Missed calls or poorly answered calls cost you a fortune.

While you might think that your biggest concern is getting more patients to call you, the real challenge begins when people start calling your practice, but your staff is not trained enough to convert callers into patients.

A study by Marketing Land found that 74% of people are likely to choose a competitor after a negative phone experience. The most critical part of any phone interaction is how the call is answered. A poor experience—such as long hold times, inability to reach the right person, or unhelpful responses—can harm your practice more than you might think.

The connection between potential patients and your practice begins with the individuals answering your phones. The front-office staff are often a patient’s first point of contact with your practice.

Patients notice more than you might expect when they call your office and speak with your staff. This interaction can be pivotal in building or breaking a relationship. Having a well-trained team to manage phone calls is essential. Wouldn’t you prefer your calls to be answered by people who make a great first and lasting impression? By ensuring your staff provides a positive, memorable experience, you increase your chances of converting prospective patients into loyal ones and retaining your current patients. Everyone who answers the phone in your office should receive thorough training in proper phone etiquette, turning phone conversations into one of your practice’s key strengths.

We are experts in teaching staff how to convert more new patient calls to appointments that turn up make it into your chair.Interested?

Becoming skilled on the phone takes time, training, and practice. While it may seem simple, small adjustments can greatly improve the experience for callers. Whether it’s the team handling incoming calls or scheduling appointments, good phone etiquette is vital to enhancing your practice’s reputation. You must set clear expectations that employees speak professionally and courteously every time they answer the phone. This means being polite, confident, and engaging with patients in a way that shows genuine interest in their needs.Failing to do so can lead to a significant loss of business, even when dealing with current patients. Missed calls have an even more significant negative impact on your business. It’s an eye-opener, and I recommend you examine how much money those unanswered calls cost you.

Call Handling Mistakes That Drive Away Patients

Improving how your staff handles phone calls is crucial for attracting and retaining patients and boosting revenue. For new patients, few things are more frustrating than being placed on hold endlessly or bounced between departments. Here are some common call-handling mistakes to avoid if you want to prevent frustration and avoid losing potential patients.

1. Offering Too Many Options

When patients call, they are often in a hurry and don’t want to be overwhelmed with choices. While offering multiple options may seem helpful, it can confuse or frustrate callers. Transferring them from one person to another—even if it’s to resolve their issue—can lead to impatience or cause them to hang up. Keep conversations clear and concise to avoid overwhelming or confusing the caller.

2. Asking for Unnecessary Information

If the caller has already provided the necessary information, don’t ask them to repeat it. Doing so can make your practice seem disorganized and inefficient, wasting both your staff’s time and the caller’s. To avoid this, consider investing in software that tracks patient information, so your staff has the caller’s details readily available when they call. This allows your team to focus on resolving issues rather than gathering redundant information.

3. Not Requesting Feedback

Many practices miss out on valuable insights by failing to ask patients for feedback. Without feedback, it’s difficult to know which aspects of your service are helping or hindering your practice. Encourage your staff to ask callers for feedback on the services provided and the efficiency of the staff so you can continually improve patient satisfaction.

4. Inadequate Call Handling Training

Training is essential, yet many practices underestimate the importance of phone etiquette training for staff. With tight schedules, some practices skip training altogether, but this can lead to fewer appointments and hurt your revenue. Well-trained staff who understand proper call-handling techniques are vital to ensuring a positive patient experience and maximizing your practice’s success.

We can train your staff through short bursts of individual training sessions via Zoom. We can arrange the training at any time that fits best in with the availability and time slots that cause the least issues for your practice routine. We turn your staff into experts in handling calls, particularly calls made by new patients. The effectiveness of your marketing is greatly reduced, and a lot of your marketing dollars are wasted if you get the calls but don’t get the conversions just because your staff is not trained well enough.