I had an appointment with my dentist yesterday. But right before I was supposed to leave, the dentist’s office called me to say they were running behind, and asked me to show up a little bit later than my original appointment time. Then, when I got there, I ended up waiting another 20 minutes past the new time. Normally, this would be a rather annoying delay. But because they took the time to call me, I didn’t mind waiting at all.

We’ve all been trained to expect long, unpredictable wait times at the doctor or the dentist. Whether they realize it or not, my dentist’s office is doing something remarkable by bucking the trend. It only takes them a few seconds more per patient, but makes a world of difference in customer perception. Now, whenever I hear someone talking about how long their dentist makes them wait, I’ll be ready to tell them about this experience — and perhaps send a new customer over to my dentist in the process.