Consistency is Key

What makes any dental office trustworthy? In one word, consistency.

Consistency with what, though?

Some years ago, I went to… I don't remember what state I went to, but in this hotel, there was a nice little café in the lobby.

I decided to have a meal after I had checked in. I am a salad girl. So I went to see what salads were available. I ordered a salmon salad and it was awesome. It was so good. I closed my eyes and tasted all the flavors in my mouth. Excellent salad.

I made a decision that for the rest of the days that I'd be there, I’d go to that restaurant at least once a day and order the salmon salad.

All right, on day two, I head down to the café. I have my seat, and I ordered the salmon salad. I'm waiting for it with great anticipation. My mouth began to water in anticipation.

I haven't seen it yet, but I remember how good it was the day before. The waiter put it in front of me and I said, “Hmm… looks a little different.” 

I tasted it and the disappointment just drained all my anticipation.

And that thing tasted nothing like the day before.

In fact, it tasted as if nothing was seasoned and the flavors weren't there. I mean, it was awful. It was a disaster. And you can imagine that a salmon salad is not cheap. But I had committed to having it once a day.

Oh my, what could have happened?

So I summoned the waiter and I said, “Excuse me, I ordered this salad yesterday and it tasted so different. I mean, it was so good that I'm back here today, and this tastes nothing like yesterday.” And he looked at me and he shrugged his shoulders and put his hand up in the air and he said "different chef." 

I was so deflated. They did not have a consistent recipe. So the flavors of the salad, the final product, depended on the chef.

You know what? I never went back to that restaurant because their salads were inconsistent and I didn't want to risk ordering a salad and having it miss the mark.

So, in short, that restaurant lost my trust.

Trust is one of the main reasons clients return to our dental office.

The question is, what makes any office trustworthy? In one word, consistency.

Consistency with what, though?

Years ago, there was a TV show called Cheers, and a bit of the chorus goes like this... “♫ Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name; you want to be where everybody knows your name ♫”.

So who doesn't want to be where everybody knows their name? When our clients walk into an office that is warm and friendly, consistently, it means that they have recognized that we are so committed to them that they can say, “Oh, this dental team, they're my peeps. They got me. I walk in here and they make me feel like I'm one of them.” 

If that’s consistently done, oh my goodness, off the chart. I know for sure that when people go above and beyond to make me feel comfortable, I know where I'm going to go every time, even if it's a little out of the way, even if parking is difficult, etc.

If people are made to feel welcome, cared for, and at home, they will come consistently.

You know why?

Because consistency builds trust.

If people feel consistently cared for, they'll likely be consistent in keeping their dental appointments.

A dental office also needs to be consistent with the level of inspection control.

If our patients feel confident in our stringent sterilization and disinfecting measures, not only will they consistently keep their dental appointments, but they’ll share how confident they feel in their dental office with friends and family.

That is exactly what we want.

They will be our in-house marketers. They will be the ones that we can consider our raving fans.

Consistent quality care is a winner for sure. If our patients consistently feel comfortable in our dental treatment chair, and they like what they see at the end of the visit, what do you think will happen?

Absolutely. They won't want to get their dental treatment done anywhere else because they will know that, time after time, the treatment is comfortable and the aesthetics are great.

Consistency is key. Key to what?

Consistency is the key to trust,

    the key to efficiency,

        the key to reliability,

            and the key to sustainability.

Absolutely, every time.

One more plus for consistency. Our patient care extends beyond the walls of our dental office. If our patients are consistently reminded or confirmed of their dental appointments and they are taught and reminded of a reliable home care routine, it will transform clients into our partners in their healthcare.

They will partner with us to obtain and maintain great health care. A dental team is consistent with the care that it provides for clients and ensures that the office is sustainable and trustworthy.

So, to quote Lincoln Chafee, “Trust is built with consistency.”

Every irreplaceable dental assistant has one thing that he/she does well. She is consistent, he is consistent.

Consistent in the quality of care that we provide for our patients, consistent as a reliable team member, consistent with inspection control measures, consistent with calling our patients to make sure that they are okay and to remind them of their appointments, or of their six-month re-care.

It is also to be consistent in being the type of dental assistant that everybody wants to have around and everybody misses when they're not around.

Remember, Lincoln Chafee says, trust is built with consistency. So we're going to be trustworthy.

So let's be consistently better because, as an irreplaceable dental assistant, consistency is key.

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This is Episode 8 of my Irreplaceable Dental Assistant podcast.

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