Skip to content
Off the Cusp

Off the Cusp

Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.

Menu
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Business of Dentistry
      • Dental Practice Marketing
      • Practice Finance
      • Practice Growth
    • Dental Industry News
      • Industry Events
    • Dental Practice Management
      • Human Resources
    • Dental Practice Safety
      • Infection Control
    • Future of Dentistry
      • Dental Equipment
      • Dental Technology
      • CAD/CAM
  • About
    • Off The Cusp Privacy Policy
    • Off The Cusp Terms of Use
  • pattersondental.com
  • Home
  • Patient Experience
  • Patient Experience: How Telephone Skills Really Make a Difference
Dental Office Education Human Resources Patient Experience

Patient Experience: How Telephone Skills Really Make a Difference

Jennifer ThulJennifer Thul Jennifer ThulApril 25, 2013
Patterson-Dental

Share

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Read Time:1 Minute, 40 Second

Have you ever heard the phrase “You can hear a smile”? These five words can play a big part in our telephone skills, especially when the day is not going so well. When we are face to face, it is easy to paint on a smile and cover up a stressful day, but we tend to forget how important it is to do the same thing when we speak on the phone. Let’s think about this for a minute.  All of us have had to call and make an appointment when we were not feeling well. How would you have felt if the person on the other end was either grumpy or seemed annoyed? A natural feeling would probably be “unattended to”.

A warm, friendly smile CAN be heard over the phone. We need to make sure that, even over the phone, we are cool, calm and collected; that every patient feels valued and appreciated.

Here is a simple checklist to help modify our telephone skills and create a better patient experience:

  1.  Be prepared and organized: Keep a pen and paper within your reach. The last thing you want is to tell your caller to “wait a minute” so you can grab something to write with.
  2. Use a headset: This will give your hands freedom to type or write at ease without the muffling sound of the phone being moved around.
  3. Speak slowly and clearly: Remember that the patient may have to write down information as well and giving them time to take some notes will show them that you are courteous and respectful.
  4. Don’t hang up before the patient does:  This can be seen as rude and hurried.
  5. SMILE: Keep a mirror at your desk if you need to just so you can see your smile! If you see someone who is tired, it is most likely that your patient will sense the same thing.

Let’s take the time to put this simple checklist to good use and practice our smile!

Jennifer ThulJennifer Thul

About Post Author

Jennifer Thul

Tagged dental industry, dental practice lifestyle, Dental Practice Marketing, dentistry, patient experience, telephone skills

Post navigation

Previous

Previous post:

May Events

Next

Next post:

A Better Prepared Practice

Subscribe

* indicates required

Connect with us

LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest

Recent posts

  • National Smile Month: 5 ways to get involved and engage your local community
  • Write a captivating dental blog post in 15 minutes [templates included]
  • Making a strong connection: Dental office front desk best practices
  • 5 in-office communication tips for happier patients
  • Pediatric dentistry: The importance of the summertime dental checkup

Search Off the Cusp

Close
Menu
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Business of Dentistry
      • Dental Practice Marketing
      • Practice Finance
      • Practice Growth
    • Dental Industry News
      • Industry Events
    • Dental Practice Management
      • Human Resources
    • Dental Practice Safety
      • Infection Control
    • Future of Dentistry
      • Dental Equipment
      • Dental Technology
      • CAD/CAM
  • About
    • Off The Cusp Privacy Policy
    • Off The Cusp Terms of Use
  • pattersondental.com

Related Post

Periodontal disease is no respecter of persons

May 9, 2022May 11, 2022

Preventing, diagnosing and treating periodontal disease

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022

How dental practices can protect themselves from cyberattacks

April 25, 2022April 25, 2022

4 tips for going green at your dental practice

April 22, 2022April 22, 2022

Endodontic case selection: Know when to treat, know when to refer

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022

The importance of safe dental instrument processing

March 28, 2022March 28, 2022
Copyright Patterson Dental. All rights reserved.