THE FIRST PERSON-TO-PERSON CONTACT---YOUR TELEPHONE

We know that the majority of new patients find a prospective dental home through the internet.  Marketing gurus tell us between 65%-70% of Americans in the 30 to 50 age range now search for health information, including finding a practice that will meet their family’s needs, online.

However, once a patient decides which dental office to call to schedule an initial  appointment, the telephone is the front door, the first person-to-person contact, the all-important first impression.  Chances are that non-clinical staff members answer the telephone in your office.  These business team members must be well trained, not simply expected to handle all phone calls by the proverbial “seat of their pants”.  Calls must be answered promptly, by the third ring at the latest, with a pleasant voice and manner.  Answers to frequently asked questions should be part of all telephone greeters’ training.  The type of questions to be answered by each team member should be specified; for example, business staff may handle scheduling, billing/insurance, fee, and similar questions.  Questions about treatment plans, home care, follow-up directions or concerns following treatment, and similar clinical questions should be referred to trained clinical staff.  Calls about urgent care needs, an emergency following treatment, or a dissatisfied patient too upset to respond to an experienced staff member should be referred to the dentist.  Suggestion: use staff meeting time with team member in-put to assess the telephone protocols in your office.  If they are less than stellar, make fixing them a priority.

Telephone protocols for an office should be established by the dentist and clearly understood by all team members.  Remember the old axiom, “One has only one chance to make a good first impression.” is true of a dental office as well as an individual.  Make the first impression your office gives an excellent one with well-organized, consistently-used telephone protocols.