATED. Same Trojan Plan Number, same employer, different insurance and/or different benefits are populated into the patient’s file in your practice management system.

We’d say that’s downright magical! Each time you process your weekly update, you’ll have no idea how many of your patients are actually being updated behind the scenes!

To make the best use of your time, prioritize the patients for linking in this order:

1. New patients

2. Patients of record with new insurance

3. Patients whose coverage hasn’t changed.

Don’t forget to link! Take a little time today to save a lot of time in the future.

To learn how to link properly, please contact your Trainers at 800-451-9723, Ext. 5. We’re here to help!

What Clients Say“I can’t tell you enough just

how instrumental Trojan’s

services have been for me

and the dental office.

The accuracy and speed at which Trojan works

to get the proper information to me is outstanding.

I can’t think of an error they’ve made; and the

people providing the service are not only friendly

and responsive, but they go the ‘extra mile’ with

phone calls, faxes, and making sure all questions

are answered. Their services are essential.

I highly recommend them.”

— Art, Office Manager

Write for TROJAN TODAY Share your dental and front office experience with others! Articles should be no more than 750 words. Include a short bio and recent photo.

Submit to: nikkim@trojanonline.com

Trojan encourages a wide variety of contributors and subjects to its newsletter.

Service Savvy

T R O J A N T O D A Y PHONE: 1-800-451-9723 • E-MAIL: nikkim@trojanonline.com • www.trojanonline.com • Published monthly by Trojan Professional Services, Inc., P.O. Box 1270, Los Alamitos, CA 90720 and distributed to members of the dental profession. Statements of opinion in TROJAN TODAY do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. or the Editor. Neither Trojan Professional Services, Inc., Trojan Today, its Editor or staff assume any liability in connection with the use or implementation of any policies or procedures discussed in this newsletter. Trojan Today is distributed as a newsletter and with the understanding that neither the publisher, the Editor or the staff is rendering professional or legal services of any kind. If legal or professional advice of any other kind is required in connection with topics discussed in this newsletter, competent advice should be sought.

PRESIDENT: Ingrid Kidd Goldfarb • EDITOR: Romalyn Tilghman • PUBLICATION COORDINATION: Nikki Myers • GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Moller Creative Group

Copyright ©2018, Trojan Professional Services, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission.

Trojan provides support services to dental practices: improving case acceptance, production, and collections.

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Quote-WorthySmile in the mirror.

Do that every morning

and you’ll start to see

a big difference in

your life. — Yoko Ono

“ ” TROJAN TRAINERS are here to help you!

800-451-9723ext. 5

TROJAN ClosingUntil January 2, 2018New Year Holidays

(Collection Services will reopen on January 3, 2018)

January 25-27, 2018 At Trojan’s office in Los Alamitos, CA

Front Office Masters with Becky Gerber

http://bit.ly/Gerber-2018

Seminar