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Dental Office Management – Answering the Phone

December 18th, 2008 · No Comments

Have you ever called a company and been put on eternal hold? Or how about those calls where the person you’re speaking with asks you to wait a minute, then starts talking to someone else so that you can hear their conversation. I’ve actually called a dental practice and was greeted with a gruff, “Hello?” I thought I had the wrong number, but when I asked for the dentist, I was told, “Yeah, hold on,”and that was followed by the sound of a phone being dropped on a desk and footsteps shuffling around. Finally, I was told to call back later and then – click – the call ended. If you aren’t paying attention to how your office phone is answered, you could be losing lots of patients. The inital call is your chance to make a great first impression. That sounds cliche, but it’s true! Marketing can bring the patients to your office, by phone, email, or in person, but all the great marketing in the world won’t convert and retain patients for you.

So what can you do about it? Review this list, “Phone Answering Tips to Win Business,” by Susan Ward at About.com. Another great article to check out is “Dental Practice Management – 10 Tops on Reaching Your Practice Potential” by Roger P. Levin of Levin Group. There’s no time like a new year to set goals, and if you’re genuinely enthusiastic about a new standard, the team should follow suit.

Another important factor that all contemporary dental offices must consider is answering email. If you have a website and your email address is posted, or if your email address is in your print marketing, you must make certain that an employee checks the inbox daily. An eloquent, informative, friendly return email should be sent to every potential or current patient who emails your office. If you happen to have a phone number for the patient, a follow-up phone call will underscore your commitment to excellent customer service.

Tags: Administrative