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"Sesame helps us reach out to our patient family between visits so they know we really care."
Dr. Donna L. Panucci
South Charleston, WV
In one of the most successful orthodontic practices on the East Coast, the success formula is elegantly simple: treat patients like family. Dr. Donna Panucci shares her secret as a regular lecturer on the topic of practice marketing. "Our patient family is the audience and our goal is outstanding customer service and the creation of a lasting impression," states Dr. Panucci. The doctor frequently mentions "family" when she describes the Panucci way of creating smiling fans. It's not just a buzzword; her entire practice lives by this credo.
When the team of nineteen gave a three-hour presentation "Internally Marketing Your Ortho Practice" at the 2005 AAO annual meeting in San Francisco, they all wore their signature purple Panucci Allstars T-shirts. Each team member carried ball, bat or glove and sprinted to the podium as she was introduced. Characteristically, the woman in the coach jersey put herself last in the line-up. In the course of their program, Dr. Panucci emphasized, "By building positive relationships with our patients and parents and reinforcing these positive relationships throughout treatment, we create our practice's most important referral source."
Their web service is key in making patients feel well-informed and well cared for. "Sesame makes it easy for us to keep in touch with our patients when they're away from the office," says Marketing Director Kelley Gilmore. "It really takes our customer service into their homes." This is confirmed by patients' responses in surveys. Rodney Adkins noted how much he appreciated seeing his daughter's treatment pictures on panuccismiles.com. "It is really neat being able to show our family comparison pictures of Ashley's smile before and now," said Adkins. Many patients remark on how the practice combines sophisticated technology with personal attention. Jennifer Wagner commented "Dr. Panucci and her team treat their patients like family. I particularly appreciate the email appointment reminders."
Sesame sends tens of thousands of automated emails each year to Dr. Panucci's patients, messages that help patients keep their appointments — and also keep spirits high. In April, patients got the message "Don't forget next week is 'South of the Border Week!' Be sure to wear something Fiesta Fun!" The automated emails also remind patients what distinguishes the practice, including Dr. Panucci's local-girl-made-good story (high school class valedictorian, top in her dental school class) and the high qualifications of the staff. (There are twenty certified orthodontic assistants in the state of West Virginia. Eight of them work in Dr. Panucci's office.)
"Knowing we excel at what we do makes patients feel good about their choice of orthodontist," notes Tina Crane, the practice's Director of Business Operations. "And it makes them feel good about referring friends and family."
Gilmore relies on the Sesame Practice Marketing™ system to tie together all the practice's activities and make more people aware of the practice's community involvement more ways. "Sesame turns every single event into three or four news opportunities," she says. For example, Gilmore announces the annual Patient Appreciation Party at Putt Putt Golf & Games through her Sesame newsletter in early summer. Then she adds fun photos from the party to the Contests & Events page on panuccismiles.com. And, finally, she features highlights from the event in the fall newsletter. "We're spending the same amount of money but getting a lot more exposure," says Gilmore.
Gilmore also uses the newsletter to feature schools that the practice draws from. "When a group of our students took a trip to Russia recently, we profiled them in the Panucci Press. These are stories that our patients are interested in. Sharing the stories reinforces our practice's family atmosphere."
Dr. Panucci contributes to many charities; Sesame helps maximize the public relations value of these contributions. "I like how Sesame multiplies the benefit of our sponsorships and donations," says Dr. Panucci. "When our team participated in the March of Dimes Walk, we did more than raise money. We raised awareness of this important cause through our newsletter story and the link on our web site."
Everything at this practice comes back around to treating patients like family. "Sesame helps us reach out to our patient family between visits so they know we really care," says the doctor. Patients clearly feel the love — and respond. Parent Rodney Adkins sums it up in an email: "I wish you could be our healthcare professional for every health need we may ever have." 75% of referrals to Dr. Panucci's practice come from patients who share his sentiment.
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