Part of being an effective communicator is to have fabulous eye contact. Eye contact at the same level is even better.

So the first thing to decide is are you going to be sitting or standing when you communicate with your patient?

When I visit Dental Offices I am always intrigued when I see the Front Office people sitting down while the patient stands up. To effectively communicate with your patient you need to be either sitting or standing alongside your patient.

Most Dentists really get this. They know the most effective way to communicate with their patients in the Dental chair and they sit down next to them, but the Dental Office people seem to get this wrong.

Part of the way we communicate with a patient in the Dental Office involves the use of a computer and making records and transactions with the patient.

I believe the most effective way to comfortably communicate with your patient is for both of you to be at the same eye level.  Sitting, therefore, is the most sensible option.

When your patient arrives at the Dental Office, you should stand up so you have that eye level communication and connection, especially when you meet a new patient for the first time. When your patient sits down in the reception lounge and you want to continue talking to them then sit down with them. Your patient will feel more comfortable talking with you.

When the patient is taken to the Dental Chair you walk with them and then the Dental Assistant sits next to them.

When the patient returns to the Front Office to discuss and make ongoing appointments and pay their account, the most ideal way to communicate is to be sitting. Not every Dental Office is set up for this.

It really is worth considering a change to your Front Office setup. I know a Dental Office that has become aware of how much more effective they can communicate with their patients when both the patient and the Front Office Person are sitting down.

This blog will feature simple practical ideas that are easy to implement tomorrow in your Dental Office, impacting immediately on your Patients’ Dental  Phone Experiences, and ultimately, improving your practice profitability.

At present I have availability for two new private clients. For more information on how I can improve your Dental Office’s Phone Numbers contact me, Jayne Bandy at  jayne@theDPE.com