First impressions are everything. When patients walk into your dental clinic, the first place they'll visit is your foyer or reception area. This room is the prime place to increase your patient retention: if you can capture their attention in those first few moments, they'll stick with you for generations to come. Here are 3 ways to improve your reception area experience to keep patients coming back year after year.

Give Out Branded Freebies

It's common for dentists to place displays of free toothbrushes or miniature toothpaste tubes around the reception area, and you may already be doing this. However, if those freebies aren't branded, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. Contact a promotional merchandise company about getting your clinic name or logo printed on items like toothbrushes, toothbrush holders, and toothpaste squeezers. After patients pick these items up at the reception desk, they'll use them at least twice a day for the next few weeks or months. This gets their eyes on your clinic's brand repeatedly. The next time they need their teeth checked, you'll already be on their mind.

Switch to Calming Décor

Are you using the same bright white lighting in your reception area as you do in your treatment areas? When your patients visit the reception desk, are they leaning their hands on a cold glass desktop? Are your foyer walls stark white and clinical or dark and uninviting? If any of these apply to your clinic, you need to redecorate to make the area look more calming. In Australia, 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 10 children suffer from dental fear. If you exacerbate this fear with harsh décor, you'll make these patients associate you with an uncomfortable experience. Don't think you can make up for it with friendly dentists -- their initial feeling of unease may stay with them through the entire procedure. Consider installing warmer-toned light bulbs, switching to wood desktops, or opting for an inviting paint colour like a pale and neutral brown, blue, yellow, or green.

Clean Up Thoroughly

Many dental managers are so focused on keeping surgery and practice rooms sanitary, they completely forget about the importance of a clean reception area. Regular cleaning of communal areas is essential in making a good impression on patients. Even if your treatment rooms are sparkling clean, a dirty reception will bring fears of bacteria and infection to their minds. Above all, make sure floors, surfaces, seating and fabrics are professionally cleaned as often as possible. Aside from that, ensure that staff keep things neat and tidy: don't leave fallen magazines on the floor, and don't let the front desk become cluttered with personal items. Also, make sure you instruct your commercial cleaning team to use low-odour or fragrant disinfectants. The clinical smell of bleach can be very off-putting for fearful patients.

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