Dental Office Telephone Scripts Empower The Team
Dental office telephone scripts remove barriers and create confidence! And phone scripts also empower any dental office team member to help answer ringing phones with expertise. A solid phone script will help take the stress out of answering those tough questions our dental patients ask every day. So many of the questions our callers ask are similar. So once we get the script down, we are good to go!
When telephone scripts are used in dental offices, schedules remain consistent. And new patients are more easily scheduled. There are less surprises in your dental day. When everyone knows just how to handle a situation, less judgement is necessary. Consistency creates consistency. And this is just what we want!
The dental front office has more confidence. And they can move forward without worry. There is less concern if a call was handled well. All calls are handled well. And the focus is on patient care… not what to say next. And did I say, when the entire team trains with great script, everyone can help answer the phones!
Many of the calls we receive and make in the dental office are the same. For example: How do we say “Hello!” ? It might be more important than you think! When should we use “please hold”? And what about those patients who always want to reschedule short notice? Let’s not forget the most important piece of every conversation! “Good-bye”.
Dental Phone Greetings Training Video
Dental Office Telephone Scripts: Examples
HOW TO SAY “HELLO”
“Good morning! Dr. Jones’ dental office. This is April. How can I help you?”
Simple. Warm. To the point. Try not to get carried away with lengthy introductions. Your “Hello” is the second most influential and important conversation in the dental office. Each and every “Hello” must be handled well. And by the way… “Please Hold” is not a proper greeting! I know it’s become perfectly acceptable by the dental office. Rise above the current here! You’ll be glad you did!
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Dental Office Telephone Scripts: THE PRICE SHOPPER CALL
These calls can be the biggest challenge for everyone that answers the phone. I have heard all kinds of responses to how this should be handled. How do we convert this caller into a patient?
Here is how I manage getting a call like this! We’ll start with the callers question:
“How much do you guys charge for a crown?”
“Well, hi! I’m sorry, I missed your name! Are you a patient of ours?”
“No. I just got your number on line and I’m calling around. This is going to be expensive. Just trying to get the best deal.”
What the dental front office says from this point will make or break this deal. Either the caller will schedule an appointment, or they will call someone else. This person is in the market for a dentist and will eventually find someone that can handle the call. You can read more of this script within my Dental Office Phone Scripts E-Book!
Dental Office Telephone Scripts: The New Patient
Some new patient calls are simpler than the “price shopper” call. These appointments are quite easy to schedule. A new patient may call and identify themselves as a new patient. Perhaps someone has referred them to you and they call asking to be scheduled. Here’s what they might say.
“Hello. I’d like to schedule an appointment as a new patient.”
“We are so happy you have called! What is your name?”
Always ask the caller’s name before you ask if they have dental insurance. I have heard dental front office coordinators who ask right at the gate what dental insurance the caller has. I understand the reason behind this, as it does save time. However, ask the caller’s name before asking any other questions. Connect with your caller as soon as you can in the conversation.
“Great! Hi Tom! Let’s get you scheduled! Do you have dental insurance you would like us to consider when making your appointment?”
Dental Office Telephone Scripts: I NEED TO RESCHEDULE MY APPOINTMENT CALL
Great judgement is needed in managing the reschedule calls that come through the dental front office. Life is busy for people, and unexpected things come along in our days. Learn to manage this very well! This is indeed tricky. But I’ve got just what you need to really get this down! You’ll see great improvement in your schedule when you implement my strategy. And the stress of these calls will be gone! Here’s what your patient calls to say.
“Hi. This is Sally Smith. I have an appointment with Dr. Jones tomorrow. I have just been told that I have to attend a meeting at my office tomorrow and there is no way out of it. I’m afraid I need to reschedule”.
“Well hi, Sally! Thank you for calling us and for giving us as much notice as you could. I understand. Dr. Jones is scheduling 7 weeks out right now. I can certainly work on moving your appointment forward in his schedule should any changes come up. I’ll schedule you at his next available appointment. If you can give us 48 hours should you need to change this appointment, Sally, it really helps everyone.”
“I will. This tooth is driving me crazy. But so is my boss. He just called this meeting and I can’t get out of it. Thank you”.
Dental Office Telephone Scripts: PATIENT With A TOOTHACHE & AN OVERDUE ACCOUNT BALANCE
What do you say when your patient calls to schedule an appointment and they have an overdue account balance? It happens! And you definitely need to help your patient. But what do you say? This is another conversation that is going to require excellent judgement and skill. It should go something like this:
“Hello Bob. Give me just a moment to open your chart. I’m sorry to hear about your pain. How long have you had this toothache? Is this an upper tooth or lower tooth?”.
Allow Bob to describe his tooth pain and what is going on before saying anything about his account. Be concerned for him and his pain. Then once, he pauses, you can continue. And this is another script you definitely want to master! Don’t dabble in this! Master your dental office phones! Use the tools available! Take my education and expertise and make it work for you!
Additional Help & Support
With all of the calls that come in and the business of the dental practice, you can definitely use all of the support at the front desk that you can get! And as you can see, I have taken my experience and translated it into many different forms for you. You’ll find the most common dental office phone scripts available to you within e-books, video, and course materials! Not sure which is right for you?
Please let me know how I can help! I’m here for you and just an email away.
