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Laura:  I went to the dentist two weeks ago – something I generally do twice a year, with little fanfair.  I like my dentist tremendously. He is part of a great, large practice with wonderful employees– from the gal who checks me in to the hygienist to the dentist himself.  Everything is handled perfectly in a truly lovely atmosphere.  How many folks can say that about going to the dentist?

In and out in about an hour and look mom – no cavities!  I even got a Superman sticker!

Then, two days later, I received a letter from the dental practice – in what looked like a greeting card style envelope.  I couldn’t imagine what it was.

So I opened it.

It was a thank you card – and I use the term loosely.

Someone had printed out, on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of copy paper, a thank you note for my visit. They had folded it to look like one of those old print-em-yourself cards from the late 80’s, and stuffed it in this envelope.  No logo, no professional printing, no personal message. And frankly, someone needs to tell them that they are just about out of black ink.

I was stunned – and not in the good way.

With this one shabby piece of mail, my dental practice left me with an impression of “cheap” and “ick.”

The worst part – it was a completely unnecessary piece of communication. I’ve gotten postcards from our vet – reminders of pup appointments – that were of significantly higher quality.

Don’t do this.

Your customers love the unexpected.  And a note like this, personalized on decent stationary, could have been a real “win.”  It could have reminded me of my next appointment, congratulated me on “no cavities” or simply reinforced the high branding I’ve come to associate with my dentist.

But in this case, not sending anything would have been the best way to go.