Patient retention is a crucial component to the success of any practice, so a dental office should focus some of its attention on patient retention marketing strategies. According to the Hearing Journal, the average company loses approximately 10 to 30 percent of its customers each year. Some of these losses may be unavoidable, such as those caused by patients who need to relocate for their jobs or kids growing up and moving away from home. In order to decrease the amount of preventable losses, however, an office may wish to increase patient retention to improve the overall performance of their business.

• Increase dental marketing materials. Improving dental marketing directly to current practice patients can help keep the office in mind the next time a person realizes they are due for a cleaning. Items such as patient newsletters, loyalty offers and patient surveys measuring satisfaction can subtly ensure that the practice is kept in the back of a person's mind until they experience a need. These materials act as a reminder for patients.
• Improve communication. Creating a rapport with a patient through active communication and heartfelt energy can increase the goodwill they'll feel toward both the office staff and the overall environment. Positive office interactions and an increase in communication methods such as referral cards and patient surveys can improve a person's view of going to the dentist.
• Review the patient experience. According to IntegrativePractitioner, an online resource for healthcare professionals, having employees, administrators and dentists undergo the average patient experience can help identify potential problem areas leading to a poor patient retention rate. However, the test works best if employees are honest in an "average day" portrayal, which they may feel unable to complete objectively. A dentist may wish to ask a friend or family member to undergo the experience and fill out one of their patient surveys to gather more information.