Hip hip, hooray!
After more than two and a half years, my eldest daughter’s dental braces will be removed!
For the boy next to her in another chair, it’s also the big day! The assistant who helps him, emphasizes this once again.
My daughter is lying down and the technical story starts. It’s good that they explain step by step what will happen. Somewhere in between my daughter is asked if she’s happy with the result, but at that moment her braces are still in…
But this moment of celebration is not really used. I try it once, by yelling “two balloons and garlands!” Nobody responds.
My 15-year-old daughter has been looking forward to this moment for months. She also often told this the ortho. They do know or at least should know that.
How easy is it to turn this moment into a WOW moment? I’ll give some tips:
- Send a nice card to the customer, instead of the standard reminder-to-your-appointment text message to the parents
- Emphasize the big moment even more, before the customer is in the chair
- Even better: pick him or her up in the waiting room to guide them to the chair, just like you did during the first visit
- Make a nice picture of the smiling face, before and after
- As soon as the braces are removed, show the result
- Give a goodie bag with chewing gum, or something else that the customer was not allowed to eat for a long time.
My daughter got her braces to take home with her, along with a letter that started with “Your orthodontic equipment has just been removed.” Huh? My what? She also gets an essix. In ordinary people language this is called a mouthguard. You’ll probably guess my tip already: speak the language of the customer!
Finally, a tip for all orthodontists: whatever you are going to do, make sure that all your employees understand that not just placing the braces is a special moment, but also getting them out!
Be the reason why someone smiles today. In this case, literally and figuratively!
How do you ensure that your customers shine?
Babs Asselbergs regularly writes blogs about her own customer experiences and those of others. Babs enjoys the small things that make the difference, but also knows that these little acts of kindness actually have an effect. She believes that if we are more aware of our behaviour and its effect on others, we can make the world more beautiful for both customers and ourselves. Babs is an expert in customer experience and customer focus. Together with Nienke Bloem, she’s founder of the Customer Experience Game – by BlommaBerg.