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would like to discuss the importance of the telephone in making a good
first impression on patients. To begin, ask yourself the following
questions:
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When your phone rings, do you know how it is being answered?
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Does your staff have the proper training to represent your practice?
When patients (or potential patients) call your office,
they make judgments about you and your practice based on what they hear
over the phone. They do not see the office decor, they may not have
met you, and if they are new patients, they do not know the quality of
your care. You are relying on the verbal skills of your receptionist
to convey an image of your practice.
Why dedicate an article to telephone skills?
It is a fact that despite the telephone’s widespread use, it is often a
misused communication tool. I am sure that you have had many frustrating
business calls because of a poorly trained or ineffectual person on the
other end. I have witnessed telephone communications go hopelessly
wrong, and I believe that telephone etiquette is an acquired skill.
The proliferation of electronic devices, such as
answering machines and cell phones, is part of the contemporary style of
telecommunications. The irony is that the more accessible we have
become through technology, the more communication has become a one-way
dialogue. The practice of using answering machines when an office
is closed can be positive or negative. If you use an answering machine,
be sure that your message includes
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practice hours
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emergency contact procedures
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when the office will reopen
If you leave a pager number, be sure that it works!
Never just leave the traditional answering-machine
message that says, “No one can take your call at this time. Please leave
a message at the tone.” This is possibly the most irritating form
of answering-machine abuse for a potential patient or an existing patient
to hear.
If you use an answering machine during lunch
breaks or meetings, include that fact in your message, and also let callers
know when to call back or when to expect a call back from you.
Voice mail can also be an effective means of communicating.
Patients can be offered options, such as
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scheduling appointments
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general practice information
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leave messages for individual doctors
A system that handles overflow can also be used to prevent
the caller from hearing “Doctor’s-office-please-hold” as soon as the calll
is answered, something that is a common phrase in busy offices.
If you use a voice mail system, be sure that
to check the messages and respond as soon as possible. I cannot tell
you how often I hear complaints from patients who did not get a call back
or were lost in the system.
11/02/99
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Have you ever opened the chamber of a
pulp and experienced a fetid odor? I have. Using a mouthwash
in a syringe to irrigate the pulp canal works to eliminate that odor.
Many times I'll leave the rinse inside the chamber for a few minutes.
Afterwards, I'll rinse with sodium hypochloride. Then the odor will
dissipate. Patients who smelled the initial odor feel terrific, for
there is no longer an odor. Furthermore, they feel that you, as a
practitioner, have "really" done something for them. I hope you have
as much success with this technique and patients' acceptance of it as I
have.
Amy Dukoff, D.M.D.
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