Recently I had a problem with iTunes on one of my Apple computers. I had to contact Apple customer services in an attempt to get things fixed.
I looked online, found a number and telephoned. To my surprise I found myself speaking to a very nice and courteous American female who was able to discuss the problem with me at length with seemingly great knowledge.
We had a long discussion, after which, she told me that she was unable to help me this time, but would be directing my query to one of her colleagues who would contact me within 24 hours in an attempt to resolve the problem. I had a discussion with the girl and found out that she was a student in Austin, Texas and worked in the evenings to provide customer support for the UK and Ireland!
Within 24 hours somebody else from Apple contacted me but it was clear from the email that I received that this person was not from America and his English, although acceptable, was not ideal. His name was Stanley and despite the problem with my software being relatively complex, he was able to talk me through, by email, a solution that rectified the problem extremely quickly.
The customer service experience was fantastic and I was absolutely struck by Apple's use of technology, both in communications between here and the United States and then in directing my query and all of the information through (I guess) a far Eastern country and then back to me.
I then started to think about the use of technology within our business and as a dental practice, we are at the very forefront of technology within our sector. Our use of digital images, both photographic and radiographic, on the computer is stunning. We can 3-dimensionally scan any patient and place dental implants electronically for the patient to see. We have a high-definition intra-oral camera, where we can photograph any part of the inside of the patients mouth and post this onto our Apple cinema screen monitor to explain the situation to the patient. This is in conjunction with our clinical notes system where everything is stored within a patient bundle. Our appointments, accounts and letters system are all integrated and we also have the ability to text our patients reminders and other necessary information.
Modern day dentistry needs technology to give the highest quality patient experience and we try everyday to provide that to the best of our ability.
Please come and see us, if you are a dentist or a patient, to see how we do this. You would be very welcome.
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