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 may be less familiar with our sexy and simple system for taking new patient calls in your dental office: The Great Call Process®.
Here’s a peek at the goodies we keep locked-up behind closed doors at All-Star Dental Academy – a quick glimpse at the five major parts of the call, and 10 tips and tricks to really bare your talents.
I know you are going to love being exposed to this new info, so I won’t tease you any longer…
Greeting (G):
- Salutation – How do you answer the phone?
- Smile J
- 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 the caller 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
- Overcome Objections
- Address the 5 W’s – Who, What, When, Where, Why
- Use the “Feel, felt, found” dialogue
- Practice and role play to be ready with replies
Ask for the Appointment (A):
- Ask for the appointment
- Be proactive – “Let’s go ahead and get you scheduled”
- Don’t assume they want an appointment or they might not make one
- Ask about insurance (if your practice takes insurance)
- Offer appointment options
- Upgrade appointment type
- Create urgency
- Set expectations for their appointment
- Give all co-pay info and time frames
- Ask for a commitment that they will honor their appointment
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 the call on a positive 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!
All-Star Dental Academy offers training and certification you can access 24/7 from home, your office, or anywhere you wish. If you have any questions, or wish to enroll in the program, call us at (954) 323-2220 or email Heather, VP of Training, at heather@allstardentalacademy.com
