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Be careful how you label callers The self-fulfilling prophesy trap refers to certain attitudes and beliefs that can cause what you least desire to come to pass. For example, some dental offices place a call tracking sheet near the telephone. There are boxes at the top of the sheet that the team member uses to identify the ‘kind of patient’ calling the office. One of these designations is often “Price Shopper.” If a caller asks how much a procedure costs, an X goes in the box marked ‘shopper.’ The team member understandably feels he is doing his or job by saving the practice a lot of time and aggravation by getting rid of the price shopper. Unfortunately, neither the doctor nor team member realize that, when we label someone as undesirable, the quality of the communication changes. The call can become more of an interrogation to see if the caller is worthy of the practice than conveying to the caller the unique benefits of joining the practice. This is particularly unfortunate because, in all likelihood, the caller simply asked for the price because he did not know what else to ask. Make a connection Now that we’re free of any prejudgments about who is calling us, the next step is to understand how to quickly and effectively connect with the caller. And by connect I mean convey empathy, exude enthusiasm and get the caller to agree. To convey empathy, you must not only feel for another person; you must also let that person know how you feel. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. For example, if someone calls a dentist because his tooth hurts, would he rather hear: “What kind of insurance do you have?” or “I’m so sorry to hear you’re in pain. Can you come see us right away?” Add some pep to your phone etiquette The next way to connect with the caller is by exuding enthusiasm. Because we know most communication is visual, we understand the importance of making up for the loss of that visual component by emphasizing the only two components left to us on the telephone, namely, the verbal and vocal components. This means enunciating and selecting words that are clear, easy to understand and have the appropriate impact. I have my coaching subjects simulate a telephone conversation with their fellow teammates as observers. We then take turns evaluating each others’ performance. One of the most commonly cited observations is the caller seeming ‘flat’ during the simulation. Why? Being perceived as genuine and enthusiastic over the telephone actually requires us to exaggerate our communication a bit. Because this is unnatural, it’s also uncomfortable at first. As with most things, a little practice and positive feedback are all your team needs to exude enthusiasm over the telephone. The questioning seat The final key to connecting with callers is to get them to agree. This could mean agree to hear more about the practice, agree to make an appointment, agree to pay their bill on time, or any one of countless other desirable actions you want callers to take. Perhaps the easiest way to accomplish this is to place yourself in the questioning seat. This is because whoever is asking the questions controls the call (note that, by control, I do not mean manipulate. People are best served when the expert is in control). A simple way to get and remain in the questioning seat is to answer any difficult question with another question. For instance, if someone calls your practice and asks “How much do you charge for a crown?” You might answer, “I can help you with that. My name is [your name]. With whom am I speaking?” By that simple, but highly effective, sleight of word, you have just regained control of the conversation. Master the art of communication Part of succeeding in business (and life) entails being an effective communicator. Because so much communication is conducted over the telephone, those who master the art of telephone call etiquette are poised to excel. So, stay out of the self-fulfilling prophesy trap, exude empathy and enthusiasm, and practice your skills, and soon you and your entire team will be master telephone communicators. Daniel Bobrow, MBA, is president of the American Dental Marketing Company, a dentistry marketing and patient communications consultancy. He is also Executive Director of Dentists’ Climb for a Cause™. Readers interested in learning more about integrated marketing and patient communication products, systems and services are invited to contact Mr. Bobrow at 312-455-9488 or DBobrow@AmericanDentalMarketing.com or visit AmericanDentalMarketing.com.  RELATED Articles
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