Dental Office Appreciation Ideas for Teachers, Nurses, and Police Officers

Dental Office Appreciation Ideas for Teachers, Nurses, and Police Officers

Hello Friends,

The month of May brings many wonderful opportunities to reach out to more people in the community. Here is why:

During the month of May you have:

Teacher Appreciation Week: 4-8

dental office teacher appreciation ideas betty hayden

National Nurses Day and Week: 6-12 

Dental Practice Ideas for Nurses Week

National Hospital Week: 10-16 

National Nursing Home Week: 10-17

National Police Week:  10-16

EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week: 17-23

dental office ideas for May Police Officer Appreciation Betty hayden

This is a great opportunity for dental offices to reach out to the teachers, nurses, and police officers in their community.

Betty Hayden Consulting Dental Office Appreciation Ideas for May

How can you reach out to them? Here are a few ideas for you:

First, let’s start with any of your patients that are teachers, nurses, or police officers.

Pull a report with any patients that are school teachers, nurses, and police officers and send “We Appreciate You” cards to them. Unexpected and very much welcomed.

Put together some little thank you gifts to give your patients that are teachers/nurses/police officers when they come in for their dental appointment during the month of May.

See my Pinterest Board for a ton of ideas: Appreciation Gift Ideas

Second, reach out to the teachers, nurses, and officers in the community that are not “yet” patients at your office.

Host a Favorite Teacher/Nurse/Police Officer Contest. Invite the community to nominate their favorites. The winner receives FREE teeth whitening and a certificate stating they won for the favorite teacher/nurse/police officer contest.

You could easily ask for donations from local businesses to add to the winning prize.

Deliver treats and/or toothbrush bags to your local hospitals, doctors’ offices, fire station, and/or police stations.

Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement during the month of May:

dental social media content ideas from Betty Hayden Consulting

At the very least you can use your social media platforms to show your love and appreciation for these special and hard-working folks in the community.

National High Blood Pressure Education Month

May is Save Your Tooth Month and Root Canal Appreciation Week: 3rd – 9th and Root Canal Appreciation Day: 11th

Nurses Day or National RN Recognition Day: 6th

Student Nurse Day: 8th

National Teacher Day: 8th

Receptionists Day: 9  (Second Wednesday)

School Nurse Day: 9

International Nurses Day: 12

National Employee Health & Fitness Day: 20

Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Day: 21 

EMSC (Emergency Medical Services) Day:  21

National Senior Health & Fitness Day: 27

World No-Tobacco Day: 31

There are so many ways to celebrate teacher appreciation, police officers, and nurses week in your dental office. If you’re looking for more marketing and practice management ideas for the month of May, please visit here: Dental Office Tips and Ideas for May

If you appreciated these complimentary ideas I  would love for you to please leave me a review/recommendation here on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK.

Wishing you all a very happy and productive Spring!

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. This way, you won’t miss a single idea! Or, if you have an area(s) in the practice that you’re struggling with, feel free to comment here or email me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty – Dental Coach

Dental Marketing Ideas for Teachers, Nurses, and Police Officers Appreciation Week

Dental Marketing Ideas for Teachers, Nurses, and Police Officers Appreciation Week

Hello Friends,

The month of May brings many wonderful opportunities to reach out to more people in the community. Here is why:

Teacher Appreciation Week: May 6-12

National Nurses Week: May 6-12 

National Hospital Week: May 6-12

National Police Week:  May 13-19 

Dental Marketing Tips and Ideas for May from Betty Hayden Consulting

This is a great opportunity for dental offices to reach out to the teachers, nurses, and police officers in their community.

How can you reach out to them? Here are a few ideas for you:

First, let’s start with any of your patients that are teachers, nurses, or police officers.

Pull a report with any patients that are school teachers and send “We Appreciate You” cards to them. Unexpected and very much welcomed.

Put together some little thank you gifts to give your patients that are teachers/nurses/police officers when they come in for their dental appointment during the month of May.

See my Pinterest Board for a ton of ideas: Appreciation Gift Ideas

Second, reach out to the teachers, nurses, and officers in the community that are not “yet” patients at your office.

Host a Favorite Teacher/Nurse/Police Officer Contest. Invite the community to nominate their favorites. The winner receives FREE teeth whitening and a certificate stating they won for the favorite teacher/nurse/officer contest.

You could easily ask for donations from local businesses to add to the winning prize.

Within the medical community, a few special weeks are coming up: National Nurses Week – May 6th -12th/ National Hospital Week: May 6-12 / National Nursing Home Week: 13-20 Use this opportunity to reach out to the nurses at local doctors offices, clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes, etc. using the appreciation ideas as listed above.

 Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement:

At the very least you can use your social media platforms to show your love and appreciation for these special and hard-working folks in the community.

PTA Teacher Appreciation Week:7-11

National Nursing Home Week: 13-20 (Starts Mother’s Day to Saturday)
National Police Week:  13-19 

School Principals’ Day: 1

No Homework Day: 6

Nurses Day or National RN Recognition Day: 6

Student Nurse Day: 8  

National Teacher Day: 8 (

Receptionists Day: 9  (Second Wednesday)
School Nurse Day: 9

International Nurses Day: 12 

There are so many ways to celebrate teacher appreciation, police officers, and nurses week in your dental office. If you’re looking for more marketing and practice management ideas for the month of May, please visit here: Dental Tips and Ideas for May

Wishing you all a very happy and productive Spring!

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. This way, you won’t miss a single idea! Or, if you have an area(s) in the practice that you’re struggling with, feel free to comment here or email me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on  FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedIn and Pinterest

Cleaning Checklist for your Dental Office

Cleaning Checklist for your Dental Office

Hello Friends,

It’s that time of year when many take advantage of the warmer weather to “spring clean” their homes. This is also a great time to spring clean your dental practice.

I encourage you to make a checklist of all the areas in your office that need some spring cleaning.  I’ll help you get started by showing you how to take advantage of using your 5 senses while cleaning your office. This is by no means an exhaustive cleaning list but it will you give you ideas of where and what to clean.

Betty Hayden Consulting Dental Marketing and Practice Management Ideas

Sight, Smell, Sound, Touch, and Taste.

SIGHT

What do your patients and potential patients see?

Areas to “see” include;

  1. Office Exterior
  • Signage
  • Windows
  • Landscape/Weeds
  • Garbage/Debris
  • Safety Concerns/Handicap accessibility
  1. Office Interior
  • Reception Room – Sit in your reception room, what do your patients see, touch, hear, smell and taste? Look high and low. What do you see? Dirty carpeting/flooring? Outdated magazines & decor? Stained or worn chairs? Peeling wallpaper? Cobwebs? Dusty plants/floral arrangements? Light bulbs that are out?  Look over at the front desk area, if you see a sliding glass window that is full of signs and papers telling your patients what to do and what not to do…remove them immediately! In fact, remove the glass. It’s very unwelcoming!
  • Restroom – Most if not all of your patients that visit your restroom WILL determine the quality and safety of your care from that experience. (Isn’t that true of you when you’re at a restaurant or any public restroom? No one wants the gas station bathroom experience…not even when you’re at a gas station.) Your restroom should be clean, nicely decorated and well stocked with quality paper products and soap.
  • Front Desk Area – Clutter represents indecision. Make a decision to get rid of the clutter! (That includes any sticky notes attached to computer monitors, coats/sweaters hanging on the backs of chairs and fast-food drink containers sitting out on the counters.) Purchase hot/cold beverage tumblers, preferably with your office logo on them for your team members to use at their workstations – this looks much nicer than your patients seeing soda bottles or coffee shop cups.

While you’re visiting the front desk area, don’t forget about cleaning these areas too…

  • Current Protocols–  Hygiene Continuing Care, Incomplete Treatment Reports, Confirmation, A/R-Collections, Greetings, Patient Hand-off,  New Patient Welcomes, and Referral Thank you’s, etc.
  • Paper Communication Materials –Intake forms, Letterhead, HIPAA forms, Financial Policy & Postcards.
  • Job Responsibilities/Descriptions –Have every team member write down a detailed list of all of their job responsibilities. This is VERY helpful in determining more effective ways of doing things as well as finding out what is NOT being done.
  • Operatories – Sit in the treatment room chairs. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you taste? What do you smell? How do you feel? Again, your patients don’t measure the quality of care, they measure the quality of their experience. Keep your patients loyal to your practice by making certain they consistently have great experiences.
  • Closets – Make an inventory checklist. Throw away any expired or outdated products, equipment, manuals, etc. While you’re at it, if there is anything that isn’t be used properly due to lack of education or training, go ahead and schedule time for continuing education/training.
  •  Equipment/Technology – What needs repairs, upgrades or to be tossed? Computers, Software, Internet Speed & Access, Printers, Copiers, Telephone Systems, TV’s, Postage machines, including…dare I say, typewriters?
  • The Team – Appearance – Wear clothes that reflect the excellent care you give your patients. Professional, clean, and wrinkle-free clothes.  Clean hair, nails & body). Attitudes – Remove any toxic attitudes. Office Policies – Review and update employee benefits and expectations. A Happy Dental Team is not just a dream!

TIP: Make a cleaning schedule – who, what & when will the parking lot, restrooms & reception room be checked. This should be done several times throughout the day. Do not wait for the “cleaning person” to take care of those areas.

SMELL

  • Get rid of the dreaded dental office smell. There are products out there that will eliminate that smell without aggravating patients with allergies. Bake chocolate chip cookies if necessary.

SOUND

  • Keep the noise down! Patients want to be put at ease; they don’t want to hear the latest office gossip or a TV that is too loud. Avoid using patients’ full names or complaining about patients when you can be heard from the reception room or treatment chair.
  • Music – Consider playing music in the reception and treatment rooms. Wireless headphones will allow patients’ to listen to music or the TV while in the chair.
  • Telephone Greetings/Messages – What do your patients and potential patients’ “hear” when calling the office? Be sure that what they hear is a reflection of your goals and vision. See How To Effectively Answer The Dental Office Telephone

TASTE

  • Beverage Station in the reception room. Complimentary coffee, tea, cold bottled water, juice, etc. See this Pinterest board for beverage station design ideas.
  • Snacks – Offer snacks such as fruit, granola bars, etc. This is especially nice for patients that may have been in for a lengthy appointment and need a little boost in energy.
  • Allow patients to rinse with mouthwash before and after the appointment.
  • Offer pre-pasted toothbrushes for patients that didn’t have time to or forgot to brush their teeth before their appointment.

TOUCH

  • Reception Room – Is it comfortable & welcoming?

Reading Material – Have a variety of magazine and books for patients to read.

Temperature – Keep the temperature in the reception room at a comfortable setting.

  • Treatment Rooms – Be sure that your patients are comfortable during their visit.

Massage Pads on Chairs

Blankets (If you have a patient that is always cold, pop the blanket in the dryer for them right before appt).

Distractions –  (Movies, Music, Digital Aquarium, Etc.)

Give Painless Injections…always.

Put your patients at ease by talking with them before you start looking in their mouth.

  • Free Stuff – Give away items imprinted with your office name, website and phone number to each patient at their appointment. Such as; toothbrushes, magnets, calendars, pens and lip balm. (If you’re wondering where you can order some quality imprinted items, check out Bizarre Marketing.  I share this particular company with you because their customer service is awesome!)

Using your 5 senses, look closely at yourself, your team, the exterior, and interior of your building, all office systems, your lab, sterilization procedures, website & social media sites, marketing materials, marketing programs and the patient experience.

Your goal during your spring cleaning should be to find ways to consistently exceed your patients’ expectations and remove anything that is hindering you from reaching that goal.

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Are you receiving my free dental marketing and practice management ideas every month to your email? If not, PLEASE take a second and follow today or send me your email address to bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you an invitation to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea. Feel free to share my blog with your dental friends.

 ~ Thank you!

Yours for Greater Success!

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on  FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedIn and Pinterest

Children’s Dental Health Month and GKAS Day Ideas

Children’s Dental Health Month and GKAS Day Ideas

Hello Friends,

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, what do you have planned to help educate families in your community about the need for better dental health?

 Field trips to local schools? School field trips to the office? Participating with the National Give Kids A Smile Day?

children's dental health month marketing ideas give kids a smile day ideas

If you are interested in having me help your office create a custom “Children’s Dental Health Month” (or different themed) campaign that includes ideas for special offers, patient give-aways/drawings, community involvement such as school field trips and presentations, cross marketing with local businesses and hygiene continuing care/incomplete treatment scripting, please contact me today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Be sure to see Pediatric Dental Marketing Ideas for many ideas on how to Consistently Exceed Parent & Patient Expectations and Consistently Be Great! Visit here:  Pediatric Dental Marketing Ideas

If you’re looking for Dental Health Month activities, crafts, printables, etc. please see my Pinterest board: Children’s Dental Health Month Ideas

Today, I’m going to focus on Give Kids a Smile Day which is held annually on the first Friday in February.

Here are some ideas and tips to help you host a successful Give Kids A Smile day in your office.

The ADA website has an excellent Give Kids A Smile Toolbox http://www.ada.org/1584.aspx  It’s loaded with information such as Planning, Promotion, Forms, etc.

I wanted to share some additional ideas with you that have really helped to make this day a huge success and gain great patients long after the day is over.

Employee Participation – While you can’t mandate that your team volunteer to work this event, you can ask them to volunteer to work this very special day that will help many underserved children in the community. If you require your team to be there, you must pay them. GKAS day can be a very busy day for the office, I recommend ordering lunch in so team members can relax during their break.

Services/Procedures – Decide which free services you will be offering to the children on this day.

Advertising/Marketing your Event – Here are just a few ways to do this:

  • Social Media Pages ~ Make good use of all your social media platforms to share information about GKAS day.
  • TV News ~ Fax & Email a press release.
  • Fliers ~ Create fliers for in-office use and to give out to those in your community.

Even if your schedule is filling up, continue to advertise! Think of it as spreading seeds all over the community, getting your name in front of many people. You never know when those seeds will grow!!

Key things to remember/do before, during and after the event:

Show lots of Enthusiasm:  

Be enthusiastic about this great event and how wonderful your office is!

Printed Materials:

In addition to the event information/details. Be sure to include: Doctors (office) Name, Address, Phone number, email, social media pages and website.

Telephones:

  • Thank them for calling,  ask how they heard about the event (TRACK EVERY Callers Referral Source)
  • So your schedule is full for that day, what do you do when the phone continues to ring with people wanting to schedule an appointment for their child(ren)? 
  • Take down their name, phone number, chief concern,  and let them know you will call if there are any changes in the schedule for that day. (Believe or not people sometimes cancel/no-show on this day!) 
  • Just because you may not be able to see them on that day, offer them a different day for a complimentary consultation. Give them hope, give them a chance, they’ve probably been turned away from other offices.  

Donations:

  • See if you can get donations from local businesses for the event.
  • Be sure to include any business that contributed to the event in your advertising & thank you’s after the event!

Day of Event:

  • Every child receives a goodie bag that includes an imprinted toothbrush.
  • Take pictures!!! (The ADA website has a release form)
  •  Enter all charges into the computer and write off as GKAS-Charity  (Record total donation dollars – the production)

Sadly, There will be treatment that you won’t be able to do that day – give them a treatment plan and if they cannot afford treatment in your office you should refer them to a dental school or Medicaid office.  Have a list ready for them.

It may be the first visit to the dentist for some kids so they may be scared you really have to work at keeping them comfy & make it fun.

You might be surprised to see how many families end up becoming patients.

After the Event:

  • Send a thank you to the children after the event.
  • Send a thank you to any business that contributed to the event.
  • Submit a press release talking about the success of the event, pictures and tips for parents to keep their child’s smile healthy.

 Make your Give Kids a Smile Day a huge success!

 It’s actually a really fun day – exhausting yes, and maybe a little heartbreaking but it feels good to volunteer your time, and donate your services to help so many children in the community.

 If you have any questions about hosting your Give Kids A Smile Event or would like help planning/advertising (press release & talking points)/marketing this special day, please contact me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

If you’re looking for additional marketing ideas for February not related to Children’s Dental Health month, please visit: Dental Marketing & Practice Management Ideas for February

Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month! Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your inbox each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Feel free to tell your dental friends all about us so they can start benefiting from these dental ideas too. If you liked these ideas, please let me know by hitting the “like” button. Thank you!!!

Yours for Greater Success,
~
Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedIn and Pinterest

 

  Give Kids A Smile day is held annually to:

provide free dental services to local, qualifying children from low-income families

raise awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease occurring here and

across the country and

Raise awareness of the need to build local public and private partnerships to

increase access to oral health care to solve this crisis