As a business owner, your reputation is critical to your business success.  It must be constantly nurtured to ensure that your practice thrives. 

The best way to keep tabs on your reputation is to make sure your staff is on board with your particular brand of customer service.  Your staff represents you to your patients.  Are they creating a welcoming, pleasant environment?  Do they greet your patients with a smile and a caring attitude?

Have patient interaction policies in place, and make sure staff members know and are actively practicing them.  Not doing so can seriously damage your reputation.  For example, you want your patients to be greeted by your receptionist in a timely and cheerful fashion. 

But suppose as patients enter your practice, your receptionist is busy with personal phone calls, and ignores them?

Hopefully, that isn’t the case, but the point is that you absolutely must stay on top of how your patients are treated by your staff.  It’s difficult to do so when you are busy treating patients, so ask your patients for their feedback.  It is up to you to ensure your reputation reflects the reality.