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the problem is the key Close your eyes for a moment and think of the biggest problem you have in your dental office. If we could solve that problem, you would probably think we were pretty amazing! You would also tend to trust us and want to build a relationship. This is a very simple but powerful concept, one that every dental office should concentrate on daily. When interfacing with potential patients, as we all know, dentistry is not about dental materials and procedures, it is about relationships. It is about solving people's dental problems and building lasting partnerships between the patients and the dental team. There is one sure thing about the dental profession, no one calls unless they have a problem! If your office can solve the caller's problem, the patient will recognize this and want to establish and build a relationship with you. Discovering the patient's problem is the first step. There are patients who will discuss their real problems over the phone, while others will want to wait until they are in the office and others still that will not want to discuss them at all. No matter how or when you discover the patient's concerns, the key is to understand them. And that is where the relationship begins. Following are several easy methods to get to the main problem every time: 1. The process of identifying a caller's core issue starts with having a very accomplished person on the phone. This person should have great interpersonal skills and should be trained to interview potential patients in a helpful manner. This may sound like common sense, but in working with dental offices across the U.S., we have observed that not many have well-trained receptionists. By the same token, we have found that it is simple to train someone who has the right personality and a desire to do what is best for the patient. They do not need to be a master at verbal scripting, personality profiles or objection formulas. They just need to be cheerful, helpful, good listeners, and not afraid to ask questions. Questions are focused on building a relationship and finding out why they called the office. Remember, people rarely call a dentist unless they have a problem, so if that wonderful receptionist can identify problems quickly and accurately, your callers will definitely be glad they called your office. This is the first step in solving your patients' problems and building those highly desired patient relationships. 2. Don't be too pushy on the phone. A person with good listening and interpersonal skills knows when enough questions have been asked. The caller may be afraid, unsure of what to say, or they may not be comfortable opening up on the phone. In cases such as these, it becomes the job of either the new patient coordinator or the doctor to identify the problems during the new patient interview. Face to face interviews are always more powerful than those over the phone. 3. Many times, patients are reluctant to tell the entire story over the phone. They have reasons for not being open that range from wanting to check the doctor out before they "bare their souls," to simply not wanting to hear bad news. As such, it is important for the doctor to clarify what the patients' problems are and to continue the process the receptionist began in identifying each patient's core problem. In this way, confusion and miscommunication are avoided and the doctor will not end up trying to solve the wrong problem. 4. Find the real reason they called. In sales training, they teach a concept called "The Need Behind the Need." When patients do not open up completely, it is important to find their core need. Here is what you might say: "Mrs. Jones, you have told me a dental office is not your favorite place and I certainly understand why you may feel that way. Our goal in this office is to help you and the better I understand your dental problems, the more I will be able to do that. Please tell me why you picked up the phone and called us? And why did you make this call today?" Think about this for a minute! Not many people want to go to a dental office, especially one that is new and unfamiliar. The callers may have to do some serious thinking about it first, probably discuss it with a family member, look up your number, and make a call to a strange place that could end up hurting them and charging a lot of money. This is a highly charged emotional event that takes a lot of energy. Asking them why they called forces them to reflect upon why they picked up the phone and it is from within this emotional state that relationship building occurs. Let's look at the average new patient that has not been to the dentist in several years. Their reasons range from time, money, fear, dislike or distrust of dentists, to having never felt the need to go. If that is their profile, you, as the new patient coordinator or the dentist, must be thinking, "Why now? You don't like being here. The reasons you are giving me are not that serious. There has got to be more to the story than this!" This is the time to ask them why they called, an "Open the Door" question: "Why
did you pick up the phone and call?" |