That is the campaign slogan for the new iPhone. Yesterday we got a look at it and Apple is right. This changes everything. Let me give you some serious advice that is not based on brand promotion. This is a blog that you will remember for a long time if you are paying attention. If you dismiss it right now because I am talking about Apple technology, you are going to be looking (from behind) as your competitors take the immediate communications advantage of offered by the new iPhone4.
One feature in particular offers you a tremendous advantage in communications and you should take it immediately. It is the FaceTime feature. Video phone calls. If you haven’t seen the promotional clip, watch it here before you go on to read about why you need to be an iPhone-friendly practice.
Video calls are now the new standard in communication. This product launch is going to be very similar to the iPhone launch in 2007 when overnight the standard changed. Certainly competitors are not far behind and the features we see only on the iPhone now will be all over the place. That is why it is absolutely critical that you adopt this technology and use it as soon as it is available. Why? You now have the chance to be more intimate with your patients and prospects and if you don’t use this edge, someone else will.
Look no further than the segment of this commercial where the mother shows the father the ultrasound on a video call. For cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists, this takes those private moments of realization and makes them sharable. And, we all know the shared experience is the most powerful experience of all.
For instance, in cosmetic dentistry, every cosmetic case has an emotional moment. It is the moment when the patient sees their new smile in temporaries. This is the first look at what their new smile of veneers will look like. This is where the patient often cries, hugs the doctor, gets emotional somehow and sees their life change. It is the happy, memorable moment that fuels the experience for 99% of cosmetic patients. It is also a moment that is almost always only shared with a chairside group... the patient, the dentist and the dental assistants. If you are an iPhone friendly office, you can now allow your patient to share the experience with loved ones as it happens. Friends, family... let them all share in the experience. You can now make the experience a shared experience. This influences more people.
For cosmetic surgeons, you all want your prospective patients to bring a friend. When two women shop together, the friend is an excellent reinforcement for the decision to buy. And, in many cases, the friend is a good prospective patient as well. However, shopping in pairs happens way too infrequently for a variety of reasons. As an iPhone-friendly practice, you can bring in the friend. Imagine at the point where a prospective patient is trying on breast sizers, how conferencing in a friend, a family member, a husband or a boyfriend could make a difference.
And, for post op patients with iPhones who are a distance away, imagine how much easier it will be to check in on post-op recovery. Your ability to be accessible just improved. I hope you take it.
These are just two examples of how this one feature can be used to reposition your practice as a great communicating practice. There are many other features of iPads and the new iPhone which can be used to enhance your communication capabilities at your practice. If you are interested in ways that you can improve your communications with these new Apple tools, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com
