Effective Dental Patient Scheduling
Getting the “most prepared patients” for cosmetic, restorative and implant dentistry in the door is the ultimate goal of the dental office scheduling process. Of course, identifying those patients can be difficult if certain criteria are not decided upon by the dentist and dental practice team to differentiate who are the best-prepared patients.
The following information will make the dental patient selection process more effective; thereby increasing new patient numbers for high-end dentistry and improving smile makeover case acceptance.
The dental team phone answerer must determine – by the questions asked and not asked where the person is at in their appreciation and understanding of high-end dentistry value. It will also be evident by the tone of the voice or by the urgency of the issue – how “far along” the caller is.
Another key element of the discovery process for the dental office phone answerer is listening attentively for what the prospective patient understands about Dr. Dentist Of Dentistry’s expertise and care philosophy (or his/her brand). Has the prospective dental patient build up any trust in the dentist (you) previous to their first dental visit? This is not easy to do, but neither should it be considered overwhelming to accomplish.
The dental office phone answerer must focus on increasing their proficiency and not dwell on individual situations or missed opportunities. Learning from each caller and new patient call situation, taking detailed notes, and asking key questions is more important at this juncture than interacting successfully on each call. Bear in mind that even a partial improvement in scheduling effectiveness can benefit your dental practice, so there is no reason to rush the process.
The caller will often have many inaccurate, under researched and/or naïve perceptions about dentistry. It isn’t efficient or productive for ALL of those questions to be answered during the phone call. The reality is few consumers can be transitioned unless they are prepared at many levels. The phone call is usually an early point in the preparing process especially if dental marketing has been absent from the prepping groundwork.
The scheduling qualifiers for prospective dental patients, noted below, are more important than the specific questions asked of each caller. The new dental patient, phone-answering concepts, discussed below, will help your front desk person understand the caller’s stage of case acceptance “readiness” and manage calls more effectively.
The caller should know they are not calling “a” dentist; they are calling the Dr. Expert Dentist Of Dentistry, YOU! The telephone answerer must understand AND value this distinction to effectively qualify these dental patients.
The caller (prospective dental patient) must be informed of this distinction, understand it and then "qualify themselves" before they are scheduled for a dental appointment. When they get to the dental practice, the new patient should be guided to the most efficient resource for moving up the “prepared” ladder.
The following descriptions are not absolute, but are guideposts for moving the dental patient in the best direction possible during that initial telephone inquiry. While these concepts are focused on high-end cosmetic/esthetic dentistry and reconstructive care with dental implants, they can be augmented for any type of dental brand and niche.
The "Fully Prepared" Prospective Dental Patient
The more of these qualifiers they have or bring up, the better prepared they are.
➢ Have reviewed your dental Website
➢ Have seen your dental postcards or advertisements
➢ Specifically ask for a smile makeover consultation
➢ Ask about specific high-end services like dental implants, Invisalign orthodontics, sedation dentistry, porcelain veneers, Lumineers…
➢ Bring up complex dental language (“I think I need full mouth reconstruction.)
➢ Identify you as a specialist, expert, the best dentist on the Internet (“I really researched you. I don’t see anyone else that compares.”)
➢ Have been to other dentists and don’t like what they did or recommended
➢ Are out of Area/State callers
➢ Are referred by your other smile makeover patients
The "Unprepared" Prospective Dental Patient
These callers are looking for “a” dentist. They are more than likely “Yellow Pages” patients: literally or figuratively. Meaning they called a number that just happened to be associated with Dr. Expert Dentist Of Dentistry and dentistry of some kind. They don’t want dental expertise; they want a tooth problem fixed.
Sending, or directing them to, more info before their first dental visit or smile consultation is vital.
These are the red flags your dental office front desk person should listen for…
➢ They have a toothache (with few other details provided)
> They want an appointment fast, emergency dental care
➢ Found Dr. Expert Dentist Of Dentistry's name in the Yellow Pages (without giving higher level reasons for calling you)
➢ Dental Insurance is a big issue (They won’t let you focus on expertise or value)
➢ They want to know about cost – most everything comes back to how much Dr. Dentist Of Dentistry charges
➢ A teeth cleaning appointment is their fist concern
➢ They called about your discounted coupon, free whitening, half price exam…
The "In Between" Prospective Dental Patient
Your dental office is the pond and this caller is fishing without enough bait. They really don’t understand what Dr. Expert Dentist Of Dentistry does differently than every other cosmetic, restorative, or implant dentist, but they want to know more.
Problem is they would be initially shocked by this dentist’s fee structure and comprehensive treatment plans. The key here is guidance not necessarily scheduling them for a dental appointment or smile consultation. Yanking on their line too hard now could just get a hook in someone’s eye or send them to another dental practice’s pond.
Here is what your dental office front desk person should listen for…
➢ They might have seen Dr. Expert Dentist's ad, some reference or heard from someone about Dr. Expert Dentist, but little has been decided
➢ Insurance might come up, only because they think they need to mention it (phone answerer shouldn't bring it up)
➢ Want more info from Dr. Expert Dentist of Dentistry (don’t assume it’s an in-practice consult request – Dr. Expert Dentist email or phone call might work)
➢ Lots of questions (answer them – explain an initial consult to them – get comprehensive in conversation – etc.)
Dental Patient Communication Conclusion
By identifying the dental consumer’s preparedness sooner, you are able to deliver the right dose of communication so they are not overwhelmed with your treatment recommendations.
Make sure new patients are prepared to accept the level of dental care you present to them. Then prepare yourself to be THE cosmetic dentistry, dental implant, smile makeover expert and generate revenues to match!
