Dental Office Coronavirus Scripts Today
Dental office coronavirus scripts may be helpful to you and your dental office team. My only hesitation here, is that moment by moment, our situation updates. And dental practices continue to manage this healthcare crisis as they best see fit. Which is one of the many advantages we have in this great nation. Say what you will, there are many freedoms we have that people in other countries do not know.
As healthcare workers, we want to calm and assure our patients first and foremost. Our dental patients are more than teeth! And although a patient may have a current dental emergency, there may be more going on. When a patient expresses frustration or emotional upset, remember the world is upside down right now. And we do well to remember, this too shall pass.
Dental Office Phones
Dental office phones may be very quiet today. People around the country have many things on their mind. There are supplies to hunt for, vacation plans to postpone, childcare to arrange, and our daily routines are now totally upside down. Then, there is the fear and anxiety of losing a job, getting behind on our bills, and maybe getting sick. Many people are on overload! And understandably so.
Dental office phones may start ringing more over time. And this might happen if confinements extend. But this is an “if”. There are many unknowns at this time. So, let’s all take a breath and keep it in the moment as much as we can. Our government has asked all dental practices to provide emergency care only. So, I will touch on some scripts to address this.
Dental Office Coronavirus Scripts For Phone Management
Dental office coronavirus scripts for your office phones support the team. And I highly recommend that during regular business hours, your dental team continues to answer phones if possible. Maybe phones can even be redirected to another cell number to help you work from home! This piece of “normalcy” helps us as individuals, as a team, as an American citizen, and also provides the best patient care we can for our patients during these stressful times. Your patients will love a live person from the team answering your office phones!
Provide an emergency assessment form for the team members on the phones! You will see an example of a dental emergency assessment form here. You can download this to give you a guide. The dental front office team and those on the front lines need to know the guidelines. And what the practice will do to manage emergency care. Make sure that you, as the dental administrator or dental assistant know what your dentist wants to do and what qualifies a true dental emergency at this time.
Dental Emergency Assessment Form
Rescheduling Routine Dental Appointments
There are routine dental appointments to reschedule right now. And we can do much of this by text and email, thankfully. And that certainly makes our life so much easier. But whether we reschedule by phone or automation, let’s think about our words. I prefer to keep words as light and positive as possible. Maybe something like this:
“Dr. Brown and his team are here for you! Should a dental emergency arise, please let us know. At this time, we must postpone all scheduled appointments. We will be back in touch with you soon to do just that! Promise!! And remember, we are here for you in a dental emergency. Please call the office in the event of a dental emergency. Our office number is xxx-xxxx. “
Maybe wait to reschedule scheduled appointments when we receive the “all clear”. Because we just don’t know what’s going to happen with this. Everyone is doing their part to slow it down and get the virus under control. But right now it’s not. And we don’t want to make twice the work for the team or our patients. Remember, they don’t know what their schedules will be either! Keep the scheduled appointments as they are. Patients can be rescheduled once we know what’s going on.
Dental Office Voicemail Greetings
Dental offices may choose to have a voicemail greeting message. Again, we all have individual choices and reasons to do the things we do. A dental office voicemail during this time of shut down may greet patients something like this:
“Thank you for calling Dr. Brown’s dental office. We will be back in the office soon. If you are a patient of record, and are currently experiencing a dental emergency, please call our emergency number at :XXX-XXXX. We ask all other patients and callers to please call back. Please keep an eye on your emails, our website, and our social media accounts. We will update regularly! We look forward to seeing you soon.”
Work From Home Options
Dental office administrators can work from home. Especially with a computer and internet connection available. And maybe call in to check office messages, or with an office cell phone. It’s a great idea! And I too have worked from home when managing dental practices. So, if the practice decision is to totally close the office, try to find ways to stay connected to patients still. Emails and social media are a great way!
Maybe combine working from home with in-office time. With mail and package deliveries, you may want someone at the office for the early part of the day. Communicate with your suppliers and labs if there is a change in hours or a total close down. But payment entry can continue from incoming mail can continue as long as the mail comes in! Please remember, our situation continues to evolve with time. And all of this might be very different very very soon. Stay flexible, stay strong, and remember we are all in this together!
Dental Office Coronavirus Scripts And What To Avoid
Dental office coronavirus scripts don’t need to include any words of disease or despair! In fact, you may notice I didn’t bring it up at all. And that’s just how I would do it with patients. Avoid all negative words completely! This is a great time to be calm, positive, and strong. And we convey even more with our tone than with our words. So as much as I want to say, “guard your words”, I also want to say, “spread some peace” even more! This is a perfect opportunity to be extra kind and assuring to the world!
Dental front office down time is hard to come by. And I’m not making light of our current crisis. Not by any means! I’m just saying, let’s put it to the best use we have. Time is invaluable. And what we do in the times of crisis affects our lives in the end. If we focus on the positive, keep some kind of schedule, look for ways to care for one another, we’ll be so glad we did!
