Figure 1: Here we are recording a video check-up message that we will message to a patient.
The day after you’ve made your postprocedural call using Ye Old Call Sheet, you record and send the Triple P, VC. The assisting team and I assemble in our conference room to record the video checkup immediately after our morning huddle (figure 1). Using the call sheet, we go down the list of patients from the previous day and determine to whom we will send videos. We send videos to patients who have had procedures such as the following:
- Crown preparations
- Crown placement
- Veneer placement
- Surgical extractions
- Implant placement
- Denture insertions
- Periodontal surgery
- Scaling and root planing
- Endodontic procedures
- Occlusal adjustments
- Local anesthetic
- Emergency visits
By using the information gathered from the previous night’s patient calls, you are factually up-to-date for the video.
It is never been easier to film quality video. All you need is a smartphone. But here are a few quick tips:
- Use a professional background. We use one of the walls in our conference room that has some of our awards.
- Never film shooting into a light source. You may want to close all of the blinds in that particular room.
- If you are shooting with a smartphone, use a smartphone stabilizer. We like one made by SMove, but any quality model will do. The stabilizer takes the shake out of the video, and many models will allow you to pan, tilt, and zoom with the touch of a button.
Most videos average 32–45 seconds in length and no longer. Here’s a typical script: “Hi, Joan. It’s Dr. Smith and my assisting team, Mary and Jane, checking on you. We want to make sure that there are no residual effects from the anesthetic, that your veneers still feel and look great, and that there are no bite issues. If there are any problems day or night, please feel free to contact me at (555) 321-1234 at any time, 24/7. This is also our office cell, (555) 321-4321. Please feel free to text us back and let us know how you are doing.”
Why go through the trouble? Smartphone video has brought us into a golden age of communication. With minimal effort, you can give patients something personal and special. This fosters the doctor-patient relationship, builds trust, and creates an experience that is unique to your practice. We live in an age of video, and people like to watch video, period. It has been shown that the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it decodes text.1
Review the video (or have an assistant review it) prior to sending. Be certain that you are sending it to the correct number! We send all videos with the following standard text: “Hi, Joan! It is Dr. Smith and team checking on you. Please see the video.” We do one final check of the video and the number before pressing send, and then the video is on its way.
The text is copied and pasted from a set place on the smartphone. This saves time and helps us get the message correct with a simple name change. In the Reminders app, we have a title of Triple P, VC, and the first line is the standard text.
Timing delivery is everything. We aim for slightly before lunch. That’s because the delighted and absolutely amazed patient is more likely to show his or her coworkers your video over lunch, doing some automatic marketing work for you.
Your patients will be blown away. We have been told by most recipients that they also showed family and friends later in the day or the days following. Expect patients to text back with compliments and gratitude (figures 2–5).
