the
Rui Ma & Associates
“Business, like life, is all about
how you make people feel. It’s
that simple, and it’s that hard.”
Danny Meyer
Founder of Shake Shack in
Setting the Table
1047 Old Post Road
Fairfield CT 06824
203-254-2006
office@sonickdmd.com
www.sonickdmd.com
Dr. Michael Sonick, Dr.
Creating Beautiful Healthy Smiles for a Lifetime
The success of any business is dependent upon thousands of little things that are
done daily by all team members to make the patient or customer experience
great. All of us have had customer service experiences that were overwhelming
and made us feel great. We rush back to those businesses. Making the patient
experience great is the sine qua non of a successful practice. Below is a list of
“the little things” that our team has compiled.
Be nice to people
◦ Treat patients with integrity
◦ Be honest
◦ Practice patience – all the time
◦ Follow Biologic Principles
◦ Do not rush – take your time
◦ Be on time
◦ Smile
◦ Have a friendly atmosphere in the office
◦ Treat team members as well as you treat patients
◦ Upbeat nurturing culture – creates an atmosphere of contagious enthusiasm
◦ Inform before you perform
◦ Treat your team with respect
◦ Treat your doctor with respect
◦ Compliment everyone freely
◦ Respect the patient's needs
◦ See the patient as a person NOT a procedure
◦ Treat people not patients
◦ Wonderful team of sympathetic genuinely nice people
◦ Be genuinely interested in your patients’ wellbeing – be curious
◦ Make sure your team is full of friendly & genuine personalities
◦ Greet patients by name & use their name often
◦ Welcome patients as if they are guests in your home
◦ “Queen for a day” Make every patient feel special
◦ Everyone gets a WOW experience
◦ Be available
◦ Have pleasant music in the office – classical, soft jazz
◦ Acknowledge when things go right
◦ Correct them when they are wrong
◦ Tissue boxes in every room
◦ Make your office the only choice
◦ Offer evening and early morning hours
◦ Run on time
◦ Have patients bond with your practice
◦ Inform patients if running late and apologize
◦ Spa like service
◦ Team is honestly happy – it’s not an imposed policy
◦ Money is not what moves “the spirit” of the office … it’s people
◦ We strive to improve each day
Nice atmosphere
◦ Aroma therapy-- spa like atmosphere
◦ Dental office does not look like a dental office
◦ Minimize fear, promote comfort and trust
◦ Warm facial towels with a choice of scents
◦ Soft relaxing music playing in all rooms
◦ Have many books of interest throughout the office
◦ Hang mobiles on the ceiling
 ◦ Hang tasteful art
◦ Have books and magazines for children in the reception area
◦ Place a kaleidoscope in the reception area
◦ Beautiful rose gardens at entranceway
◦ Decorative planters changed seasonally framing doorway
◦ In office catering
◦ In office lab to make emergency provisionals if needed
◦ Umbrellas with office logo always available at the doorway
◦ We all wear matching scrubs so patients don’t ever have to worry about who
to ask medical questions.
◦ Laundered lab coats for the team – we are match and look professional
◦ White clean sneakers provided and left in office lockers (they are always
clean!)

Have a list of amenities in reception & posted on your website

◦ Fresh fruit in reception room
◦ Apples throughout the office (real and art) symbolizing health
◦ Offer coffee, tea, and soft drinks to patients
◦ We just don’t offer a beverage we insinuate a desire for one “lets warm you up”
◦ Starbucks freshly brewed coffee
◦ Tazo teas (8 of them)
◦ Choice of juices
◦ Poland Springs bottled water
◦ Sugar in the raw or honey
◦ Stevia, Equal, Splenda, Sweet and low
◦ Milk, cream, or soy
◦ Warm scented towels for patients
◦ Bose headphones for all patients with their choice of music during care

Many new topical varied updated magazines

People, Newsweek, Readers Digest, Sports Illustrated, Vogue,Architectural
Digest, Tennis, Golf, Parents, Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Vanity Fair,
Connecticut, New York Magazine, travel magazines.
Interesting books in the reception to reflect our philosophy and promote health
◦ Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Steven Covey
◦ The Power of Know – Eckhart Tolle
◦ Younger Next Year – Crowley and Lodge
◦ Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – Deepak Chopra
◦ Setting the Table – Danny Meyers
◦ The Heart Attach Gene – Bale and Bradley
◦ Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – Richard Carlson
◦ The Little Things – Andy Andrews
◦ Eat, Drink and Be Healthy – Walter Willett

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

◦ Everyone picks up trash, lint any debris – see it all
◦ Straighten your magazine many times through the day
◦ Clean or replace dirty ceiling tiles
◦ Redecorate every three to five years
◦ Dust and straighten pictures
◦ Keep your office and all rooms spotless
1047 Old Post Road ◦ Pay attention to all corners of your office
Fairfield CT 06824 ◦ Replace light bulbs immediately when they go out
203-254-2006 ◦ Meticulous appointed grounds
office@sonickdmd.com ◦ New carpeting every 2 years
www.sonickdmd.com ◦ Paint all in office trim yearly
 ◦ Wax and polish office floors semi-annually – “eat off the floor” cleanliness
◦ Full office cleaning service nightly
◦ Windows cleaned inside and out twice a year

Have a meticulous clean and well-appointed bathroom

◦ Toothbrushes and toothpaste
◦ William and Sonoma soaps and moisturizers in all three bathrooms
◦ Tissue boxes
◦ Toilet seat covers
◦ Aromatherapy
◦ Electric heat at the touch of a finger

Office Communication/education
◦ Have a 15-minute daily staff meeting
◦ Have a monthly office team meeting with dinner prepared by a teammate
◦ Have quarterly team building days
◦ Catered Xmas party with staff spouse and significant others included
◦ Summer Team Day in NYC – over the top food and entertainment
◦ Teach team NLP – neurolinguistics programing
◦ Profile all team members
- Strength finders
- Kolbe
- Culture index
◦ Continuing education for all team members with meals and salary included
◦ Online Protocol manual updated weekly with new protocols
◦ Yoga offered to all team members

Practice silent communication amongst staff

◦ Lights
◦ Flags
◦ Radios with earpieces
◦ Instant message on computers
◦ Have all staff members use email to communicate during the day

Telephone
◦ Answer your telephone pleasantly and be present of mind so
◦ Never put patients on hold for more than 30 seconds
◦ Ask permission to place someone on hold & wait for the answer
◦ Have an answering service for after hours
◦ Always answer your phone during the day. Do not close phone service for lunch
◦ Have pleasant music on hold

Patient communication, in office marketing and reviews

◦ Collect preferred methods of communications: text, email, phone,
◦ Use a communication service such as Demandforce or Lighthouse 360
◦ Collect patient reviews e.g. Birdeye - www.birdeye.com
◦ Monitor patient’s birthdays & if it falls within a week, have the entire team aware.
◦ Surprise them with a cake
◦ Constant presence in social media
◦ Have a Facebook office account
◦ Use Instagram, Twitter
1047 Old Post Road ◦ Post patient of the month in Facebook
Fairfield CT 06824 ◦ Have before and after patient photographs
203-254-2006 ◦ Patient testimonials on display and online
office@sonickdmd.com ◦ Doctor articles on website, in reception area and on social media
www.sonickdmd.com ◦ Display impressive credentials of doctor in reception area
 ◦ Photographs of doctors and team doing charitable work in the reception area
◦ Articles about office & team in the newspaper & online
◦ Get to know the team binder in the reception area, on website, and social media
◦ Keep current & tidy brochures of all treatment offered
◦ Be aware when your patients are recognized in media and congratulate them
◦ Send a personal thank you note to everyone who makes a referral
◦ Let patients know of your successes
◦ Ask for referrals
◦ Use them
◦ Invest in an intraoral camera
◦ Take intraoral photographs
◦ Spend time informing patients
◦ Sooner call list for patients and use it
◦ Condolence, thank you, congratulatory cards
◦ Website – information packed
- Before and after photos of procedure – our own
- Patient written testimonials with full name
- Patient video testimonials
- Articles written by doctors
- Daily blogging
- Office reviews
- Promotional materials
- Ability to book appointments
◦ Complimentary car service in inclement weather
◦ Gift cards for excellent hygiene or whatever we want
◦ Gift of Sonicare toothbrushes for recording a patient video
◦ We employ a full-time IT/Marketing/photographer in house
◦ Large in office projection screens and computer to view all treatment options

New Patients/ Scheduling

◦ Get emergency patients in same day
◦ Schedule new patients within one week
◦ Have medical history filled out at home or online
◦ Have it emailed to the office in advance
◦ Request and receive previous radiographs prior to apt
◦ Send everyone a Welcome letter including medical hx, directions and your
mission statement before the appointment
◦ Thank patients for coming in
◦ Know if a patient drives far to see you – acknowledge that
◦ File dental insurance as a courtesy
◦ Submit to medical insurance as well
◦ Help patients with their dental insurance, they’re more confused than us
◦ Inform patients what they can anticipate
◦ Give informed consent always
◦ Have a written financial policy
◦ Give patients a copy of their financial agreement in advance

Patient Education
◦ Mail a letter following every new patient exam including treatment plan,
timeline and cc other doctors involved
◦ Mail a final letter with thank you to all patients
1047 Old Post Road ◦ Have a post treatment conference
Fairfield CT 06824 ◦ Let patients know of their dental success
203-254-2006 ◦ Offer option to seek a second opinion
office@sonickdmd.com ◦ Use a Cost, risk, benefits table. Patients will select the right treatment
www.sonickdmd.com ◦ Show intra-oral photos to during consultation- hand them an I-Pad w/photos
 ◦ Use your website to educate patients
◦ Send x-rays & communications from operatory in front of patients. They see
your expertise with technology
◦ Inform patients of your continuing education
◦ Full exam on ALL patients
◦ Complete diagnosis on all patients
◦ Offer multiplicity of treatment options
◦ Allow patients to make the final decision – co-therapists
◦ The patient drives the bus
◦ Review Cost Risk Benefit Ratios of different options
◦ Give an hour for new patient consultations
◦ Offer and encourage spousal joint consultations
◦ Have a mirror on your dental light

Prior to treatment
◦ Place clean, new, and dark protective eyewear on patients
◦ Spa mask if they like
◦ Give written pre-operative instructions
◦ Advise surgical patients to pre-medicate with pain management aids
◦ Give adequate written and oral post-operative instructions
◦ Premeditate with oral analgesics
◦ Call in prescriptions to pharmacy, in advance if possible
◦ Free nitrous during treatment
◦ Offer Nu Calm
◦ Choice of music with headphones
◦ Premediate with sedative if needed
◦ Offer nitrous oxide
◦ Offer oral sedation
◦ Offer IV sedation with anesthesiologist
◦ Perform sterile surgery for implant placements & express this to patients
◦ Use topical anesthesia and give a choice of flavors
◦ Give painless anesthesia with the Wand
◦ Offer local anesthesia for all procedures, including root planning
◦ Give written preoperative instructions

After dental treatment

◦ Call patients the night of any surgery or long procedures
◦ Assistants and doctors both call on different days
◦ Call patients again a day or two later
◦ Call patients the evening of their first root planning appointment
◦ Give patients a pain reliever at the end of each root planning appointment
◦ Use, dispense and recommend Arnica
◦ walk a patient out to their vehicle when weather is foul
◦ Provide complimentary umbrellas for your patients (your logo is nice)
◦ Offer fruit juices after long procedures
◦ We walk surgical patients to the care, no the curb or door
◦ Admin and clinical team say goodbye to patients together so they feel extra
cared for

Hygiene
◦ Don't skimp on time during patients’ recall visits
1047 Old Post Road ◦ Oral hygiene aids are offered without the need for patient request
Fairfield CT 06824 ◦ We live in abundance
203-254-2006 ◦ Each patient is given their plaque score percentage at each hygiene visit
office@sonickdmd.com ◦ Give written oral hygiene instructions Have inventory for patients Ex: Peridex, MI
www.sonickdmd.com ◦ Pain free hygiene appointments
 - Hygienists all trained to give local anesthetic
- Oraquix and topical offered
- Nitrous oxide available in all hygiene rooms
- Personalized audio analgesia
◦ Paste
◦ Offer to see spouses and children
◦ Follow up regularly
◦ Give plenty of free stuff at recall appointments
◦ 3 month recare apt!”
◦ Schedule recall appointments in advance
◦ Always give the patient something to take home
◦ Use a “Motivator” to encourage patients to keep hyg appts on schedule “I can
tell you are having a hard time cleaning #30. We are going to want to check
and clean that again at your next visit
◦ Doctor has already examined and treatment planned all patients

Referrals – To and From

◦ Have an extensive network in ALL specialties and disciplines
◦ Have great relationships with all specialties
◦ Make their records readily available
◦ Have strong trusting excellent relationships with specialists
◦ Develop good relationships with physicians
◦ Refer to other dentists when moving out of the region – both the US and abroad
◦ Refer patients for specialty care when needed
- Other dental specialists
- Internists
◦ Otolaryngologists
◦ OB/GYNs, internist
◦ Cardiologists
◦ Plastic surgeon
◦ Dermatologists
◦ Orthopedic surgeons
◦ Psychiatrists
◦ Holistic specialists
◦ Masseuse
◦ Nutritionist
◦ Chiropractors
◦ Acupuncturists
◦ Yoga therapies
◦ Be holistic – have an open mind
◦ Realize that healing is a multi-factorial process
◦ We are not healers, but guides
◦ Become a patient advocate
◦ When referring patients, offer to call and schedule their appointment
◦ Send records and x-rays in advance
◦ Send a referral letter to the health care provider and copy the patient
◦ Offer in office continuing education to patients, dentists, hygienists, public

Questions to ask Patients

◦ Ask patients what you did not make clear to them
◦ Ask patients what they dislike about their mouths
1047 Old Post Road ◦ Ask patients what they want to improve
Fairfield CT 06824 ◦ Ask patients if they grind their teeth
203-254-2006 ◦ Ask patients if they have muscle soreness
office@sonickdmd.com ◦ Ask patients if they want their teeth whiter
www.sonickdmd.com ◦ Ask patients if they have a bad taste in their mouth
 ◦ Ask patients is they want their infection under control
◦ Ask patients if they want their bone restored
◦ Ask patients if they would like to chew better
◦ Ask patients if they would like to stop bone loss
◦ Ask patients is they would like to stop extensive expensive dentistry
◦ For the Potential Implant patient emphasize the following:
- Implants preserve bone
- Implants never decay
- Implants never need root canal
- Implants never develop periodontal disease

“Business, like life, is all about

1047 Old Post Road
how you make people feel. It’s
Fairfield CT 06824
that simple, and it’s that hard.”
203-254-2006 Danny Meyer
office@sonickdmd.com Founder of Shake Shack in
www.sonickdmd.com Setting the Table