FYI

Patient retention is key to any thriving dental practice — in fact, keeping your current patients is just as important as attracting new ones. Established patients are likely to bring in new patients by referring their family and friends too, so it’s a win-win.

When it comes to increasing patient retention, it’s the little things that count. Small, thoughtful gestures can make a big impact on your patients and keep them coming back. Read on to learn five simple-but-impactful techniques for retaining patients:
 

1. Be on time

This one may seem obvious, but it can be easier said than done. If you run behind every day, it won’t take long for your patients to notice — and get frustrated. Often, patients have taken time out of their work days or otherwise busy schedules to get to the dentist, so respecting their time is crucial to building trust with them.
 
The same goes for how long a patient has to wait for follow-up care after their initial visit. If they have to wait months for a second appointment, they may start to think that their treatment isn’t a priority for you and take their teeth elsewhere.
 
If you’re having consistent timing issues in your practice, take another look at your scheduling and figure out where you can improve it. Make sure that you have enough time to comfortably treat patients without going over, and that you can provide follow-up care within a reasonable time frame.
 

2. Make it personal

Another small act with a big impact: remembering your patients’ names, and following up on a few things that you talked about the last time they visited you. Ask them about that trip they went on recently, their son’s wedding, or how their job is going — doing this shows your patients that you’re invested in them as a whole person, not just a mouth to be treated.

To help staff members remember patients and their personal situations, you might consider having a photo of each patient on file and keeping a note in their charts about what they talked about during their previous visit. After all, everyone wants to feel seen and appreciated.
 

3. Get face time with each patient

Most patients want and expect one-on-one time with their dentist, even if the visit doesn’t require it. Patient in for a routine cleaning? You should still stop by and say hello. Taking a moment to have personal, face-to-face interactions with every patient — no matter how brief — sends a message that you value them.
 

4. Perfect patient hand-offs

When messages aren’t clearly relayed from the back office team to the front office staff, patients can slip through the cracks and not follow up with their recommended treatment.
 
Communication is the secret to seamless patient hand-offs. When handing off patients, make sure that front office staff knows the patient’s name — it can come across as very impersonal if the patient is asked for their name during checkout.
 
It’s also important to always reiterate the patient’s needs or upcoming appointment with staff in front of the patient, even if the patient is already aware of the plan. By doing this, you reinforce the need for next steps in care and prompt the patient to schedule their follow-up appointment. Even if the patient doesn’t require any additional treatment, let them know that they will need to come back to the office for their next cleaning.
 

5. Clearly communicate financial policies

To avoid any confusion about your practice’s financial policies, it’s important to communicate them to the patient in simple language that someone without experience managing claims can understand.
 
Be sure to provide a treatment plan and submit it to Delta Dental for a pre-treatment estimate. This helps patients understand their coverage and any associated cost. It’s also a good idea to review all services with your patients beforehand so they know what’s covered, and ask them to sign a financial responsibility form before you perform any procedures.
 

Keep patients coming back

When patients feel valued and appreciated, they’ll return to your office for years to come — and bring new patients with them. With these five simple tips for increasing patient retention, you can make sure that patients remember their experience at your practice for all the right reasons.