When technology becomes emotional for the patient

I took my dog Betsy to the vets a few weeks ago to decide on the options for having her spade. Betsy is 6 months old and of course I want the very best for her as any pet owner would, they are a member of the family after all. Although Betsy is unable to have a say on her options it is important that as the owner I understand how to make the best choice for her. Any operation is emotional for me and I am careful in these situations. 

Ian our vet, is so in tune with emotional connection, combing his continual investment in technology and training, which drives his passion in delivering first class communication. When Ian talked about the options for Betsy he presented two. The first option was a traditional surgical procedure and the second option was for a laser surgery removal of Betsy’s ovaries.

When Ian talked about option two, he built in the ability to talk about the training he has undertaken, the results he has achieved using the laser and the benefits, better recovery time, less pain, smaller wounds and less time spent at the vets. This explanation was combined with him showing me the laser in action, he showed me a video of another dog he had treated Martha. He explained how he had used the laser for Martha and I could see for myself how it seared the skin tight when cutting, there was no blood spillage and it was clear to me it was a totally clean and safe procedure.

Expense is always a factor when making a decision but the way he discussed it with me and the way he presented the options to me, allowed me to make a very easy decision. I wanted the best for Betsy and I chose the laser surgery. At this stage the cost had not been confirmed but I had already chosen my option and the reason is because he took the time to explain and show me evidence of success.

When he told me the investment, it was double the price of conventional surgery, however he didn’t apologise for the fee being higher for the laser, he just confirmed and re outlined the benefits and asked me what I wanted to do for Betsy.

What I find in dental practices is that you to have technology to show your patients, to make it easier for you to communicate to your patients what is going on. The use of Intra oral camera’s, full mouth pictures and testimonials of patients is so powerful and yet in many cases are not being used, even when available! Dentists I find are still relying on a traditional conversation alone to confirm options and for me, when we live in a world where technology is at our finger tips, you really should be using this to your advantage. Every patient would benefit from you sharing your successes in picture or video form, as it is so powerful and patients will see how passionate and confident you are in getting amazing results.

When you do talk about investment, if you have already made the time to share your recommendations in this way, the price will not be a principle factor. Remember if you invest in new technology this must go hand in hand with you being able to communicate all the benefits surrounding predictability, longevity and giving great guarantees. At the end of the day your patients in the main do want the best, but they can’t always see what you can see, or know, so you really do have to show the patients what you can achieve.

My vet Ian is so confident with his ability that he filmed the entire surgery that Betsy had. After her procedure Ian took me through the procedure that was filmed and I saw the laser being used with the removal of each ovary, what Ian had said in the consultation was exactly what happened, clean removal, no blood, minimal wound. He also showed me all Betsy’s internal organs and confirmed the health of each and because of the relationship he has built with us, he asked if he could use his new ultrasound machine to scan Betsy’s heart. Of course I said yes and again he went to the trouble of sharing with me the ultrasound and how it really is going to help with so many animals at the practice. This experience has blown me away, I am not easily impressed, but the care by Ian and his team really shows, in his ability to mix patient skills, with animal love and a thirst for cutting edge technology to improve his success.

I meet so many dentists that have so much technology and then don’t go that extra mile to really take the time to show patients the very best that they can do and get frustrated when they have to go back to traditional methods of treatment as the patients don’t understand the benefits of investing more, to receive the very best that you have to offer.

You will be pleased to know that Betsy has now fully recovered and Ian will get a great testimonial from me, Now thats a great emotional technology outcome.

Michael