Can’t get to the phone? Try these new patient scheduling solutions

Do you answer every single call to your dental office? (Come on, be honest.)  We know that missing just one call a month can cost you $2 million (yea, you read that right) over the lifetime of your business. Stop. Missing. Calls. Today. You really don’t have a choice.

Press play and watch Xaña Winans, the CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing (the most experienced dental marketing company in the country). She’ll show you right away how you can make sure every patient trying to reach you can do it in a way that’s comfortable for them. (Let’s face it: Millennials would rather text than talk on the phone. So, connect with them that way.)

Xaña gives you solutions that will change how you communicate and convert new patients. At the end of the video, you’ll probably be wondering why you didn’t use these tools so much sooner. Never miss another dental patient call or another opportunity to help someone and their smile. 

(P.S. If you want to learn more about call tracking and how to track it when it comes to dental marketing and growing your business, download our FREE guide, “Transform Your Dental Practice by Tracking These 8 KPI’s.” You can also subscribe to the Golden Proportions Marketing YouTube channel and get friendly with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Every one of our social media platforms has ways for you to engage and learn about growing your practice presence in your community and online.)

TRANSCRIPTION

Last week we talked about the hidden costs of not answering that new patient call because you’re already busier than a rooster in a hen house. And it was expensive, like a $2 million mistake. But you’re only one person at the front desk. So what are you supposed to do?

Hi, I’m Xana Winans, the founder and CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing, the leading dental marketing company for dentists and office managers just like you. Look, we get it. We feel your pain. There are only so many hours in a day and sometimes something has to give, and occasionally it’s the phone. The problem is that last week we discovered missing just one new patient call a month could cost you over $2 million in the lifetime of your practice. And we all know you’re missing way more calls than that, especially when patients call after hours or during lunch.

Unless you’re ready to clone the front desk, and if you’ve been watching Netflix’s Living With Yourself, you know that’s a terrible idea. What’s a practice to do? Well, I have a few solutions for you. This millennial generation simply hates to talk on the phone, so don’t make them. Invest in a real time online scheduling application like LocalMed. Patients can choose an appointment time that fits their schedule and your team can call them back to confirm when things aren’t so hectic. Evenings, weekends and lunch, no longer a problem, and at 139 a month, it’s the best money you will ever spend and a lot cheaper than missing out on that new patient.

If you have more calls than you can handle, connect with a call scheduling service like CallForce. They’ll actually answer your new patient questions and get them on your calendar, all while you take care of the patients right in front of you. I hate to say it, but are you adequately staffed at the front desk? Most new patient calls come early morning, at lunch and at the end of the day, times when your office might not even be open. And Fridays, don’t get me started on the missed calls on Friday when you’re not seeing patients. When you look at the cost of missing those new patient calls, what’s more expensive? The second person at the front desk or $2 million in missing revenue? I think you know the answer.

My friend Genevieve, at Poppe Practice Management, says the front desk should be the highest paid position in your office, because that person is 100% responsible for converting your leads into appointments. This position isn’t a receptionist. They’re essentially an inside sales professional, and that takes mad skills.

If you really want to get the best possible ROI out of your marketing, you have to take the call, every call, or find somebody who can do it for you. This KPI goes to the top of the list for importance in my mind.

This wraps up our content about KPIs. What have you learned or do you have more questions? Click to schedule a call with our business development executive Erica today, and thanks for watching.