How to Improve Dental Practice Communications
Effective communication is the cornerstone of a thriving dental practice. A smooth patient experience, from scheduling appointments to aftercare, hinges on clear and timely interactions. Let's build stronger patient relationships and elevate your dental practice to new heights.
When it comes to improving your dental practice, one of the main challenges I hear about is communicating effectively. Of course, the real challenge to this “challenge” is that everyone means something different by “communication.” Does it mean communications from front to back or back to front? Does it have to do with patients understanding their treatment plans? Maybe you don’t have clarity about the doctor’s expectations? Perhaps you just mean literally that your team is not communicating… period. What does “communication” mean to you and your team? To fix your communication challenges, let’s begin with the end in mind and set you and your team up for success when it comes to your communication strategy. Yes, you need an actual communications strategy. Because like anything else, effective communications are not going to happen effectively by accident. In fact, with everything in life, it’s on purpose or by happenstance. And since there are quite a few things out of our control (that happen by happenstance anyway), we darn sure better control all of the others on purpose. There’s nothing more important in your practice (and your life) to do ON PURPOSE more. This is especially important when it comes to communication. You want it to be high quality, effective, intentional, and on purpose. To do this, there must be a plan and an approach in place that you can all work with and agree on. Everyone on your team must be committed to your communications strategy. Otherwise, you’ll have breakdowns all day long. There are several parts to this… 1. Allow time for communication and have structured protocols with clear expectations. That means you want to have disciplined Huddles where each person knows what the expected contributions are, every day. By stopping everything to focus on goals, activities, and responsibilities (and allowing for feedback), you provide instant reminders of what’s important. In a busy dental office, this aligns everyone on the same path. This is why it’s so important to have a morning and an evening Huddle in some way, shape, or form. There are always checks-and-balances with a forced communication structure which leads to more organized execution. This is all fundamental and you probably do this already. The key question is… how is it working? What can be better? Where does your effectiveness wane? What do you accomplish or not accomplish in your communication structure and why? I want you to assess every meeting and communication protocol you have to see where you can enhance the outcome. Remember, it’s not about your convenience; it’s about your outcomes. Does everything you do and talk about lead to helping more patients, scoring more points, getting more “yeses,” collecting more money, and producing more? This exact same thing applies to phone calls, triangles of trust, the tag team clinical experience, presenting treatment, etc. Everything is communication and therefore everything should have strategy and purpose. Which leads me to…![](https://dentalmaxsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Dental-Max-1.png)
- Ask A Question.
- Be Curious.
- Care.
- Listen.
- Restate.
- Explain Clearly.
- Be Transparent.
- Verify Understanding.
- Ask MORE and BETTER Questions.
- Be GENUINELY and STRATEGICALLY Curious.
- Care DEEPLY and with AUTHENTICITY.
- Listen INTENTLY and ACTIVELY.
- Restate FREQUENTLY and COMPASSIONATELY.
- Explain Clearly WHAT Matters Most To THEM.
- Be Transparent with YOUR Objectives and THEIR Experience.
- Verify Understanding at EVERY Step and Decision.
- Convey your philosophy;
- Discover the patient’s goals;
- Exemplify your differentiation from others;
- Calm the patient, build trust and engage;
- Involve the patient in the clinical experience and diagnosis;
- Work together to create a mutually agreed upon optimal treatment plan;
- Close on money, next steps, commitment to long term outcomes; and
- Use referrals, reviews and all other valuable things patients contribute.
- What do you need to know about the patient to help make it a successful experience for them?
- What does the patient need to know about you, themselves, the process, and everything involved to make it a successful experience?
- How does this relate to your own personal position and responsibilities and how can you help other team members?
![](https://dentalmaxsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1.jpg)
Reference: [https://www.dentistrytoday.com/dramatically-improve-dental-practice-communications-and-watch-your-practice-grow/]
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