We live in a society that increasingly relies on non-verbal communication. Two-thirds of people check their phones\u00a0160 TIMES DAILY\u00a0<\/a><\/span>, and they\u2019re often using text messaging. About 90% of text messages get opened, including those from businesses. Some psychologists even question how effectively kids are developing their interpersonal skills as they lock onto their screens.\u00a0Despite the prevalence of texting, most healthcare practices still rely primarily on incoming calls to move patients onto their appointment schedule. On the other end of the phone line, a human voice harnesses unique characteristics that digital characters fail to convey.\u00a0But it\u2019s not enough to have your front desk staff answer the phone and spend two minutes or less dishing out information. People need to feel connected to your brand, and a handful of strategies can significantly influence the effectiveness of a phone interaction with your team.\u00a0The right techniques can make your marketing budget produce better results, too. If your team converts 70% of new patient calls to appointments, it takes far fewer leads than if they\u2019re converting 30%. If you\u2019re wondering if your marketing is producing results, track how often the phone rings. Steady call volume and an empty schedule often suggest phone conversions need a boost.\u00a0Here are three ways to help convert more patient calls into appointments:<\/p>\n A ringing phone during business hours can intrude on a busy day in the office, and it\u2019s easy for annoyance to creep into phone etiquette. But callers can infer what\u2019s happening in the medical office, and the tone of the person who answers can impact their words for better or worse. Exceptional phone etiquette gives us more brand power through better reviews and word-of-mouth. Attention-to-detail increases the chance we\u2019ll convert callers into patients while enhancing our reputation for service.\u00a0Practice these techniques and set the stage for more conversions when answering patient phone calls:<\/p>\n Smiling, scripting, and rushing to grab a call may seem like overkill, but it\u2019s the basis for what happens next. Consumers often make decisions based on what they feel. Simple techniques that guide with a helpful, friendly tone pave the way to appointments.<\/p>\n When Alexander Graham Bell earned the first phone patient in 1876, the world changed forever. The conversational dynamics may be the same as 145 years ago, but phone systems continue to evolve to fit today\u2019s world. Many businesses rely on VoIP and eliminate the likelihood of expensive equipment repairs with plug-and-play designs.\u00a0But the best systems integrate with software interfaces to help you serve patients better. Since\u00a032% OF PATIENTS REPORT PHONE CALLS\u00a0<\/a><\/span>as the most frustrating customer service channel, every call presents an opportunity to impress.\u00a0LEGWORK PHONES\u00a0<\/a><\/span>demonstrate how an innovative design adds to first impressions with minimal effort. We can customize our call flow with a simple drag-and-drop editor and control how each extension handles an incoming phone. After organizing operations in the dial plan, we just click save, and changes immediately go into effect.\u00a0On-hold time increases the likelihood that a patient will hang up, call the next office, or enter the conversation frustrated.\u00a0LEGWORK CALL POP-UP\u00a0<\/a><\/span>immediately pulls in caller data from your practice software and displays it on the screen. Staff members can move seamlessly through a conversation and address details that can help a patient schedule. Call Pop-Up makes outgoing calls hassle-free too, enabling you to phone patients with one click from their file\u2013no need to dial their phone number by hand.<\/p>\n Businesses that thrive gather insights from every point along the patient journey. They know that\u00a065% OF CONSUMERS HAVE ABANDONED BUSINESSES\u00a0<\/a><\/span>over one poor customer service experience, and they don\u2019t want to be a statistic.\u00a0HEALTHCARE LEADS COST NEARLY $300\u00a0<\/a><\/span>to acquire, and we can lose them with one subpar phone call. Weak links come at any point in the patient experience, and the phone is a tool that provides a critical step in the journey.\u00a0Make a point of tracking a few metrics in your phone service. You may start with determining times during the day with the highest call volume and making sure the team is prepared to add support.\u00a0One of the most effective metrics is tracking how many potential new patients call the office and schedule appointments. The staff keeps a tally sheet with two columns and makes a simple mark every time a new patient calls. If they schedule, they check the next column. Once you have a baseline percentage of conversions, you can start tracking changes with any new training.\u00a0Create incentives for the admin team, and consider celebrating or rewarding them when they hit goals. Don\u2019t be surprised if you discover you\u2019re converting less than 50% of the new patient calls. Set a target for 70% or more.<\/p>\n Every time the phone rings, another opportunity waits on the line. When our call system is structured to integrate with our software systems, we get started with helpful information. Structured phone etiquette sets the tone with efficient answering, scripting, and a smile. And as we track our patient calls, we shore up a critical conversion tool in the patient journey. Convert your ringing phone into a source of new patients. Switch to a cloud-based phone system and get free phones for your office\u2013choose from one of many designs. Contact us<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n [dr_grillo_bio]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Dr. Greg Grillo We live in a society that increasingly relies on non-verbal communication. Two-thirds of people check their phones\u00a0160 TIMES DAILY\u00a0, and they\u2019re often using text messaging. About…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legwork"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. Answer Patient Phone Calls With A Plan<\/h4>\n
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2. Choose An Integrated Phone System<\/h4>\n
3. Track, Learn, and Adjust<\/h4>\n
Make Patient Calls A Priority In 2022<\/h4>\n