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Imagine calling a dental practice and hearing this message...
"Thank you for calling ABC dental practice. We are either treating patients or you have contacted us outside our business hours. Your call is important to us. Please listen carefully to the following options:
If you would like to schedule an appointment, press "1."
If you would like to re-schedule an existing appointment, press "2."
If you have questions about the status of your account, press "3."
If you would like to speak to an actual human being, say "human being." You will be put on hold indefinitely where you can listen to cheesy hold music and annoying dental ads while our team attends a meeting on improving Patient Service.
If you press "0" in the hopes of getting an actual person, you will be returned to the beginning of the menu.
Should you get to an actual person by some loophole we have not yet plugged, you will be asked to repeat all of the information you have already entered, since none of it will have been captured by our new and improved system, at which point you will be disconnected. If you have forgotten why you called and are losing the will to live, press "4." Nothing will happen, but it gives you something to do.
If you would like to hear these options again, press "283star sign63."
Thank you for being a patient at ABC Dental where we treat everyone like family."
I already know what you are thinking...and it's true, this is not a "real" message...but based on my experience, this is the type of message that gets "conveyed" in many practices.
First impressions matter BIG time and here we are, all set, having plastered our direct mail piece and we are getting calls from potential patients with questions we have no idea how to handle. The problem is, we market for new patients, and human beings show up and we are not sure how to handle these humans. First impressions make or break a practice.
What is the first impression potential new patients (an existing ones) get when they call your office? Are we setting the tone of your practice during that first call? Are we expertly answering questions patients have? What is our "conversion rate" of new patient calls to scheduled appointments?
If you are spending at least $1.00 per month to market for new patients, make sure the calls that come into your practice are handled with expertise and finesse.
Continued Success to you and your Team!
Sincerely,
Art Deden
Vista Practice Management
www.vista-practice.com
If I can be of further service to you, your family, friends or business associates - please let me know. Most of our business comes from referrals; please tell others of our services... DONT KEEP US A SECRET.
