I was at the dentist this morning for a regular check-up. Imagine my surprise when I leaned back and all of a sudden was watching RTL Vandaag on a television screen above my head. Appearantly, things are changing at one of the least customer-centric environments.

Dentists in the Netherlands do not like people, much less customers. It is an unfortunate necessity to have them, to survive, but the sooner they’re out the door the better, with their filthy teeth. They don’t listen, don’t brush enough and don’t see they’re teeth as the most precious thing on earth. Horrible.

This is at least the feeling you get once you step inside. I’m not even talking about the fact that they might be the only profession where people pay to get tortured. I am talking about the unattractive interior design with cartoons and other posters only the dentist herself finds funny. About the radio which is on during a session, on a station that the dentist likes, not the customer. On the unintelligent reservation system, that only has the best interest of the dentist in mind (including impossible hours for the working class). Health 2.0, anyone?

And then there was the television. I could not change the channel, or switch to any other medium, but it’s a start. Let’s see what next step they’ve taken in 6 months.