Getting a lot of leads for your practice doesn’t mean as much if they aren’t converting into new patients. Do your front office staff know how to convert these leads? Training your staff to do this is extremely important for your practice. They must know the best practices and ways to talk to potential patients and sell your practice to them.
See Where Your Staff Shines Most
Depending on the size of your practice and staff, allocate people based on their prominent skills. If you can, dedicate someone to answering phone calls and emails. They’re where you’re going to get the most leads. Maybe another staff member is a whiz at scheduling and ensuring everything is in order. You want your staff to be the best benefit for your practice.
It’s also important that you have all tasks covered. Everyone should know exactly who is responsible for what if you have a phone, email, and chat service. Avoid confusion by ensuring specific tasks and roles are designated to certain people.
Train Everyone in the Basics
Especially if you have a smaller practice, some of your clinical staff may need to answer the phone sometimes. Train every staff member in the basics of patient communication virtually and on the phone. The phone should never ring more than three times before someone answers it. Create a basic script for all employees to learn so they consistently answer the phone similarly.
Your clinical staff has already had training in having a good bedside manner for patients. Instruct them to treat patients on the phone the same way. Answering the phone with a smile on their face like they would welcome a patient into the office can make all the difference. The caller can hear the smile and their positive disposition over the phone.
Go over the basic requirements for emailing, too. The email inbox needs to be checked frequently. Check emails at least every hour and have someone respond to them as soon as possible. People expect emails to be answered promptly, and not doing this can make you lose out on business.
Perform Test Calls
Test calls are the best way to practice before someone takes actual calls. Throw them some of the questions you commonly get from callers. Listen to their responses and give feedback. You can coach them on the things they don’t say correctly and ensure they’re primed to take on some live callers.
Record and Review Calls
The Dental Revenue Dashboard allows you to listen to recorded calls and evaluate how your staff handled things. To ensure you’re doing your best at lead conversion, keep up to date with these calls. You may have tips and tricks to recommend that your employees change to convert leads into patients more successfully.
If you’re listening to recorded calls and notice consistent issues, that’s something to bring up to the employee. You may notice commonalities in the calls and deduce patterns for both successful and unsuccessful calls. This allows you to adjust and determine if employees are right for your practice.
Schedule a Demo
Dental Revenue offers a marketing partnership. We’re here with you every step of the way to help your practice succeed. Call us or schedule a demo online to get started.