Written by – Robin Morrison, President – RLM Healthcare Marketing & Consulting
Statistics tell us that less than 40% of potential new patients calling dental practices are actually converted and scheduled. If they do not schedule on the first call, 99% of the time, they are totally lost. Think about the loss of revenue this means to the practice.
The good news is, this dismal 40% can increase dramatically with motivational coaching. I say motivational because I feel team coaching needs to be respectful (not critical) in order for team members to embrace and implement the strategies they are being taught.
Below are some recommendations to be considered for implementation. My experience with practices I have coached through this is, you will see a remarkable increase in call conversion when following these.
- Greeting
Your greeting sets the stage for the call and can determine the outcome of the call, the goal always being a scheduled appointment. Start by speaking slowly and clearly with a friendly greeting.
“Thank you for calling Northside Dental, this is Robin, may I ask who I am speaking with?”
Getting their name from the beginning allows you to use their name throughout the call, making it more personal.
Once they give you their name and you determine they are a new patient, say
“Welcome to our office, Mary, how is your day so far?”
This simple call strategy helps you take control of the call from the beginning – you’re asking the questions instead of the other way around. This takes you out of the hot seat.
Your tone is very important, as well as how fast you speak. It is common in a busy dental practice to feel hurried. You just can’t let the patient feel that. It makes them feel uneasy, unimportant and like they have interrupted you. Practice speaking slowly and controlled while keeping a smile on your face.
- Placing callers on hold
If you must place a caller on hold, always get their phone number before doing so – you will already have their name if you followed the greeting recommendations.
“Mary, may I have permission to place you on hold briefly? In case we get disconnected, may I have your phone number? Thank you, and I will be right back with you.”
When you return to the line, always thank them for their patience.
Placing a new patient on hold should be a last resort. If this happens often, there may be a staffing issue that needs to be resolved. During peak calling times, please make sure adequate staffing is is place for answering the phone.
- Engaging the caller
Listen to the callers concerns, acknowledge them, and make them feel comfortable
Maybe Mary says, “I have not been to the dentist is a long time and I am nervous.”
“Mary, many of our patients feel the same way you do. I want you to know that Dr. Jones is very gentle and kind. He will put you at ease and you’re going to do just fine.”
Or …
Mary says, “I broke my front tooth and can’t let anyone see me like this. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Mary, I would feel the same way. Let me arrange our schedule to get you right in and we’ll do everything we can today to take care of that and get you comfortable.”
This makes the caller feel like they have found someone they can trust and will take good care of them.
- Selling the practice
Watch for opportunities to sell the practice. By this, I mean when a caller says, “I’m going to need an implant.” You want to say:
“Great Mary, Dr. Jones is an expert in implants, in fact he does several implant cases every week. He’s had extensive training in implants and it’s one of his favorite procedures.”
Or …
Mary says, “I have a crown in the front that never matched my other front tooth, and it has always bothered me. I’d like to see if anything can be done about it.”
“Mary, you called just the right place because Dr. Jones is so particular about matching shades and making crowns look so natural that you can’t even tell it is a crown.”
Grabbing these little opportunities will set you apart from the rest of the dental offices they may be calling. Selling the practice will help you win the caller over and convert them to a patient.
- Insurance Obstacles
Insurance obstacles are the biggest reasons callers do not convert to patients. One thing to remember is that although it is important to patients to be able to use their insurance benefits, they are also looking for good care and having a dentist they can trust and feel comfortable with. For this reason, you want to engage the caller, sell the practice and win the patient over before discussing insurance. Save the insurance questions for the end of the call. If you are following all of the recommended steps for the call, you will have more control of the call and will be able to hold the insurance question for the end. It’s also important to let the caller know that many services such as cosmetic procedures and implants are not covered under most PPO plans. This is especially important if they are inquiring about these types of procedures.
The insurance portion of the call may go something like this if you are not a provider for their plan …
Patient:
Do you accept Met Life PPO?
“Yes, Dr. Jones is an out of network provider for your plan and will be happy to see you Mary. We will file your claims and help maximize your benefits. Fees will be quoted to you prior to providing services, so you will always know your out of pocket portion is up front.”
- Avoid quoting fees
Callers often want to know fees up front, but it is pretty much impossible to provide an adequate quote prior to examination. As we all know, callers are calling several practices to see who has the best price. So, depending on your philosophy, here are some ways to avoid quoting fees.
“Mary, I totally understand that you need to know your financial obligations up front. For this reason, we offer an initial complimentary evaluation so we can determine your needs and present you with options. At that time, we will be able to go over costs and treatment recommendations. I would be doing you a disservice to quote you a fee over the phone because every patient and every case is unique. We have found our patients really appreciate this visit and love knowing everything up front.”
If patients keep pushing for fees to be quoted, this is a great statement …
“Mary, if fees are the most important thing for you when choosing a dental home, our practice may not be a fit for you. Although our fees are very affordable, the quality of care we provide to our patients is excellent and we find that the patients in our practice value that over all else. I would love to schedule you for an evaluation, if you would like.”
If you do not offer a complimentary evaluation, you may want to quote only the initial visit fee and let them know all recommendations and fees will be presented on the initial visit.
- Scheduling the new patient visit
New patients are the life blood of the practice. When a potential new patient calls, the ultimate goal is to covert them to a loyal patient in the practice. Marketing dollars have been spent to drive them to your practice. Every call should be answered like it’s the most important phone call of the day. Once you get to the point of scheduling, always offer the soonest appointment available. Be sure to reserve enough new patient times in your schedule to achieve your new patient goals.
“Mary, I have time available tomorrow at 2:00 pm. Will that work for you?”
Two things are happening here. One – you want to fill new patient time to meet your new patient goals. Two – the sooner you get them in, the less likely they will cancel or no show for this appointment. If the first time you offered will not work, go directly to your next available appointment. DO NOT ask them when they would like to come in. This is a big part of you controlling the call and scheduling to meet your goals.
- End of Call
As you approach the end of the call, be sure to always offer an appointment. Don’t just answer their questions and tell them to have a good day. This is so common and the patient is lost for good.
You want to say …
“ If I’ve answered all of your questions, let’s get you scheduled. I have time available with the doctor at 2:00 tomorrow.”
Very Important:
After they schedule their appointment, ask them if they have any other family members they would like to schedule at this time. You will be surprised how many will say YES!
Always thank them for calling and tell them you look forward to meeting them. Encourage them to call you if they have further questions. Let them know this time is reserved in the doctor’s schedule only for them, and to please be sure to keep their appointment. This will help significantly to reduce cancellations and no-shows.
“Mary, thank you so much for calling today. I look forward to meeting you on June 10th at 9:00 am. I’ve reserved this time with Doctor Jones only for you, so please be sure to keep this appointment. If you should have any questions, please write my name down and feel free to call me directly.”
If you would like to learn more about our call conversion coaching, please schedule a call with Robin at https://rlmmarketing.com/book-a-call/