Earlier this year I was unwinding after a stressful week at a bar/restaurant near my office. While I was enjoying my Sapphire Gibson, a nice lady sitting next to me struck up a conversation. When exchanging pleasantries, she mentioned that she was a part time hygienist at a local dentist office. That caught my attention because since relocating to South Orange County from Hollywood a couple of years ago, I’ve been struggling to find a good dentist. I had a couple of bad experiences with OC dentists and had pretty much convinced myself that the only solution was to drive up to my old dentist in Beverly Hills twice a year. After doing that a couple of times, suffering the agony of the 405, missing a half day’s work each time, and with flying cars still no where in our foreseeable future, I thought I would ask her about the dentist and how she liked working there. Her response was overwhelmingly positive. She offered an outpouring of compliments about the people there, especially the doctors, and the quality of treatment they give their patients. According to her, this dentist office was truly different because they care. I was impressed, and I must admit, a bit astonished at her level of genuine enthusiasm. She was acting as a true advocate for the brand because she really believed in it. 

A few months later, it was time for me to get a routine cleaning. I remembered the hygienist’s rave review of her dentist and decided to give them a try. I called, spoke with a very pleasant woman and made an appointment. So far so good. A couple of days later, I arrived for my appointment at my scheduled time. The drive from my office was about 3 minutes flat. A far cry from the 50 mile parking lot I’d have to negotiate to get to the coveted 90210 zip code. Then, from the moment I walked in, I was delighted and surprised. This wasn’t your average dentist office waiting room. It was pretty swanky, with modern decor - granite and marble and dark stained wood, expensive flower arrangements, good art on the walls, soothing but not tacky music -  and I want to say some kind of bar. Like for water or tea…(and coffee? at the dentist? I don’t know…) The place looked way more like an upscale spa than a dentist office. 

I got all checked in. Everyone at the front desk was warm and friendly as one would hope at the dentist. Then I was given a tour of the facility. Huh? Yeah. They showed me around, explained all of the state of the art equipment and instruments and why they are special. They showed me the labs where they do their own testing and analysis. They even showed me the employee break room. It was pretty nice. None of it looked like your typical dentist office. Again, it looked more like a hotel than a medical facility. Why were they giving me a tour? Because they were proud of it. Everything was designed. All the fixtures were custom. There was lots of artful applications of wood trim and frosted glass. I didn’t see any stainless steel, mint green paint or industrial strength enamel surfaces like most medical facilities. 

After the quick tour, I was taken into a small meeting room - not the waiting room mind you - a separate little conference room with glass walls, a round table, resource books, catalogs, magazines, etc. I met with one of the dentists’ assistants for a few minutes to give them some basic information about my dental history and needs, then the dentist came in and spent about a half an hour just talking, getting to know me. He talked about his approach to his practice, and expressed a real interest in becoming my dentist long term. I found this oddly welcome, if not for any other reason, because of the fact that just about every aspect of my life, for some time now, has felt exceedingly temporary.

After my consultation, one of the hygienists gave me a good cleaning, during which I watched CNN on a modern LCD display, attached to a movable arm adjusted precisely for my viewing comfort. Thoroughly engaged with news of the upcoming election and encouraged by Obama’s strengthening lead in the polls, the cleaning seemed to take no time at all. Once finished, they took digital x-rays and digital pictures of my teeth which became immediately available for viewing on the same flat screen that was serving up breaking news only moments before. The doctor came in, reviewed the images with me, and gave me a detailed explanation of what everything meant. The result: 3 cavities. Bummer, but oh well. He assured me that I’m not a loser - that this has, in fact, happened before to other patients. 

On my way out, I scheduled a follow up appointment to have the cavities filled. The woman booking my appointment asked me how I would prefer to receive a reminder; by phone, email or SMS text. I opted for the text message all the way - it’s the least intrusive, most functional way of getting that info. I was impressed a.) that they had options, b.) that they asked me my preference and c.) that SMS was an option. Is this a 21st century dentist or what?

It gets better. When I went back for my appointment a week later, for which I was so conveniently and pleasantly reminded of a day before via SMS to my iPhone as promised, the procedure was administered with a laser in lieu of a drill. Of course I was watching CNN the whole time, not paying much attention to episode 10 of Star Wars happening inside my mouth. 

When the fillings were all in place, the doc sat and talked to me a little more, following up on the prospect of doing some additional dental work that I had expressed interest in during our first “get-to-know-you” meeting. Again, he did a thorough job of explaining the details of all the options, giving me as much objective information as he could so I could make the choice that’s right for me. I let him know which options I’d like to pursue and told him I’d need to think about the timing that works for me. He said he would have someone follow up with me in a couple of weeks, which they did, to the day.

So I have a new dentist, which I’m thrilled about. So thrilled in fact, that I have recommended them to a handful of people I know in the area. Just as another proponent for the brand had made me aware of the product, I too had become a supporter and passed the word on. 

And that’s how it works. Think about the entire customer journey, from the manner in which the prospect becomes aware of your offering through research, consideration and purchase, all the way through post purchase satisfaction, to the point they become a loyal advocate for your brand. Anticipate their emotional and functional needs at each point in the customer life-cycle, imagine what types of interactions they could have with the brand at each step and which channels are most effective to deliver what they want when they need it. In this example, word of mouth was more powerful than anything to get me to try the dentist. SMS text was the best way to remind me about an appointment. Personal interaction with the doctor caused me to consider purchasing things I didn’t originally go there for. The answers are different for every business, but the method of mapping the customer journey in order to imagine an optimal customer experience every step of the way holds the same value regardless of industry or business model. It clearly worked for my dentist. It can work for you.