We all know the phone is the portal into our business. It’s ring should not be that of a bell or chime or one’s favorite song. It should be saying to us, “I am delivering a precious gift. I am delivering your livelihood. Put on a smile, some personality and be gracious”

Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of the skills required to manage the human on the other end of the line. When I experience a great phone call, I want to stand from the top of a mountain and sing the accolades of the one who “gets it”, but when it is bad…well its bad! And I hope to never encounter that person, or business again.

This is not industry specific. ANY industry ought to take note. In fact the very industry whose livelihood comes from after hours phone monitoring is one of the worst offenders. This troubles me… If you are running a business…take a moment to explore the amazing services offered by Ruby Receptionist in Portland, OR they have it dialed in! No pun intended…

In dentistry, many practices go from mediocre phone service during business hours, to abysmal phone service after hours. Don’t our patients deserve the same excellence when phoning our offices that they receive during our clinical services? Don’t our customers deserve Five Star service at every touch point? I have found two incredible companies that offer excellent phone training in manageable sessions. Heather Minsky-Nottingham’s All-Star Dental Academy and for my Australian friends, Jayne Bandy’s Dental Phone Excellence. 

Don’t wait to correct this very important piece of your business puzzle. There are simple, cost effective solutions to this huge problem. Three things to remember about your customers/patients:

1) They want an excellent customer experience

2) They want to believe the service or product is of value

3) They want efficiency

So take the extra step to invest in one of your greatest assets…the person handling your phones.

Cyndee Johnson, RDH

Founding Principal

scaler2schedule.com