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It still surprises me how often the ringing of the Dental Office Phone is treated as an interruption by those whose job it is to answer it.

Yes.

Even just this weekend I heard an alarming statistic that only thirty four percent of Dental Office New Patient Enquiry calls were being converted into physical appointments by those Offices being measured.

And that’s alarming.

Because these offices, by virtue of the fact they *are* being measured would indeed be providing a number, or a stat, above the norm, or average, compared to all those other Dental Offices out there.

I believe, that across the board, the statistic is around the twenty percent mark.

One in five only!

Which means that four times out of five a New Patient Enquiry Call to a Dental Office is *NOT* resulting in an appointment for that caller.

In 2015, there is no reason why this number should be so low.

In 2015, as opposed to 1985, the caller now has so much information available to them about your Dental Office, so that by the time they come to pick up the phone to call your Office, they’ve already made the decision that they want your Office to be their Dental Home.

At least this once.

If not longer.

In 1985 there was no Internet.

In 1985 all that a caller to your Office had to base their decision upon was a list of names from A to Z in the Yellow Pages, and how “nice” your name sounded.

They had little else to go upon.

In 1985 there were no websites.

In 1985 there were no *Meet the Team* pages for would be customers to scrutinize and “virtually” interview you and your wonderful team.

In 1985 there was no opportunity for New Patient Enquirers to do an online tour of your Office.

In 1985 there was no Google Earth or Google Maps for them to see a snapshot of your premises.

In 2015, now, more than ever, when the Dental Office Phone rings, we know that the caller is different.

In 2015, we now know that the caller has already made the decision that ours is the Dental Office they now want to be treated at.

And it is the responsibility of our Front Office Team answering that ringing phone to confirm in the caller’s mind that they have indeed made the correct decision.

A New Patient Telephone Enquiry is not a “shopper”.

A New Patient Telephone Enquiry is not calling about an insurance cover.

A New Patient Telephone Enquiry is a person with a genuine Dental need who we are yet to convince that our Office is the best place and the only office for them to solve their Dental issues.

When they come to call, they’ve already done their homework.

They’ve seen what your Office looks like from online photos.

They’ve read everything about your wonderful team and also everything about your wonderful Office.

If there was anything there that they did not like they would not be calling.

They WANT you to be their Dentist.

Otherwise, they’d be calling somewhere else.

And that’s a light bulb moment!

When Dental Offices and their teams begin to make this realization, that the ringing phone is indeed their friend, then providence moves.

Because now the phone is answered in a different way.

And when that happens, the caller knows:

“Hey, this place is going to be different”

The caller is now receiving signals of confirmation from your phone answerer, that they have indeed called the right place.

When your team realise the value of that ringing phone, and the fact that that caller is so pre-qualified, and the advantage they have in knowing this, then the team rises to the occasion.

And the Phone Enquiry Conversion rate rises significantly.

Education, enlightenment, and the correct training of your team is critical in determining the successes and improved success that your Office has in making sure that your caller knows that they have indeed now found their new Dental Home.

Your place, your office, is now their Dental Home.

*****

Have you read my book , How To Build The Dental Practice of Your Dreams [Without Killing Yourself!] In Less Than Sixty Days.

You can order your copy here: Click Link To Order

*****

The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.

Email me at david@theupe.com

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