How many times has this happened to you? You go to a restaurant where you have a reservation and they make you wait because your table isn't ready.

You finally are escorted to your table, but it's not cleared or set up yet. You're ready to order but your server is nowhere around. The kitchen is slow preparing your order and when it finally arrives, you find they got it wrong.

In the end, you probably register your dissatisfaction with a smaller than usual tip, but of course it's not all the server's fault – the server didn't take (or lose) your reservation, or cook your food. It's a team process and clearly this team was not ready for you.

At least they weren't ready to make a great impression. After all, the staff was there, the kitchen was stocked; so they were prepared to serve food. They just weren't prepared to do it in a way that made you feel special. We know, because we know that's what it feels like when a restaurant gets everything right – it makes you feel like a special guest.

In a similar way, just about all dental practices are pretty good at the basics of being ready for patients. But it takes exceptional team preparation to provide an exceptional experience – that extra attention for a new patient's first visit, for example. There's a huge difference between 99 percent and 101 percent readiness. In fact, I'd say it's a bigger, more noticeable difference than the gap between 90 percent and 99 percent. And it's in that top tier of readiness that great experiences – and great relationships – are born.


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