It may surprise you to learn that one of the most important pieces of equipment in your surgery is the telephone. It has the power to expand your patient base and is the first port of call for many of your existing customers. Despite this, very few of us know how to use it effectively. In the dental industry serious implications can arise from practice staff not having a professional and friendly telephone manner.
Every year practices will plough thousands of pounds into marketing, whether this is in the shape of their website or more conventional forms of advertisement. The goal of this is to get people visiting, emailing or phoning the practice. If the person answering your phones does not have the correct skills to convert a phone call enquiry into a new patient then this marketing money is essentially wasted.
The problems that most practices suffer from are that the people who answer their phones tend to be too brash, discourteous and don’t listen because they are preoccupied with other things going on in the practice. The initial engagement on the phone is very important, after all, the person calling could be looking to spend thousands on a treatment plan, so it is important to make the correct impression right away.
Practices need to bear in mind that the modern patient has many options open to them when looking for a practice and good customer service can often swing their decision. This is especially true for nervous patients or those who suffer from dental anxiety, they will be looking for a welcoming practice that helps them to feel at ease.
Another area that phone users should consider is the way that they get information from the caller that will lead them to the dental chair. After the caller has made their initial enquiry, the receptionist must use a friendly tone and listen carefully to the caller in order to provide them with the most accommodating service.
Of course, there will also be difficult callers, these may be patients who are not completely satisfied with the treatment they have received. The person who answers the phone will need to be able to speak to the patient professionally. This includes being able to say sorry without taking the blame, in this instance the apology is for the discomfort that the patient is in, not for the work of the dentist.
Luckily there are now courses which will teach both you and your staff how to deal with these situations and improve your overall telephone manor. These courses will help you to expand your patient base and develop excellent relationships with your existing patients.
There is a huge difference between new and existing patients. A lot of practices will think that they have great telephone skills because they are very good at speaking with their existing patients. The reason for this is that they are familiar with the individual, they have met them before, they may know one or two of their family members and the ‘fear factor’ of someone new isn’t there as they know what to expect. This applies whether or not the individual is considered a ‘good patient’ or a ‘bad patient’. With a new patient there is no existing relationship and as such a different skillset must be used to build a rapport. With a new patient you don’t know what they are going to say or how they are going to act, that is something that must be kept in mind.
It is important to remember that speaking face to face is very different to conversing over the phone. It is harder to understand what message a person is trying to convey as there is no visual feedback, there is no body language to read. It becomes more of a challenge and listening carefully is key to overcoming this.