Believe it or not, patient happiness in a dental practice starts long before anyone ever sits in a chair. When the front office is well-equipped to handle requests and requirements, it ensures that patients feel appreciated and empowered in their dental selection before they’ve even had a chance to sit down. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and it’s not always the fault of the front office.
It’s a fact that dental practices operate on similar needs, phones ringing in the first minute of every appointment, patients walking in with requests for updates, insurance verifications that still need to be done, and appointment confirmations that need to be made, all without allowing for a lackadaisical atmosphere that makes anyone feel like they’re interrupting too much to ask.
What Happens to the Phone
A busy dental practice often means that one requisite gets lost in the shuffle every day. The receptionist needs to check out one patient and process their payment while simultaneously answering a question from someone just coming in for their appointment. Meanwhile, the phone rings. And then it rings again. And then someone comes in asking for an insurance update, but the person on the other side of the desk is still trying to juggle the phone. Another line lights up.
But it’s not an issue of not having enough staff. Instead, it’s an issue of capacity, and even the best-run practices still suffer from front desks that can only handle so much. In an ideal world, each call would be answered, but when call volume hits a breaking point, something needs to take a backseat. Usually, it’s the phone that inevitably goes to voicemail when a reception staff member misses it for the fourth time in a row, and patients are left waiting hours or days to hear back (or give up and calling other offices) instead of receiving immediate care.
Moving Away from Overworked Front Offices
More practices are opting for a virtual receptionist who handles calls through an extension without creating physical barriers that interrupt much-needed work. Now, lines are answered even in the busiest days, and patients who call can get into touch with someone who knows what they’re talking about instead of leaving one out of twenty messages hoping for a callback as well.
Patients report differences in their feedback almost immediately. When they’re able to reach the office on the first call rather than being met with constant busyness, their questions get answered more quickly, and their scheduling becomes easier as well. Patient happiness flows all around, including during actual appointments.
What Actually Changes
Whereas patients would otherwise suffer from the voicemail going unreturned and receive that “I’ll call you back” experience, now that’s a thing of the past. Should someone need help simply getting through a quick scheduling question or avoiding emergency care waiting for a response that’s unlikely to happen, they’ll get guided more effectively. This is especially true when minor concerns are weighed against an already-busy schedule, and no one has time to waste waiting for something as simple as answering a question or two.
Front desk staff also finds an increase in work efficiencies when phone call interruptions are no longer a thing. They don’t have to drop conversations with people standing right in front of them anymore; check-ins can happen without stress; and countless papers aren’t fumbled through when time is needed to procure answers from systems located on individual computers.
This means that the waiting room is much calmer, too, and patients sense stress. They can tell when front desk staff is overwhelmed, even when those same staff members attempt to hide their distress. When no one is looking frantically for answers behind piles of papers or buried under desk drawers trying to grab phone chargers in case their own phones die during voicemail retrieval, patients are more comfortable.
Appointment Management
Every time a patient no-shows or cancels last minute is money lost by a dental practice. A remote support system can reduce such incidents if someone is dedicated to confirmations. When lines are busy getting people through scheduling needs as it is, confirming appointments or operating through a waiting list becomes exponentially easier.
Furthermore, this means that practices can maintain schedules without overbooking as padding for expected no-shows, maintaining a balance between being busy and appreciating any given patient’s time creates respect across the board.
Patient Dynamics
Not all calls are about pure scheduling, patients have questions about payments, billing inquiries, insurance woes, costs associated with treatments and anxiety regarding procedures. Therefore, some emotional intelligence must go into handling calls, and it’s not always a transfer necessary.
Quality remote reception services have trained employees who know dental office needs and educated average perceptions of treatment versus what may require call-specific capabilities. This means that callers will receive information worthwhile rather than generalities that frustrate patients further.
Off-Hour Advantages
Emergencies don’t happen 9-5; they occur at the most inconvenient times (especially when they’re dental-related). A person chips a tooth and wants reassurance on whether it needs immediate care after a Friday night out. A person suffers severe tooth pain and needs to talk through options after hours of minimal relief late Thursday night.
Practices looking to provide support beyond business hours keep better patient retention because people remember when they’ve needed their dental office after-the-fact; whether it’s just confirmation that their situation does not require emergency care or reassurance by directing them to a service partner, it makes a difference.
What Patients Notice Most
The most common specific things that patients appreciate surround simple timing, getting through on the first call just feels good; receiving immediate responses brings satisfaction; noticing when they interrupt the front desk does not occur as simply frustrating brings overall happiness.
These may seem trivial; however, accumulated over time create an impression of professional wellness. Patients who feel they receive good treatment from the front office are more likely to keep appointments, follow through on recommendations and refer family and friends just for good measure.
Making It Work
Success in working with remote reception support comes from those practices that successfully integrate it into their business without making any major changes via communication styles and programs employed by all interested parties.
The best practices utilize remote services like it’s just second nature because all are on the same page, and rarely are patients even aware they’re talking to someone who’s not there as all systems exist in synergy between remote access and in-house services. Ultimately, it works.
