Almost every large company I deal with (e.g. banks, telephone companies, airlines and insurance companies) sends me surveys similar to this:
Based on your experience with XYZ company how likely would you be to recommend us to your friends?
The scale goes from 0 to 10 where 0 is not likely at all and 10 is very likely. The underlying assumption is that, if you’ve recently had a satisfactory interaction with the company, you should give them a high score. That’s not how it works for me and, I suspect, for most customers.
If I were to recommend a company they would need to do something special and unexpected over and above what other companies in their industry are doing. If they’re just doing the same as everybody else, why would I recommend them? Banks are a case in point. In my experience they’re all the same. They’re happy to help you with easy things but if you need something difficult they give you a huge run-around. The service is plain vanilla even for long-term customers.
Let’s turn this discussion towards dentistry. Us dentists love patient referrals. Pretty much every dentist would like more of them. The questions to ask yourself is: “What am I doing to earn patient referrals?”
Or, more specifically: “What am I doing that’s different and better than the dentist down the street?” Here are some simple examples. Do I run on time? Does my office look unusual or outstanding? Does my staff roll out the red carpet for patients? Do I offer any unexpected amenities? The list could go on.
If you’re doing the same as every other dentist in town then you’re not referral worthy. If, however, you can make your practice unique and memorable then you can unlock a large flow of referred patients.
