Ortho Telecom - Making Things Simple!

I recently needed to cancel services with our telecommunications provider and I had the unfortunate experience of having to go through a very time consuming and frustrating experience. I still do recall a time where we were not charged for every single additional service, customer service still existed, and if you ever wanted to cancel services you would be able to so without a hassle. More importantly, I never remember having to fight to have monies returned, that were rightfully mine. How things have changed over the years.

What if we ran our orthodontic office like some of these companies that are “committed” to providing exceptional customer service? Here would be just a few examples:

“We are entering the finishing phase of treatment and you will need elastics to make your teeth fit better. Here are two packs of elastics which should last until your next appointment. It is $10 for the two packs today or we can bundle all your elastics during your entire treatment duration into one value pack price of $49.99.”

“We know your orthodontic problem is important to us so please stay on the line. However, we are currently experiencing a higher than normal call volumes. Your current average wait time to speak with our scheduling coordinator is up to 45 minutes.”

“The $50 charge for the additional office visit is correct. We were more than happy to show little Jimmy how to brush his teeth again, however, we do charge for our time so I would suggest he pay closer attention during his appointment when instructions are given.”

“Thank you for calling our office. We would love to help you with your orthodontic problem. Let me schedule an appointment to see our orthodontist. We can schedule an appointment between 8-5 or in the morning between 8-1. Let us know which one works better in your schedule. For whatever reason, if the doctor does not show up during this appointment time, we will go ahead and reschedule the appointment for another day and/or time.”

"We can ship you the wires and instruments to you or you can pick them up at one of our many offices. If you'd like the doctor to come over and help you, there will be a fee. You can also refer to our website for additional assistance”!

“I know that you are moving and you would like to stop treatment with us. We usually require 90 days of notice and you signed a contract for the entire 2 years of treatment. Please submit a written request stating that you no longer are interested in continuing with your treatment and we will have someone review your request. Please allow for 4-6 weeks for this to be processed. In the meantime, we will continue to charge you until this issue is resolved”.

It is nice that we pride ourselves on patient care and outstanding service. We do the best we can to make our patients happy. We don’t just say it. Although there may be occasions where we might run 5 minutes behind, or we may need to glue a bracket back on once in awhile, just be glad that you are coming to see us and not one of those telecommunications giants!