The ability to ask great questions is a skill and a gift you can learn very easily?
What do you think about that?
Do you mind if I ask you a few questions so I know what you are really thinking right now?
Do you ask enough questions?
Do you answer calls in your dental office and forget to ask questions?
or
Are you not asking enough questions?
What questions are you asking the New Patient on the phone?
Do you know the purpose behind the questions you ask?
The purpose behind every question you ask is to find out something. Wouldn’t you all agree?
Once we find out more about your caller then we can offer them more and help them.
Otherwise we are left in the dark, guessing and hoping for the best.
When you schedule and confirm a New Patient Appointment you should have gone through a series of questions with the caller to uncover everything you need to know to help them as best you can.
But once you have confirmed an appointment for particular treatment and care, there are still more questions to ask.
I want to share just three of them with you.
Do you ask your patient this question?
1. “Do you have any questions or is there anything else the dentist should know before your appointment?”
The reason I always ask this question at the end of the call is because right at the start of the call you have been asking most of the questions while the caller answers. Now is the time to give your New Patient a chance to ask questions.
You want to make sure the caller is fully committed and ready for their appointment before asking if they have any questions.
This is why, the end of the call, is the best time for a New Patient to ask any questions.
Asking your New Patient if they have any of their own questions clears up any confusion or uncertainty they may have about the appointment.
Remember that an unsure patient can turn into a cancelled appointment if you are not careful.
You want to sort out anything the New Patient is unsure about while they are on the phone.
The next great question to ask is:
2. “Is there anyone else in your family I can make an appointment for?”
I cannot tell you how many appointments I scheduled just by asking a New Patient this one question.
The worst thing the patient will say is, “NO THANK YOU.” This is not so bad.
If you or the New Patient are pushed for time at the end of the call, still ask the question. If the patient says yes, then offer to schedule the appointment when they come in for their appointment.
The last question I wanted to share with you is:
3. “Would you like me to go over our location and parking?”
When I talk with teams, they are always baffled as to why you need to ask this question, after the patient does have a phone and can work out where the practice is.
Yes, the patient can definitely look up the location and parking but asking this question is a gesture of care customer service. It is also a way to ensure the patient is not confused with another dental practice they don’t have an appointment with and they also don’t get lost on the way to their appointment.
When we schedule appointments, a big part of what you do every day, is to ensure EVERY patient arrives on time. (BTW on time, for a new patient is before their appointment and not at their appointment time.)
You want to do everything you can to ensure your patient is early for their appointment so they are ready in the dental chair at the time on their appointment card.
These are just three of my favourite questions to ask at the end of a New Patient Call, there are a few more of course.
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What exactly is going on, on your Dental Practice Phones?
Call Tracking Excellence is a RESULT, not a product.
Call Tracking Excellence is More Patients MAKING appointments.
Call Tracking Excellence is More Patients KEEPING appointments.
If you are interested in my Call Tracking Service or have any questions please call 1300 378 044 or email jayne@thedpe.com. Stop missing out on making appointments.
www.calltrackingexcellence.com
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Dental Phone Excellence is a simple to implement, complete Phone Answering System I developed that helped me to build an extraordinary dental practice in the heart of working class Western Sydney.
If you’d like to know more, download my sixteen page FREE special report “How I Quickly and Easily Went From 35% to 77% New Patient Telephone Conversions, and Doubled The Size of my Dental Practice Along the Way” and discover some of the many costly mistakes being made on your phone…..
