A seven-step framework for handling inbound calls: greeting, connecting emotionally, taking control, uncovering the chief concern, scheduling, gathering patient info, and closing warmly. Written by Dana as the source content for the Phone Essentials cheat sheet, 4-min video, and small-group webinar.
Welcome to the phone training for all front-office team members. Let's embark on an exciting journey to make every call a delightful interaction. Your voice should echo positivity and warmth. Every call is a unique opportunity to spread happiness, show understanding, or both.
When answering the phone, make sure we have a cheerful greeting.
A great tip we find works best is to smile before answering the phone. The smile carries in your voice — patients hear it even before they hear the words.
Next the caller will ask a question — such as "Can I make an appointment?", "Does your office take my insurance?", or "I have a toothache."
Our response is to connect with the caller by showing excitement or empathy for the question. Embodying excitement or empathy will make patients feel valued and understood, creating a lasting bond with our dental office.
Before answering a question or addressing their concern, it's important to take control of the conversation by getting the caller's name. After showing excitement or empathy, transition to:
This question not only allows you to address them by their name, enhancing the personalized touch, but also paves the way for a more comfortable and friendly conversation. Be sure to continue and use the caller's name throughout the conversation.
Ensure a smooth communication flow by stating their name and asking:
It's a simple question, but it demonstrates respect for their time.
Now that you've got control of the conversation by setting the tone and getting the patient's name and number, it's time to engage and get to the bottom of why the patient called our office today. Spend some additional time asking questions to learn more about the patient's chief concern.
After you have found out the patient's chief concern, let the patient know that we can help them out.
Before moving on, now is the time to ask this very important question:
It is important to ask this question now because we want to let the patient know if our office is in-network or out-of-network at this point of the call. The last thing we want to do — if our office is not in-network — is schedule a patient for an appointment when the patient only wants to go to an in-network dental office.
After we have uncovered the caller's chief concern, it's time to get them into our office.
The best way to schedule an appointment is by offering the patient two appointment times. This will give patients a sense of control over their schedule.
After we have the patient scheduled, it's time to understand a little more about our patient.
We want to discover how they heard about us by asking:
It helps us understand which of our marketing efforts are bearing fruit.
Next, we need to ask the patient for their date of birth. This is important because you will have patients with duplicate names, and we want to keep them separate in our practice management system. For example, you may have two patients named Paul Smith — the date of birth will keep them separate.
We also want to gather their email by asking:
This way, we can reduce their waiting time when they arrive.
Before ending the call, check if there are other family members who need appointments — reinforcing the idea that we're here for their entire family.
Finally, provide directions to our office and express excitement about the scheduled appointment. For example:
Remember, your genuine warmth and friendliness will make every phone call an enjoyable experience — not just for the patients, but also for you.
We take control through the emotions we express and the questions we ask. Here's the whole framework in one place.
It is highly recommended that call notepads should be placed next to every phone in the front office.
If you need a call pad sent to your office, please let your Office Manager know and SGA will get those call pads sent out to your office.
Remember: we are the first point of contact at the dental office — so let's use the resources SGA has made available to us and make each phone call a success for both you and the patient.