Can Apple Computer teach you to run a dental practice?

Two weeks ago around 6:00 PM I called Apple to order a new battery for my laptop. My old one had stopped holding much of a charge and I was leaving town the next afternoon. I was hoping to get a new battery sent to me overnight so I’d have it before I left.

Unfortunately it was too late in the day for next day delivery so I figured I'd make the 45 minute drive to the Apple store to buy a new one there. Before I could get off the phone the young man I was speaking to at Apple checked to see if my old battery was still under warranty. As it turned out, it was, so I was transferred to a tech guy who had me put the battery through a series of tests. At the end of doing a bunch of diagnostic, mumbo-jumbo, the tech dude said the battery was shot and he’d have a new one sent to me at no charge. He said I should expect it in about a week.

So instead of having to pay over a $100.00 for a new battery I was getting a free one due to the initiative of the young man I first spoke to. Pretty cool. I figured for a hundred bucks I could survive a week without a new battery.

The next day as I left my house to head to the airport I found a package on my front door step. It was from Apple. I opened it up and lo and behold, it was a new battery from Apple. Wow! Not only had I gotten a free replacement battery, but Apple had somehow made it go right to get it delivered to me the very next morning.

Now that’s service! And that’s what creates customer loyalty: Exceeding expectations. Probably explains why I’ve been an Apple customer for 20 years.

The moral of the story: Do everything you can to exceed the expectations of your dental patients. If you do, you’ll have loyal patients who stay with your practice for a long time and who will be glad to refer friends, family and business acquaintances to you.

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