Have Them at Hello!

Getting More Business from your Business Phone

By Katherine Eitel

Think back to a time when you were a new patient/client. Perhaps you were interested in finding out more about lasik or cosmetic surgery. Maybe you were new in town and wanted to establish yourself with a doctor, chiropractor, or veterinarian. Do you remember having an experience as a new patient in which you were so “Wow”-ed by the service that you immediately told your family, your co-workers, or your neighbors about the great experience?

The telephone is the gateway into your practice. It represents the first tangible interaction that starts to shape the way a patient views and feels about your competency, level of professionalism, and whether or not it will be worth their money. The goal is to convert as many potential patient callers to appointments as possible. You also want every caller to hang up the telephone and feel amazed at how they were treated, listened to, and responded to (exceeding the caller’s expectations). And you want this goal obtained efficiently and with consistency of message.

The following steps will help you transform your telephone skills to exceptional:

1. Let the caller know you are glad they called and get their name.

Caller: “Hello. I was wondering if you took my insurance plan?”

Office: “Well, I’m really glad you called our office and I’d love to try to help you! Again, my name is Katherine. May I ask your name?”

Caller: “My name is Carrie Simmons.”

2. Get in the “questioning seat” as soon as possible. Don’t ever assume that the first question the caller asks is their real issue. Actually, my experience shows that it rarely is. Your objective is to uncover that issue and help them see why you are the best office to help them. Try to answer the caller’s initial question with another question that helps you narrow the field of concerns to address.

Don’t assume that what they originally asked for is all they will do or even what they need. Proceed with asking all the questions you need to clearly identify in your mind what the real issues are for this patient.

Use any opportunity the patient gives you to connect personally with them. And remember that once you identify the caller’s main objectives and concerns, you have to sell your dentist and what your dental office has to offer specifically regarding those concerns. It’s not up to the patient to sell themselves on you… it’s up to you to sell them on you!

3. Offer the best solution based upon what you have discovered in the questioning phase. This becomes much easier to do once you’ve identified the patient’s real concerns. Remember, it is important to build value for the solution to which you are steering the patient.

4. Now, you can get those details! Save the details like address, insurance information, pre-med questions, etc. until after you’ve “made the sale.” So many calls I listen to start out at the beginning asking these questions when they don’t know what the patient wants or even if the patient will schedule at all. It’s very impersonal and does nothing to build a relationship or identify needs, not to mention that often we schedule them for what they asked for instead of what will truly meet their needs.

5. Always end your call by reconfirming the appointment specifics as well as reassuring the patient what a good decision they’ve made.

The two ingredients that make a phone call great are: 1) possessing the skills to know where you are going with the call and 2) the level of sincere enthusiasm and personal concern you convey to the caller. Every call is a chance to help someone resolve a problem and see a great dentist. So beef up those skills and crank up your enthusiasm for the next call you take!

Katherine’s revolutionary Have Them at Hello Audio CD Phone Skills Training Program with companion workbook and customizable phone slips is a fast and easy way to instantly improve your results for reducing cancellations, converting new patients, confirming, and patient reactivation.

Receive a FREE Exam/Cleaning Telephone Slip

Just e-mail info@KatherineEitel.com

Reference “free phone slip”

If you’re interested in improving the quality of communication skills in your practice (telephone, case presentation, leadership, or insurance independence) or in our revolutionary Test-Call Training Service, call (800) 595-7060 or visit www.KatherineEitel.com for our full line of affordable and cutting-edge communication training products and services.