Dental Office New Patients are Priority
Dental office new patients bring new life and new energy to the dental practice. But this is a team effort. At least if you want to do this well! The entire team must learn proper telephone skills.
Train the Entire Team
The idea is that anyone on the team can answer the phone well. And that there is always a trained team member at the phone. One missed call could be a missed new patient!
“Please Hold” is Not Our Best!
How many new patients do you lose each day? Because the team just can’t get to the phone quick enough? Or maybe because the “Please Hold” greeting is not really what your patients want to hear.
What we Don’t Know will Hurt Us
You might not even know what you don’t know! Just a little tune up on your dental office phone skills. and you might just see your new patient numbers rise!
Intake Forms Guide the Team
Dental office new patients call form leads the team in just what to ask! Because we want to gather all the information we need as efficiently as possible. And not miss a trick.
Name & Number First
Get your patient’s name and phone number first! Before anything else, you need a name and phone number.
Greet Your Patient Again – by Name!
Then, greet your patient warmly by name. And repeat their phone number to be sure. It is also a good idea to ask if the number they have given you is a cell phone. And are they okay to receive text messages?
Dental Office New Patients Call Form Asks Why
Is the patient in pain? What is the reason for their call today? We need to know if the patient requires immediate help. Or if the patient is due for a hygiene visit and exam. Then, a brief dental history.
Hygiene History
What are their hygiene needs? If your patient does not have a pressing emergency, ask about their hygiene history. Have they been on a regular 6 month recall schedule? Or are their hygiene visits more frequent? Does the patient remember having any periodontal treatment? And again, when was their last hygiene appointment? Are they due now? Or are they overdue?
Dental Insurance Information
If your patient doesn’t have their insurance information when they call, ask them to send it to you. If they can email you a copy of their insurance card, that’s fabulous. But even if they can just send you the basic information you need, that will get you started.
Definitely gather some information before your patient’s first appointment. And the sooner the better!
Get the Basics
Start with the name of the company and their phone number. Some insurance companies have a different phone number for providers. Then you need to know who the subscriber on the policy is. It might not be the patient. You will need the date of birth of the subscriber if it is not your patient. And you will always need the date of birth of the patient.
Most insurance companies use an alternate member ID#. However, some do not. If they don’t have an alternate ID#, then you need their social security number. Or the social security number of the subscriber should it not be the patient!
Dental Office New Patients Call Form Download
Pre-Built Operations Manual
