My article explains how training the front-of-house team in your dental practice can gain you more new patients.

1. I
N my previous article (published in the
August 2011 issue), I gave examples
of how new patients were actually
discouraged at the first phone call. Now,
before you sack your entire front-of-
house team, let me tell you that their poor
telephone technique is invariably the result
of inadequate training and understanding.
As I mentioned, dental principals
commission me to make telephone calls
to their practice – often posing as a new
patient. I note what is said during the
call and feed it back to the principals,
highlighting any learning points for
subsequent training requirements.
A good call starts before the phone is
answered. How many rings do I hear?
Three or fewer is good (marketing
consultants often advise three as the
maximum acceptable). One is excellent!
I noted recently that the receptionist
answered the phone in a very friendly and
professional manner, giving a greeting, the
practice name and her own name. She
made no offer of help, but her tone implied
she was very approachable. In another
(not quite so good) call, the receptionist
answered the phone in a very friendly and
professional manner, giving a greeting,
the practice name, and an offer of help –
although I would have liked to have known
her name from the outset.
It takes just four seconds to create an
impression – much less time than the sort
of impressions you are used to making.
Making first impressions count
In response to the greeting from the
receptionist, most callers will state their
reason for telephoning. If you’ve answered
the phone and hear words to the effect
that the caller is looking for a new dentist,
mentally place a large flashing orange light
on top of your head. How you handle the
call from now on could result in a steady
income for the practice for many years, or
an unimpressed enquirer all too willing to
relate his or her experience to friends in
negative terms.
Essentially, you’re trying to extract
information from the caller and impart
information to them. It’s good to start by
finding out the caller’s name, address
and date of birth. Be careful with this
though – in a recent mystery call I made,
this process became somewhat long-
winded as I had to spell my name and then
confirm details the receptionist read back
to me. Front-of-house staff need to discern
from the caller’s tone of voice if they are
becoming impatient, in which case just
their name, hometown and year of birth is
enough information to start with.
It’s most important to establish early on
what type of practice they visited previously
and/or are seeking – private or NHS. If you
are not a practice of that type, explain the
advantages of them becoming a patient
with you.
With the conversation hopefully now
progressing in a friendly, chatty manner,
you can mention more of the benefits of
your practice. For example, if the caller is
living some distance away, they may well
visit by car, so your “large car park” will
interest them; if they have a family, your
opening hours in the school holidays will
strike a cord; if they are working, mention
Effectively training your front-of-hous
38 |SPECIAL FEATURE: Training & education
The Probe | January 12
JACQUI GOSS gives us an insight into good telephone
manner, and explains how practices can encourage new
patients at the first phone call through adequate training...
dentalrepublic.co.uk
READER ENQUIRY NO: 25

2. house team can reap positive benefits
your evening and weekend opening times.
To maintain the involvement of the caller
and avoid a monologue, ask both pertinent
and inconsequential questions. Asking
if they or their family members have any
particular dental concerns, could lead to
you talking about the specialists in your
practice.
How long should the call take?
In my training courses, there’s often a
discussion about how long a new patient
enquiry call should take. The fact is that
a new patient enquiry call should take as
long as it takes. Think of it in the context of;
dealing with it successfully could result in
virtually guaranteed income for many years.
Nevertheless, front-of-house staff rightly
worry about queues building up. This is
why I’m always pleased when all members
of the dental team attend for training. All
non-clinical staff should be able to answer
the telephone and attend to patients
awaiting attention. If they can’t deal with a
telephone enquiry, they should take details
for a call back. If they can’t deal with the
first patient who is waiting, they should deal
with others in the queue.
I also expect clinical staff to at least
help out if they notice patients waiting or
the telephone is ringing off the hook. In
your team meetings, discuss a policy for
handling a log jam on the reception desk,
and a mechanism for the front-of-house
staff to alert other team members when
things are busy.
Do not reveal the costs
Before rounding off this discussion, I
want to mention a particular type of new
patient telephone enquiry – “How much
does it [treatment] cost?” Do not respond
with the price. Even with NHS practices,
where the costs are laid down, the cost
of an individual’s treatment can only be
determined after a clinical assessment.
With a potential new patient, the front-of-
house staff can only say how much the first
appointment will cost.
I like it when receptionists also add that
x-rays will incur an additional charge, and
some helpfully point out that patients are
entitled to have them passed on by their
previous practice.
If you do free consultations or have other
special offers, these should, of course,
be mentioned to the enquirer. Also, in
any case, you should mention your dental
plan and give an illustration of a potential
monthly cost. This is a good opportunity to
find out if you have a potential lone patient,
a couple, or a family.
Arrange mystery callers
Here, I’ve necessarily had to skim the
surface of telephone techniques for your
reception team (whom I suggest should be
referred to as patient care coordinators),
but I hope I’ve illustrated how front-
of-house staff can be great business
developers.
To be most effective, just like you
and your clinical colleagues, they need
training (initial and on-going), support and
coaching. Don’t be afraid to test them
regularly by arranging mystery callers.
Use the information gained to determine
learning points and provide positive
feedback. ■
Reader enquiry: 101
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January 12 | The Probe
About the author
Jacqui Goss is the managing
partner at Yes!RESULTS,
which provides a range of
patient feedback, treatment
coordination services and
training to dental practices.
dentalrepublic.co.uk
READER ENQUIRY NO: 26