Read on for phone tips for your front office staff to improve call to conversion rates to win new patients.
At your dental office, your front office staff is the first impression of your practice. Before someone even has a chance to meet their dentist, they speak with someone in the front office – most likely over the phone. This impression that new patients receive determines if they will choose your office, and also if they will be leaving a positive or negative review about your practice online. One bad experience can lead to a negative review – which you don’t want for your business’s reputation.
This is why ensuring that your front office staff is equipped with the right type of skills is very important for a successful practice. If potential patients don’t have a good experience with your office from the get-go, they may end up with a poor impression of your business before even having the chance to become a patient.
How are employees failing to ensure that your practice receives a stellar impression and good online reputation right from the beginning? Below are four ways that your front office employees are potentially ruining your dental office’s reputation.
Mistake #1: They aren’t answering the phone
When someone is deciding on a new dentist to go to, they will most likely call your office to learn more and set up an appointment. If there aren’t enough employees to answer phones, phone lines are too busy, or front office staff are busy doing other tasks that they sometimes miss phone calls, this is an issue.
Do you know if you are missing calls, and when the most calls are missed? Take a look at your call tracking data to determine when missed calls are happening, and make sure you are staffed efficiently during those time periods. Make sure that front office staff know that answering the phone is a top priority so that they do not let calls go to voicemail, potentially missing an opportunity to win over a new patient for the office.
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Mistake #2: They aren’t building a relationship with patients
To get a caller to book an appointment with your office, they must feel like they will get good service and like the people who work there. This starts when they first speak to one of your front office staff.
If employees aren’t working to build relationships on the phone and have real conversations with callers that aren’t feeling rushed or with a poor tone, they aren’t making callers want to choose your practice for their dental needs.
Building rapport leads to a good relationship and earns trust from your callers. When people feel comfortable and welcome, they will want to do business with you and keep coming back.
The same also goes for in-person experiences. Warm, inviting, friendly front office staff ensures that your patients feel comfortable and happy with their experience at your office. Make sure employees are taking the time to give a personalized experience to everyone who walks through your door.
Mistake #3: They aren’t presenting enough value about your office
When a potential patient has questions about your dental office or isn’t sure if they want to choose you to make an appointment with, they can be convinced that your practice is the best choice when value is presented effectively.
If employees feel rushed or aren’t including enough details about why patients should choose your practice over another’s and presenting that information to callers, then they could easily choose another local office over yours.
Make sure your phone handlers are using value statements to let callers know what sets your office apart from others in the area, and provide this information to callers so that they choose you.
Mistake #4: They aren’t overcoming objections
Callers could have many objections that prohibit them from stepping foot into your office. Wanting to know exact pricing for a procedure, having a difficult time scheduling, amongst other various reasons are potential objections that callers may be having on the phone.
Even if staff cannot fully handle or accommodate some of these objections, they can skillfully overcome them. For example, by explaining value about your practice first, and if they can successfully explain a procedure or the reasoning that the patient would come into the office and be seen for more specific pricing, they can ensure that they get those potential patients into the office and leave them with a good impression.
Don’t let your front office staff ruin your reputation
To get new patients and earn a positive online reputation, your front office staff must provide a great experience, sometimes even before someone becomes a patient of your dental office. We’ve put together the ultimate guide on reputation management for dentists here if you’d like to learn more.
If you need extra help for your front office staff to improve their phone skills, CallSource can help with our custom call scorecards and call coaching programs.
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