Customer Service at a Dental Clinic

I have been going to a particular dental clinic for a long time now. The dental surgeon, Dr Paul Tsao, is an experienced senior partner of the dental clinic and has been in practice since he and one other partner started the practice.

Customer service at this clinic starts with the reception desk to the assistant helping the dental surgeon and Dr Tsao himself. It is a total experience which I receive at this clinic.

One night, I found that I have a chip on my tooth. The next morning I called the reception and asked for an appointment and explained why I need to see Dr Tsao on short notice. The receptionist, Helen, whom I have dealt with for a long time understood my need and said that I could drop in at 11.15 am that morning. This was despite that Dr Tsao probably had appointments all lined up. She did it in way that she genuinely wanted to help. I also knew that some dental surgeons kept some free slots in their appointment page to cater to “emergency” like my case. Despite that I was happy that I was able to see Dr Tsao on short notice.

I arrived at the clinic at 11.00 am and the moment I stepped into the clinic, Helen immediately acknowledged me by my name. That felt good.

Dr Tsao settled me down and in a very calming voice asked me what he can do for me. Throughout the time on the dentist chair, he was reassuring and no dental problem was a big deal at all for him. He said that my chipped tooth and one sensitive tooth can be fixed quite easily. He explained the procedures so that I knew what he will be doing. Within 15 minutes, the whole treatment was done.

Mid-way during the 15 minutes on the chair, Helen came in and quietly informed Dr Tsao that one of his patients came in without prior notice though the appointment was fixed for next week. Dr Tsao hesitated and mentioned that he probably could not handle this case immediately as this will not be fair to the patients who had booked him earlier. However, since mine was a simple case and completing soon, he said that at best he can see the patient only to assess the time needed to complete the dental treatment. He did not turn away this patient but tried to accommodate. I thought that this was a neat way out for both patient, Dr Tsao and Helen who faced the patient at the reception. All this while his tone of voice was one of calm and not hurried.

With service like these, I am willing to pay a price even though it was expensive. I left the clinic with a good impression.

Written on 3/14/2007 9:33 AM

Copyright © 2007, the author known as LKT in Singapore.