The most important things to know when a new patient calls your dental practice

November 11, 2015

There’s no question that the phone can be one of the best parts of your dental practice. It can also be one of the worst parts as well. Here's what you need to know.

There’s no question that the phone can be one of the best parts of your dental practice. It can also be one of the worst parts as well.

When a new patient calls your practice, it won’t take long for that person to have an immediate feel for your business and if he or she wants to be a part of your patient family. What can you do to help that person feel more at ease? What can you do to help your front desk feel more at ease when answering the phone? These were topics I recently discussed with Lisa Marie Spradley, commonly known in the dental industry as “The Front Desk Lady.”

During an information-packed Google Hangout, I talked to Spradley, once named Office Manager of the Year by the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM), about what can be done inside the dental practice to make the phone call more productive and less stressful for everyone involved.

“I believe in scripting, but I also believe you can’t be a robot,” Spradley said. “It’s about education and it’s about the person on the phone knowing the answers to the most commonly asked questions. It boils down to communication and making sure that everyone is on the same page in the practice. Everyone should be able to answer the most commonly asked questions by new patients.”

Click below to watch more thoughts from Spradley on the importance of communication and the phone call…