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Dental Office New Patient Calls

April Thompson
A woman brushes her teeth and looks at her phone. She is reading a reminder of her new patient appointment.

Dental Office New Patient Calls With Conversion

Dental office new patient calls come in a variety of ways.  The most obvious and the easiest new patient conversion is the caller that reaches out to the office and asks to schedule a new patient exam.   Hopefully, you find this happening quite frequently.

Can You Identify New Patient Calls?

There are several other calls that come through the dental office that are not quite as obvious or as easy to schedule.  These calls require a little more time and skill in scheduling an appointment.  One example is the caller who starts the conversation by saying “I just have a question.”  You might hear: ” How much does it cost for an extraction?”  Another question:  “Do you take patients without insurance?” or “Do you take insurance?”

Convert a Call Into an Experience

Maybe some of these questions sound familiar.   And perhaps in the business of the moment, that call didn’t go far.  But, if someone is calling your dental office like this, they are in the market for a new dentist!   And it is absolutely necessary to make that call a priority!  Turn that call into an experience this person will appreciate!  Schedule this caller with the new dentist they are looking for.

Dental Office New Patient Calls Should Be Tracked And Monitored. A Dental Front Office Team Member Is On The Phone With a New Patient.

Re-Greet Callers by Name

The first thing you are going to want to do is ask the caller’s name & get their phone number.  You will definitely want the ability to call them back should you need to!

Next,  ask if there is insurance that they would like you to bill.  But that wouldn’t be your first question.  It might be theirs!  So here is how you could handle that.

Dental Office New Patient Calls Scripted

“Do You Take My Insurance? ” Is often one of the first questions if not the first question a new patient will ask when calling.  I believe in asking questions myself.  Ask your questions in a warm and friendly manner that tells your new patient you are really interested in who they are!

 

I would answer that question by saying, “We might!  Could I ask your name, please?”  Then, let your caller introduce themselves.  They will probably say something like, “Oh.. sorry.. My name is Jack.  Jack Knight.. and my neighbor gave me your number.  I have Delta Dental and am wondering if you take that.”

 

Show Enthusiasm & Concern

Then,  respond with something like this.. “Oh, great Jack!  It’s nice to meet you!  Could you tell me who your neighbor is?”  Knowing who referred your new patient is great information and it also builds an immediate bond between yourself and the new patient calling.

Once your new patient has their referrer, be excited with them!  Tell them how excited you are that the neighbor sent them to you!

Ask another question.  “Jack, do you have a tooth bothering you today?  Are you calling with any pain or discomfort right now?”  Let your new patient know you are concerned about anything that might be troubling them.

Any Urgent Dental Needs?

Notice we still haven’t fully stepped into the insurance question yet. It is not a stall tactic, by any means.  The idea is to make the priority the patient.   Their dental concerns come before any financial or insurance discussion takes place.  Create a bond immediately.

Schedule emergency evaluations soon!

Dental Office New Patient Calls & Financial Discussions

 

The good news is, Jack knows who his dental insurance carrier is!  So many people call and provide their medical insurance or aren’t even sure who their dental carrier is.

I would assure Jack that you would be happy to take down his dental insurance information.  And thrilled that you offer to call them yourself to check on his dental benefits.  Gather his insurance information and let him know that you can give him a call back with benefit information and his estimated cost for his first scheduled appointment. 

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