How to have amazing systems
Great systems make your life easy and can make your patients say “wow”.
I’ve just got back from a holiday in Taiwan. It’s an amazing place and well worth a visit. The food is outstanding.
While there I visited a restaurant based on a recommendation (Thanks Becky!). The restaurant is called Din Tai Fung and it operates with supreme efficiency.
The systems at the restaurant are so good that it made me think that dentists could learn something. The whole experience from arrival, to waiting, to seating, to order taking, to food delivery, to payment is completely seamless.
In fact, I can’t recall ever being in a dental practice where everything was handled as well as in in this restaurant located in a basement food court.
Let’s look at a few examples of how this restaurant wows its customers.
Arrival
The restaurant does not accept bookings but when you arrive you are greeted immediately. [Do you greet your patients immediately they arrive?]Waiting
You are given a printout in your own language and given an estimate of how long you will have to wait. [Do you tell patient how long the delay will be if you are running late?]Seating
The moment your number is called there is someone to seat you. The table is preset according to the number of diners. Chinese tea arrives immediately as does a container for your bag. [Do you offer your patients a drink and take care of whatever they are carrying?]Ordering
You order is done via the internet and as a courtesy they will advise foreigners if their choices are appropriate. [Do you go over treatment options clearly with patients?]Food delivery
As each item arrives the wait staff tick it off on the printed order slip that was delivered to your table. [Do you have a check-list for the procedures you deliver?]Payment
Extra staff immediately step in if the payment queue gets too long. [Do your staff help out if there is a bottle neck at the desk?]
The importance of good systems in a dental practice cannot be over-estimated. If you get your systems right your practice will operate precisely and effortlessly and impress your patients.
If your systems are poorly-planned or even absent then your life will be exponentially harder and your patients will be unimpressed.
Take the time and think through your patient interactions — from when they come in the door to when they leave. It is an effort that will repay you every day of your practicing career.
