With the advent of technology, nowadays people have access to more information than they ever had before. And, they are using this to their advantage, by actively seeking better opportunities, when it comes to their personal choices. But what could be the real reason for people to spend the extra time and effort required to find these better opportunities, especially when it comes to choosing a dentist? Let’s find out:
- Why Do Patients Change Dentists?
- What are Patients Looking for?
- How to Guide Patients Towards Loyalty?
Why Do Patients Change Dentists?
Recent survey by the market research platform DentaVox, provides valuable insight into the topic. According to nearly a quarter of respondents, the main reason for switching to a new dentist is better price. Coming in at close second with roughly a fifth of answers is the fact that there are more dentists to choose from currently. This paints a very clear picture that shows patients are well-aware of the options they have and that they are actively seeking the best offers for their dental health provider. However, it also raises the question are lower prices enough to build long-term relations?
What are Patients Looking for?
If you are a dental professional, the above-mentioned insights should guide you to the conclusion that just being a dentist, without any differentiation from your competitors may result in losing patients to a practice with better offers. But at the same time, this also raises the question – What are patients looking for to stay in the long run?
This can be seen in responses to a different question in the same DentaVox survey, where the large majority of respondents, roughly 47% indicate that satisfaction with the quality of dental treatment received is paramount when it comes to patient loyalty. Moreover, excellent customer care which is also closely related to satisfaction comes at a second place (17%). It is interesting to note that only 5.7% of respondents identify lower price as a driver to loyalty. So, even if it may get new patients through the doors, it will not be enough to keep them.
How to Guide Patients Towards Loyalty?
Following the points mentioned above, one would think that apart from delivering quality treatments, a dentist doesn’t have to do much else to gain the loyalty of his patients, but that is not true.
Roughly a quarter of respondents in the same survey identify special benefits as the greatest advantage for visiting the same dentist. In addition, better treatment quality and communication from the dental office staff, according to 23% and 13.5% participants respectively.
This naturally brings the focus of the conversation towards the methods we can use to set patients on the journey loyalty and keep them there.
As we see from the results, satisfaction with the quality and customer care is an important step in this direction. So, having granular information about the level of satisfaction at every part of the dental experience is crucial to understand to identify the pitfalls and those that can be highlighted as success stories to drive new patients to a practice. There are many ways to obtain feedback, from using self-made questionnaires to relying on professional paid services.
However, one of the easiest and fastest methods is through online review platforms such as Dentacoin Trusted Reviews. They will also provide you with a tangible way to measure your patients’ satisfaction. In addition, your patients will feel more engaged, as showing them that you are interested in their feedback creates even more satisfaction, due to better communication with you as a service provider. And the best thing about it? Not only will you be able to raise satisfaction using such platforms, but also amplify the message of your success stories, with the help of positive feedback.
So now that you know what makes a patient loyal and how to dig into the details of their satisfaction, or lack thereof, do you feel ready to guide your patients along the loyalty journey? Don’t shoot in the dark, get the valuable feedback you need:
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