Authentic customer service is non-negotiable

Dr Rita Trak, owner and principal dentist of Dental & Skin Clinic, says today’s dental customers can smell disingenuousness from a mile away.

By Danny Chan

Dr Rita Trak is not someone who shies away from a challenge. When she was a fourth-year university undergrad studying in regional Victoria in Australia, Rita met a victim of domestic abuse.

The dental undergraduate fought tooth and nail to earn the right to perform cosmetic dentistry on the patient who presented with a crooked smile after being punched by her abusive partner.

RIta had to prove her chairside mettle by delivering multiple mock-ups to different clinical demonstrators. It was a daunting experience not because she found the case difficult – although her supervisors thought it was – but because the assessors kept changing throughout the week. One of the demonstrators was impressed enough to predict her future as a cosmetic dentist in Toorak, the well-heeled inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

She did become a cosmetic dentist in Toorak, and later in St Kilda East and Burwood. But her true calling, Dr Trak believed, was to raise the “happiness” quotient of her clients. And that would only be possible if she was calling the shots.

Only “the nice” need apply

Dr Rita Trak now walks the talk as boss of Dental & Skin Clinic (D&SC), a unique practice that combines dentistry with professional skin health services. With the latter, we’re not talking about basic facial injectables either, but the whole nine yards of skincare services, including skin needling, microderm-abrasion, chemical peel, mono threads, etc.

In fact, D&SC is one of few dental practices in the world to become a clinical partner of Skinceuticals, an American brand traditionally aligned with plastic surgeons and dermatologists.

Yet again, Rita has shown that she isn’t afraid to veer off the beaten track or take on an uncommon challenge. D&SC also brings to the fore the clinician’s empathy towards the people around her – in the context of her work, they are her devoted staff and customers.

This is evident even in her hiring process, where her only “non-negotiable” is that they “have to be nice”.

“Everything else can be trained. I come to work on my days off to say ‘hi’ to my amazing staff,” she adds.

“Everyone who you meet at the clinic embodies our philosophy.”

Read about the Dental & Skin Clinic in Skin in the Game by Danny Chan @ The River Tree.

You can’t fake this

A big believer of “authentic customer service”, Dr Trak says that 50% of her work relates to human psychology – which suggests a relational process that cannot be rushed. For example, she blames the average 30-minute dental appointment on the fast-food mentality that precludes building sufficient rapport with a cosmetic patient.

“To me, customer service means addressing every touch point of the customer journey,” she says.

“It’s not just one or two things but an accumulation. It’s not about ticking a box. You have to be genuine and authentic, from the start of the customer journey to the end.”

Pet peeves

Prior to setting up D&SC, Rita made a laundry list of all the things she hated about going to the dentist, which provided the foundation of the clinic’s strong ethos built around the customer experience.

Whatever she disliked, she made sure to improve in D&SC:

• Lack of transparency with pricing:  Prices are printed on their website;
• Run-down appearance: Purpose-built clinic with spa-like decor;
• Sound of the hissing drill: ‘Stan’ Cable TV audio piped through ceiling-mounted speakers mask unpleasant sounds during procedures;
• Dentist always running late: D&SC runs on time;
• Pain from the needle: The clinic uses the DentaPen as an alternative method to the traditional dental injection;
• Lack of affordability: Interest-free financing available;
• Grudge purchase: Strong focus on self-care – “we make it a pleasure to come and see us”.

Although the Dental and Skin Clinic is known for its cosmetic dentistry, specifically porcelain veneers, there is no such thing as a second-fiddle service. Every customer is unique, and so is each and every prescribed treatment.

“We have patients traveling interstate or hours on end for our smile transformations,” she adds.

“Teeth whitening is also a popular cosmetic dental treatment. Of course, customers also love our skin treatments such as microdermabrasion, micropeels, microneedling and LED therapy.”

Engaging all five senses

While most dental owners are satisfied providing a cosy and comfortable environment, Dr Trak created a soothing retreat that appeals to all five senses. Little wonder why D&SC was featured in multiple fashion magazines and news publications in Australia – plenty of clients raving about the clinic!

“The customer is very astute these days and they are able to smell disingenuousness from a mile away,” she adds.

“How the phone gets answered, how the patient gets greeted, how the dentist treats the patient, it all adds up.”

Rita shared some tips on how she left no senses unaddressed: touch, taste, sound, smell and sight.

“The interior design of our clinic has a play on textures and patients can play with the different textures offered by the skincare products,” she says.

“To tantalise tastebuds, we offer beverages and our signature snack is popcorn. The reason why we offer food is because many of our clients travel quite far to come see us. They either arrive hungry or they have a long trip back home after their treatment.”

As mentioned, the sounds of your favourite TV show are floating in the air. A sweet intoxicating mix of vanilla and coconut permeates her clinic, nary a whiff of medical smell.

“As a cosmetic dental clinic, appearance and interior design were very important aspects. The selection of wall colour and artwork throughout the clinic – even the therapy glasses we offer patients to wear during their dental treatment are colour coordinated to match the décor.”

The pampering of senses begins from the moment the customer steps into the premises. Like in a 5-star wellness spa, it starts with a welcome note and drink, and ends with the pampered guest feeling all tingly after a skin rejuvenation facial. What’s different is maybe a teeth whitening or dental clean and check-up that fits snugly in between – but never out of place.

Natural progression

According to Rita, 90% of her customers who come in for a dental veneer consultation end up receiving a skin treatment as well. Calling it a “natural progression”, Rita says building rapport is easy when you’re making genuine connections.

“From knowledge comes confidence and from confidence comes the desire to want to help someone,” she smiles.

“It’s a natural progression once there is an element of trust and the patient realises you’re a resource of help.”

Word-of-mouth referrals, as you can imagine, are brisk and healthy. Just take a look at her overwhelmingly positive Google reviews.

“Having someone else say wonderful things about you is the best form of marketing,” she enthuses.

“In order to achieve that level of marketing, you need to exceed someone’s expectations for them to want to tell their friends and family. We ask our patients all the time for referrals. We get a lot of word of mouth referrals so we are grateful in that regard. However we are a 18-month-old business, therefore we’re not in a position to rely solely on word of mouth referrals.”

The important stuff

Rita’s customers have commented that the clinic feels more like a hotel or retreat. Due to popular demand, what began as a two-days-per-week operation became four days within eight weeks of opening. By the third month, the place was booked solid.

Unsurprisingly, she was emphatically precise when asked to name the three most important aspects of customer service. Those of us longing for the same customer rapport and reviews should be taking notes.

1. Every staff member should greet the patient when they’re in the building. It’s a simple thing to do but it makes the patient feel seen.
2. Running late is not ok. People value their time too much to want to wait 20 minutes for their treatment.
3. Show empathy and don’t make assumptions or judgements about people. The clinic is a judge-free, safe space. If you lack empathy, you’re probably in the wrong industry.

Click here for more information on the Dental and Skin Clinic.