If your patients were to give you and your practice an evaluation, what would they say? Most wouldn’t. In fact, most merely leave without ever saying a word. Patients are leaving your practice and you don’t know it. Most of you don’t track it, and even fewer have any idea or make any effort to find out why.

Consider this: recent research reveals that less than 40% of the population goes to the dentist regularly. The majority are trying to get by on one or fewer visits to your office each year. And they will use any number of reasons to avoid you. For example: The practice hours are not convenient. There’s no place to park. The hygienist hurts me. The person on the phone is rude. They don’t accept my insurance. They don’t explain anything. They don’t answer the phone. I can’t leave a message. They charged me for a missed appointment. They are always trying to sell me something. The fees are too high. They can’t keep staff. I don’t like the smell. They don’t listen to me.

What dental teams might consider to be insignificant issues or minor patient problems are costing practices a fortune in lost loyalty. Obviously, it doesn’t take much to motivate patients to take their dental needs and wants elsewhere. Maybe it’s time you did something to change the pattern.