How long do patients typically have to wait on hold?

Studies show that after only 17 seconds, callers on hold become annoyed. How many patients have you irritated today? The patient is far more understanding if the front office employee explains why the patient is being asked to hold and provides the estimated time required. Knowing beforehand how long they can expect to wait reduces the chance of annoyance. Another option is to offer to call the person back within a brief and specific time period.

Do you provide patients information while they are on hold?

Educating the patient is essential in reinforcing the importance of professional dental care as well as informing patients about other services the practice provides. Use specially developed informative messages to tell callers about you, your team, and the services you provide. “On-Hold Messaging” allows you to choose specific messages for your needs such as promoting veneers, or porcelain inlays, or the importance of implants. You have the flexibility to change your message as often as you like. Most important, studies show callers will happily wait on-hold for more than three minutes if they are listening to useful information.

When you’re talking on the phone and a visitor walks in, who gets priority?

The patient who kept their appointment and is waiting to be greeted gets your attention. That means you need to interrupt the caller. The quickest way to get that caller’s attention is to say their name. “Mr. Smith, I have a patient who just walked in, may I ask you to hold for a moment?” Wait for their agreement. Then acknowledge the patient, tell them you’ll be a moment and wrap-up your telephone conversation.

How many rings does the caller have to sit through before someone will pick up?

After 2 rings, patients are wondering if the office is closed. A real human being should answer your phone by the second ring. If you have messages on voicemail during your work day, it is best to determine why the phone is not being answered.

How does your team answer the office phone?

The best approach is, “Thank you for calling Dr. Brown’s office. This is Amy. How may I direct your call?” This standard greeting gives the caller information and provides immediate assistance to address their specific concern.

At what point do you get the patient’s name and phone number?

As soon as the patient is finished talking (never interrupt), the patient’s name and phone number should be reinforced if they have been given. If they have not, name and number should be requested. Obtaining the patient’s name will often secure a commitment from them if they are uncertain about whether they should schedule an appointment. Also request the patient’s address.

Have you ever said, “Please hold” to a caller?

Never put a caller on-hold without asking for their permission and waiting for their response. “Mrs. Jones, may I put you on hold while I check on that?” How many times have you placed a call to a business and been clicked almost immediately into hold? You cannot even utter a grunt without being cut-off. Putting customers on hold without their consent is rude and inconsiderate.

Don’t leave the schedule to creative interpretation. Scheduling time should be communicated clearly to the Scheduling Coordinator. This basic yet commonly overlooked detail ensures the person in charge of making or breaking your day isn’t forced to guess how much time a procedure will require.

For example, the doctor examines a hygiene patient and determines she needs three fillings. The doctor tells the Hygienist exactly how much time is necessary. The Hygienist, in turn, communicates to the Scheduling Coordinator via computer or route slip specifically how much doctor time and assistant time to book. The doctor’s time should be scheduled in one color on the computer and the assistant’s in another. This simple strategy ensures that the doctor is not double-booked.

In addition, the doctor should never be scheduled out more than three weeks, so curb the urge to schedule all of the appointments for large treatment plans immediately. Scheduling the entire plan can overwhelm both the patient and the schedule. Worse yet, “bread and butter” patients are often forced to wait several weeks for routine procedures – not something that many of them will accept on a regular basis.

Keep communications flowing between the clinical staff and business employees throughout the day. Start by reviewing the schedule as a team first thing during the huddle. The clinical staff can advise the Scheduling Coordinator where to place any emergency patients. If there are cancellations, the team can discuss which hygiene patients may be able to receive immediate treatment and which restorative patients may be able to be worked into any openings in the oral hygiene schedule. The dental assistant also can review specifically what procedures are scheduled and set up the treatment rooms accordingly.

Avoid the tendency to engage in “wishful scheduling” in which more time is reserved for the doctor’s “ideal” treatments than the practice has a history of delivering. Rather, calculate the number of crown and bridge units – or other procedures – over the last six months and divide by the number of days worked. Then you can reserve time in the schedule based on the number of units actually performed.

Many employees cringe at the idea of contacting patients that are delinquent in making payments, because they believe that it will require some sort of nasty confrontation. In reality – kindness, compassion, and clarity are the order of business for this task. Here’s how:

Patients that have not paid their bills should be notified 30 days after services were performed. Messages should be polite and courteous and they should be customized for the specific patient. The more personal the message, the more effective the communication will be. For example:

Dear Ms. Wheat, (You can use the patient’s first name if you know him/her well and they have been a patient for many years – Dear Jennifer, …)

We wanted to alert you that we did not receive your payment on March 15 as requested. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please contact Peggy in our office. Otherwise, we would appreciate your prompt attention to this balance by sending payment before April 6.

Before contacting patients, do your homework. Review the account history. Confirm that there is not an insurance issue that might be delaying matters, and make sure the practice is not in error. Never apologize for requesting payment. A dental practice is a business that cannot effectively deliver necessary services to patients without cash flow.

Want to tell patients that dental care isn’t important? Send a cheap, cheesy 3×5 postcard that says: “Time for your cleaning and checkup. Call us today!” And then sit back and watch patient attrition, no-shows, and cancellations climb. Postcards with pictures of cartoon characters, cuddly animals, and scenic vistas that have absolutely nothing to do with professional dental services offer some of the most unprofessional marketing you can do for your practice.

Recall is your reputation. The tools you use to promote it either convey the image of a health care provider that is offering a valuable and necessary service, or they don’t. Moreover, recall is your primary practice feeder. A successful recall program is indicative of a thriving and healthy practice. How’s yours these days?

Rather than giving your patients an excuse to cancel, give them a good reason to return. Send a recall reminder notice that emphasizes the importance and value of your care. Check out my newly designed “recall reminder notices” HERE.