My wife and I flew out to Las Vegas a few weeks ago to attend the Madow Brothers TBSE. As always, Rich and Dave put on a great show and we had a wonderful experience. We flew Southwest, as we always do whenever possible,  because they are almost always on time, their  personnel are friendly and upbeat and funny, and their boarding procedures are so much faster than other airlines.

I recently learned that Southwest has a published credo of how and why they  stand out from their competition based on what they expect from all of their employees: a fun loving attitude, a warrior spirit, and a servant’s heart. I love it! And I’ve got to tell you – when I reflect back on my travels with Southwest over the years – those three attributes sum up why the experience is consistently pleasurable. So I’m thinking why not turn your practice into Southwest Airlines?

• If Southwest can board 150 people on a plane about 3000 times per day – and 95% of the time leave the gate on schedule – your dental practice certainly should be able – with rare exception – never to keep a patient waiting. So please make it a top priority to get together as a team and figure out the roadblocks that are not allowing you to stay on schedule. This is of utmost importance because as I’ve said many times, your patients will respect your time in direct proportion to the way you respect theirs.

• I have a big secret to share with you: people have many other places they would rather be than to come to the dentist! How many times have you heard “I’d rather have a baby than a root canal.” So try to fill your office with fun loving, friendly, upbeat staff to enhance the dental experience. I always advise that you hire for attitude and then train for excellence. Take that approach and your office is a winner.

• The warrior spirit thing is a must – another helix on the DNA molecule that defines your office. Your patients need to know that every one in the practice – doctors and staff alike – will do whatever it takes to please them and make them feel special and respected and satisfied.

Southwest Airlines and Nordstrom’s  and Ritz Carlton have all worked hard to brand an image of extraordinary customer service. Add the name of your dental practice to that list in your community. This is no easy task – it takes tremendous attention to detail. But it will be worth it. A quote I recently read sums it up beautifully: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high  and miss, but that our aim is too low and we reach it”.