Do you know how valuable smiling is to your business, staff and patients?
Before offering you a quiz on the topic, consider this statement from Ron Gutman, author of “Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act:” “Seeing a child’s smile creates as much pleasure as 2,000 chocolate bars—or $25,000 in cash.” He was citing a British study that used a brain scan machine and heart rate monitor to measure the mood-boosting value of various stimuli. Listen to Gutman at: http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling.html
In the ophthalmic world, the book “Patients Love to See You Smile – For Eye Care Staff” explains exceptional customer services, which are signaled by smiling. You’ll also learn when and why it’s critical to smile during your office day.
Take the following quiz to find out what you know about the role of smiling in your office. Beware, 26 paraoptometrics and office managers took the quiz recently and were surprised that not all of their answers left them smiling. But that was before they read the book, which answers these questions:
1. What is your most valuable product? - Eyeglasses - Contact lenses - Trust - Eye exams
2. Patients spend more time with you than with the doctor. True or False
3. To provide great service, you must: - Focus totally on each patient’s needs - Focus on product sales - Focus on quickly moving patients through the practice
4. Patients don’t care about your personal problems or the problems of the practice – just their personal needs. True or False
5. You should always respect a patient’s time and never let a patient wait unattended or without an explanation. True or False
6. Scientists have shown that your smile triggers an automatic chemical response in the brain of people who see you smile. True or False
7. Some patient questions are legitimate and some aren’t. True or False
8. When presenting eyewear, what’s most important? - Technical features - Price - Emotional benefits
9. Your most important body language is your: - Hands - Eyes - Smile - Head nodding
10. Efficiency creates patient loyalty. True or False
11. What is the sweetest sound to a patient’s ears: - Low prices - His or her own name - What’s for dinner - The doctor’s accomplishments
12. Patients enjoy talking about themselves more than listening to you talk about yourself. True or False
13. Never argue with a patient. True or False
14. Presenting patients with a menu of eyewear options is better than recommending what you think is best for them. True or False
15. Try to judge whether a patient can pay for certain eyewear before presenting it so as not to embarrass them. True or False
16. It’s okay to inform a patient that “it’s not my job” when presented with a question or concern from a patient about a topic you’re unfamiliar or unconformable dealing with. True or False
17. In pre-testing, your job is to: - Impress patients with your clinical skill and knowledge - Educate the patient, ask for questions and answer questions
18. It’s dangerous to ask patient’s to call the office if they have any concerns. True or False
20. Patients, like everybody else in your life, love to see you smile. True or False
“The book really hit home with our staff because they weren’t thinking about looking at themselves and the clinic through the patients’ eyes. Our clinic already is very high on patient care, and this book inspired staff to ask what more can they do,” said Sherry L. Vernal, ABOC, Administrator, Marysville, WA.
Alameda, CA-OD Charlotte Tlachac had this to say about the book. “First of all, everyone loved the format of the book; the pre-highlighted concept is brilliant. The book is easy to page through for ‘pearls’ and then read more on a particular topic of interest. My staff also felt that the smiley faces that gave individual gems were great. The younger staff members were most enthusiastic about it. All thought that the book was well-written and understandable and gave a rousing thumbs up to it as a recommendation to other offices.”
Read more reviews and a sample chapter of “Patients Love to See You Smile – For Eye Care Staff,” published by Patient Communication Advisors, at www.pca-ce.com.
"Smile Fact" slides from live presentation, which has been approved
by the American Optometric Association
for six hours of continuing education credits, of the book's content.
