I’m sure you will all agree that a big part of being an effective communicator is to have fabulous eye contact.
Eye contact improves understanding. Eye contact improves connection and eye contact enhances how you communicate with your patients.
This is so important in a dental practice where getting patient communication right helps your patients understand and go ahead with their treatment and care.
One of the reasons your patients do not go ahead with treatment and care is because you struggle communicating effectively with your patients.
A good start to effectively communicating with your patients is to easily and comfortably make eye contact with them.
When you are speaking face to face with patients are you at the same level of eye contact with them?
You are doing it wrong if you are standing while your patient is sitting or you are sitting while your patient is standing!
When I visit Dental Offices I am always intrigued when I see the Front Office team sitting down while the patient stands up.
To effectively communicate with your patient you need to be at the same eye level.
If your patient is standing and there is no option for them to sit down, you need to stand up, at least for part of the conversation.
If you do have the ability for your patients to sit down with you at the front office after their appointment then I suggest you do this. You immediately make a better connection with the patient.
Now have a think about this.
When patients are with the dentist in the treatment room during consultations and treatment planning conversations, the dentist and the patient are seated and at the same eye level, then the patient is brought to the front desk after their appointment and usually left to stand while they schedule their next appointment and discuss their treatment further.
When you communicate with your patients face to face at the front office desk, your communication is much more effective when your patient is sitting down and comfortable, ready to make decisions.
Here are few ways to communicate more effectively with your patients and make better eye contact:
- When your patient arrives at the Dental Office, stand up to greet your patient at the same eye level. This enhances your communication immediately and helps you connect with the patient. This is especially important when you are greeting a New Patient face to face for the first time.
- Walk side by side with your patient as you take them to the treatment room.
- The Dental Assistant sits side by side with the patient.
- Walk side by side with the patient as you bring them to the front desk after their appointment.
- Sit opposite the patient as your schedule their appointment and discuss the next step in treatment and care
Always keep in mind that people who have poor eye contact are often perceived as rude, unfriendly or even arrogant.
So start looking into the eyes of your patients, you will improve your communication and stay connected with them.
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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…..
