Building Patient Practice Relationships

Hi I’m Glen from the Dentally team and I will be doing a series of blog posts on how practices can build long and beneficial relationships for both the patient and practice. I hope to provide tips on how the practice and team can build a relationship with the patient which will keep the patient engaged and loyal to the practice. The first blog is all about the practice website.

The Practice Website

In the highly competitive market of dentistry practices face a challenge balancing the day-to-day business of that day’s patients and ensuring the highest level of care whilst also keeping future potential patients, existing and prospective, engaged.

It is the marriage of customer care and good relationships that is key to keeping patients returning to the practice and it is important to start engaging with new patients even before they have entered the practice.

With the increased use of the Internet it is really important to have a professional and user friendly website. This is hugely important in attracting patients, as many people will now search for dentists in their location online. If a practice does not have a website it can automatically take them out of the running for winning these technology dependent patients.

What Should Your Website Contain

Beyond it looking crisp and easy to navigate it should contain details on specifics that give comfort to a potential patient that they’re engaging with the right practice. The website should identify what treatments are on offer, all the standard fees as applicable for both NHS and private patient, your location, contact details and if possible a selection of patient testimonials which serve to set a patient at ease (doing its bit to limit the pre-dentist nerves!).

A ‘Meet the Team’ page is also incredibly valuable in starting that patient-practice relationship allowing patients to see in advance the practitioner and supporting team that they will encounter on their visit. Information on the team's qualifications and areas of expertise puts confidence into the patient of the team's capability. Photos, and a few lines on the team members’ outside life, brings a friendly human aspect and can be very reassuring.

GDC Requirements

The GDC requires your to website to contain certain pieces of information in order to meet it's ethical advertising guidance. This includes the contact details of your practice and its location, the GDC's contact details, your practice's complaints procedure and the date your website was last updated. The GDC also requires you to state the professional qualification and the country which awarded the qualification and the GDC registration number for each of the dental professionals providing care at your practice. Patients will rely on your website for information about your practice so don't forget to keep it up to date when things change. You can find the full details about what you're required to state on your website on the GDC website.

Getting on track

Having and maintaining a clear informative website can be a hugely valuable tool in getting new patients as well as keeping existing patients well informed and up to date with the practice. Get your website up to date and start to see the benefits.

Glen

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