” I am just calling to cancel my appointment,” says your patient.

“That’s okay. Thank you for letting us know,” says your team.

No cancellation is okay, but there are times when patients do need to cancel their appointments and right now during COVID-19 there are many patients who make and confirm an appointment only to fall sick and have to cancel their appointment.

But are you starting to accept too many cancellations at the moment because of COVID-19?

Are you accepting too many cancellations believing it is because of the COVID-19 situation and not even finding out the reason for the cancellation?

I know it is a very awkward and sensitive time right now, and you do need to be understanding and empathetic with your patients but you also need to continue helping your patients.

A cancellation spells delayed treatment and care for your patient and a change in your appointment book that means less production for the day and maybe an appointment that is never filled.

My advice is to ask every patient who calls to cancel their appointment, the reason for their cancellation.

“Is everything okay?” “Your appointment for…….is very important, is there a reason why you need to cancel your treatment.

Keep in mind that every appointment your patient has confirmed is the time that has been reserved for their dental treatment and care. It is not JUST an appointment time!

Ensure you discuss the treatment and care during your conversation with the patient and not just the appointment time.

During the cancellation call you want to stay focused on the urgency and importance of your patient’s treatment and care.

Look at the dentist’s clinical notes and refer to them as you speak with your patient. It is a much easier and effective conversation with your patient when you can refer to a higher authority, the dentist.

Once you know the cancellation reason, you can try to offer a solution so your patient can keep their appointment.

If there is no solution to offer, then reschedule the appointment immediately.

“Let’s confirm another appointment for you right now.”

You want to make sure the Cancellation Call ALWAYS has a next step for your patient.

The BEST next step is an appointment to continue treatment and care.

Maintain good habits during the Cancellation Call and give your patients the opportunity to KEEP their appointment by finding out the reason for the cancellation and offering a solution.

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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…..