50 Shades of Great: The keys to unlocking your dental practice's phone success

I am sure many of you have heard of the recent film, “50 Shades of Grey” (unless you have been living under a rock). You probably are less familiar with our sexy, simple systematic system for taking new patient calls in your dental office: The Great Call Process .

Here you are going to get a sneak peek at our goodies that we keep locked-up behind closed doors at All-Star Dental Academy. I am going to give you a quick glimpse into the five major parts of the call, and then 10 tips or tricks to really bare your talents.

I know you are going to love being exposed to this new info, so without further a due I won’t tease you any longer

Greeting (G):
Salutation — How do you answer the phone?
Smile
Ask name — “Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
Don’t be a zombie
“When was the last time we saw you in our office?”
New patient, welcome them; if existing patient, welcome them back
Contact Phone Number
“What is your phone number in case we get disconnected?”
Referral Source — “Who can we thank for referring you?”
Continue the Happy

Rapport (R):
Paraphrase
“So when you originally called you asked”
Ask Positive Open Ended Questions
“What does your ideal smile look like?”
Practice Active Listening
Be Genuinely Interested in Them
Tell them what you CAN do for them
Use their Name frequently in conversation
Take handwritten notes — Don’t type and talk!
Spend as much time with them as they need

Engage (E):
Proactive vs. reactive communication
Answer common questions
“Do you take my insurance?”
“What do you charge for a crown?”
Share the Sizzle
Give specific “sizzle” points to highlight your office
Overcoming Objections
5 W’s
“Feel, felt, found dialogue”
Practice and role play to be ready with replies

Ask for the Appointment (A):
Ask for the appointment
“Let’s go ahead and get you scheduled”
Don’t assume the appointment or they might not make one
Ask about insurance (if you accept it)
Offer appointment options
Upgrade Appointment Type
Create urgency
Set the expectations
Give all co-pay info and time frames
Get the commitment

Take Info/Thank (T):
Take all secondary info
Full name, email, mailing address, secondary phone number
Get insurance info for breakdown
Medical history questions
Credit card info (if you take a deposit)
Summarize the appointment
Thank the patient by name
End on a high note!
Enter patient into the schedule
Send out their paperwork or materials in advance

As you can see, these 50 Shades of GREAT is an outline on how to whip your office into shape for your new patient calls. This might seem overwhelming at first, but you can rest assured if you train with us, you will be a pro in no time. Soon you will be able to work it and rock your patient’s world! Happy Training!