The Importance Of Proper Phone Etiquette In Your Dental Office

Training your staff on how to properly speak to patients on the phone may not rank too high on your list of things to do. But proper phone etiquette is actually a very important part of your patient’s experience at your office. There are many different reasons a new patient may call your office, including:

• Just moving into the area & needing a new family dentist
• An inability to ignore symptoms or pain any longer
• Having had a bad experience with another dentist & looking for a new one
• Concerns about insurance information or the cost of dental procedures
• Trying to make an appointment for a regular checkup or a dental emergency

Even if your prospective patients visit your website first, a phone call to your office will be the first real interaction with your team. This is why it’s so important to ensure that your staff knows how to properly speak with patients on the phone.

Phone Etiquette Skills

Below are a few of the most important points of first patient phone calls:

• The Greeting – Calls should be answered promptly and your staff should offer a warm greeting. Make sure each call is being answered the same way, such as “This is Jane at X Dental Office, how can I help you today?” This is a direct and friendly greeting.
• Be Enthusiastic – Your patient won’t feel comfortable speaking with someone who is clearly bored or disengaged. Make sure your staff eliminates any distractions and makes the patient the priority. Encourage your staff to smile during phone calls; it helps make a voice sound friendlier!
• Ask Questions – Next, discover some information about the patient. If it’s a new patient, ask how he or she found the office. Make sure your staff asks if there’s a specific dental problem or if he or she is simply in need of a checkup. This will also allow your staff to begin to bond with the patient.
• Reminders – Once an appointment has been scheduled and the call is over, make sure there’s a system in place to call and remind patients about their appointments a few days beforehand. This will decrease the number of no-shows at your office.

By following these simple phone etiquette tips, you can help your practice be as successful as possible. For more tips on training your staff or for any of your bookkeeping needs, please contact Dental Bookkeeping today!  

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