If you want to make a great impression on your dental patients, do not underestimate the importance of personalized follow up. Taking that extra step will make you stand out in the eyes of your patients, and your efforts will help build lasting patient loyalty.

There are many examples of personalized follow-up. One of the most important occurs after treatment when you contact patients to make sure their recovery is going as expected. Patients not only appreciative of the call, but they also feel important and cared for because you took the time to speak with them. How many other doctors make the same effort?

After-treatment calls also provide excellent opportunities to troubleshoot potential issues. For example, patients often have the mistaken belief that high spots on crowns or fillings will eventually smooth themselves out. Instead of coming in for an adjustment, they live with the discomfort, all the while wishing they never had treatment.

Your post-treatment call is an ideal time to troubleshoot high spots or other issues and remind patients to come in for an adjustment if something is not right. This level of customer service gives patients even more reasons to refer their friends and family

Another example of personalized follow-up is to include handwritten notes on patient correspondence whenever appropriate. Consider how you view correspondence that contains a handwritten note—that note is often the first thing you read. Taking the time to include handwritten notes on select cards or welcome-to-the-practice letters will make a lasting impression.

As communication becomes less personalized, you have an opportunity to stand out by adding your own personal touch to patient follow up. The more ways you can show patients that you care, the more likely they are to keep coming back year after year.