Hello!

In the olden days, dentists did dentistry and people were glad of it! Not so any more. We are now a society of 'discerning customers' and a jolly good thing that is too. We are less likely to tolerate poor service, from the receptionist who continues her conversation with her colleague rather than dealing with us, to the shop assistant who hasn't a clue about the product. We are likely to take our custom elsewhere. Yes, I have revealed myself as a grumpy old woman! But, more importantly, I represent a very big group of society, all of whom want to spend their money on high quality service. To get this you need a talented, engaged and high performing workforce. This is not easy, nor is it cheap to achieve. It will shave off some of your profit, yet the benefits are manifold, not least because people want to tell other people how great you are.

So at our private orthodontic practice, my role is to ensure that my team deliver this service to our patients. I was delighted to find some chocolates on my desk yesterday from a patient whom had brought, champagne, chocolates, flowers and I heard was in floods of tears with Peter (the orthodontist), because she was so happy with her beautiful new smile. I am sure that the chocolates, and flowers (the champagne was for Peter) meant that she had been happy with the experiences over her two years with all of us involved in her care - no, not happy, absolutely delighted. I want to get chocolates on my desk every day (yes, I am a pig), because I want to exceed every one of our patients expectations. And it is proof that the investment in training, mentoring and rewarding our team is giving a 'return' to the owners of the business.

Amanda Reed

Managing Director