"My dentist is Dr. Matt Stohl of Foothill Dental," writes DJ Waldow in an article at MarketingProfs. "As an email-marketing nut, instead of critiquing how he administers Novocaine or how the hygienist flosses my teeth ... I think about how the staff communicates with customers." Waldow gives Dr. Stohl high marks, and says if his dental practice's staff understand email marketing, so can you.

Here's what they get right:

• They request an email address when setting an appointment. It's a simple fact: They wouldn't have received Waldow's address if they hadn't asked for it.
• They explain why it's beneficial for the patient. "The receptionist at Stohl's office told me that the staff would use my email address to remind me of appointments," he says. "Simple, yet powerful."
• They deliver on their promise. Two days before his appointment, Waldow received a message that asked him to confirm the scheduled time by clicking on a large, green button.
• They follow up with other relationship-building messages. "Besides my appointment-reminder emails," he notes, "Foothill has also sent me a brief survey (which I completed) and a Happy Birthday email." Waldow believes they could expand these messages to include a monthly e-newsletter.

"On my last visit, one of the dental hygienists ... told me that they could [contact me through] ... whichever medium was most convenient for me," Waldow reports. "Yes, for me." He confirmed that he was happy with his email reminders. "If I could give out stars to Stohl and his staff, they would receive 4.5 out of 5," he concludes.

Now, that's healthy, clean customer service.

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