Few dental offices take full advantage of the opportunity to differentiate their practice by offering unique amenities.
You may be thinking: I’m not running a luxury dental spa. Money spent on extra amenities is money wasted. But here’s the deal: There are actually quite a few that are offering amenities that you may not have thought of.
1. They improve client retention.
People
have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a dentist. Even if a
patient has a positive experience with your practice, they might switch
to another anyway because it’s a half-mile closer to their house.
But
not if you have amenities. If they know your practice is the one with
the dental chair back massagers, they won’t think twice about driving
that extra half mile to go to your practice. Adopting even a few simple
amenities as part of your dental office marketing strategy can do
wonders to increase your client retention rate.
2. They offer comfort and entertainment for your patients.
Let’s
not forget the real purpose of amenities -- to offer comfort,
relaxation, and entertainment for your clients. Building a personal
relationship with your clients can take a long time using just
newsletters. Using amenities to market dentistry can help your patients
feel welcome, and show that you care about their needs as well. And, to
be honest, every dental office runs behind on appointments from time to
time. Your young clients are much less likely to complain if you offer
free WiFi while they wait.
3. They create search marketing opportunities.
Search
engine optimization can be a challenge for dental office marketing. For
example, when I search for “Seattle dentist,” it brings about 735,000
results:
That means a huge number of dental practices are vying for the same three spots in Google’s local search pack:
But
when I search for “Seattle dentist with massage,” it’s a different
story. Only 398,000 results come up, and 3 different dental offices have
the opportunity to show up in the search pack:
Target
keywords related to the dental office amenities you offer and you can
seriously cut down on the marketing search competition.
4. They attract patients with money.
Search
engines will help people who want specific amenities find your dental
practice. And what kind of people will go out of their way to find
luxuries? Well, usually people with money.Even if you’re not a “luxury
dental practice,” if you have the special touches they’re looking for, people will come.
And
patients with extra income are always good to market to. They’re much
more willing to spend money on your cosmetic services, as well as
regular dental problems.
5. They help you stand out from the crowd.
When
it comes down to it, amenities make all the difference between you and
every other dental practice in your town. All of you are using the same
dentist marketing tactics to build your clientele, but many forget that
amenities fall under that category as well. Convinced that amenities are
more than just a waste of money? Good.
Here’s a list of amenities you can add to your practice to stand out from the competition:
The Little Things
- Snacks or baked goods: Offer snacks every day that patients can eat while they’re waiting, or take home after their appointment. For example, Madison Dentistry bakes fresh bread for patients to take home. They also help avoid the typical sterile “dental office” smell.
- Juice, coffee, tea, and bottled water: Most
patients are coming to you between work, school, and other commitments.
Give them a range of beverage options to refuel and enjoy the
experience at your office.
- Milkshakes or smoothies after treatment: Dental
work can be a painful process. A complimentary milkshake or smoothie
for a sore mouth can be just the thing to make the experience positive
for patients.
- Lip balm during treatment: It
might seem simple, but offering a complementary, soothing lip balm
during treatment can help patients avoid cracked lips and feel
comfortable while you work.
- Aftercare treatment calls: Some
dental procedures can be pretty major, requiring medication and extra
care after treatment. Schedule aftercare calls to check on patients
after their appointment to see how they’re doing and show you care.
Comfort and Relaxation
- Dental suites with waterfalls: Dental
work can put a lot of people on edge. Improve the ambiance of your
dental suites with soothing waterfall sounds to help your patients feel
less tense.
- Dental chairs equipped with back massagers: These are great to help patients relax while waiting for the dentist to come in.
- Aromatherapy candles: Aromatherapy candles are an affordable amenity that help show your patients that comfort is a priority at your office.
- Massage for hands, feet, head or neck: Offer this service complimentary and your dental office will seem like a luxury service to just about every patient.
- Paraffin wax hand treatments: Offer this treatment during lengthy dental procedures to help patients relax.
- Leg and neck pillows: Chiropractic neck pillows and other comforts will make all the difference for older patients undergoing lengthy procedures.
- Noise-canceling headphones
- Room darkening eye mask: Sunglasses
are a given at any dental office but offer an eye mask as an
alternative for patients who want to check out during their procedure.
- Room darkening eye mask: Sunglasses
are a given at any dental office but offer an eye mask as an
alternative for patients who want to check out during their procedure.
- Silent drills: A
lot of dental patients don’t like to hear the whiny drill in their ear
during procedures. Purchase some silent drills to make your patients
feel less like they’re in a machine shop.
Entertainment
- Flat screen televisions: Equip your waiting room with a plasma TV, streaming the latest shows and movies on Netflix or another service.
- TV or music on personal headphones: Offer Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, or other media selections patients can surf on personal TVs. You can even put them on the ceiling, so patients can watch while you work.
- Gaming: Having
an Xbox or Playstation in your waiting room will help keep kids and
adults alike entertained while they wait for their appointments.
- iPads or an internet bar: For
patients who don’t have their own devices, offer an internet bar or
complimentary iPads they can use to kill time. Here’s an example from Walk Dental Care:
- Intraoral cameras: Incorporate intraoral cameras into your practice so patients can see their teeth while you work!
- Kids play area: Incorporate
a children’s play area into your dental office to keep children
entertained before their appointment. Their parents will thank you for
the distractions as well. Here’s an impressive looking playroom at Clayburn Dental:
Pain and Anxiety Prevention
- Laughing Gas: Nitrous oxide is one of the best ways to soothe anxiety. Use it for lengthy procedures, or whenever a patient needs.
- IV Conscious Sedation: People
(quite rightly) get nervous about sedation dentistry. Incorporate IV
Conscious Sedation into your service and patients can stay awake during
procedures. They’ll just feel relaxed and a little drowsy.
Conclusion
Want
to stand out from the crowd? Considering these amenities will help you
do just that, and doing so will help you grow your practice and retain
your best patients.
Does your practice have any amenities we missed? Tell us in the comments!