Please listen to the call, and then read our Evaluation.
» Click here to listen to April’s call
Call Analysis and Recommendations
In listening to this month’s call, as with all calls, ask yourself how well the Team Member
- Establishes Rapport
- Conveys Empathy
- Exudes Enthusiasm
- Asks the right questions in the right way at the right time
- Employs active listening technique to learn what’s important to the caller
and above all
- Gains and Maintains Control of the call
“If we’re going to do business together, the details can wait. If we’re not going to do business, the details don’t matter.” — The Art of First Impressions™
How would you describe the Team Members tone? Is it upbeat? Enthusiastic? Full of Passion and Energy?
How well did the Team Member remain true to The TAFI Introduction™ ?
Did the questions the Team Member asked encourage a connection with the caller? For example how appropriate was the question “Has it been a while since you saw the dentist?” What might have been a preferable question to ask?
How prepared was the Team Member to handle an inquiry prompted by the direct mailer being sent by the practice?
How might the following statement have changed the tenor of the conversation, especially if shared early in the call?
We’re Delighted you found us!
Remember that, regardless of whether the caller is gathering information for herself or another, the caller’s initial goal is to make friends with the caller.
Ending the call with enthusiasm is important, and the Team Member did end it in a pleasant enough manner. Unfortunately, the call ended without an appointment. How might the outcome have been different?
General Considerations
TAFI Masters know that when we say something is just as important as what we say.
Just as a builder lays the foundation of a house before adding the remaining structure,
telephone skills mastery entails a recognition of the vital importance of first connecting
emotionally with a caller prior to discussing details.
It also requires that the Team Member be the ‘tour guide’ of the call. Imagine visiting Washington D.C., The Grand Canyon, or Machu Picchu and, just as the guide is about to begin her presentation, someone at the front of the crowd says “Hey, why is the Washington Monument white?” If the tour guide answers the, now emboldened, tourists question, he might continue with “Did Washington really throw a silver dollar across the Potomac?”
If, as is the case, the tour guides objective, and the (rest of) the audience’s desire, is to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the history of one of the most iconic structures in the world, it’s easy to see how relinquishing control of the conversation to someone who lacks the knowledge and passion of the tour guide does a disservice, not only to the audience as a whole, but even to the attendee who wrested control from the tour guide.
It’s no different when someone calls your office.
It’s also important to recognize that most initial statements made by prospective patients are merely ‘conversation starters.’
Thinking back to our ‘bar scene days,’ when someone asked you “Do you come here often?” I can pretty well assure you that the person asking this question did not really care how often you frequented the establishment – they were simply trying to get to know you, and may not have known what else to ask.
It’s no different when someone calls your office.
They may be asking “How much does a crown cost?” but what they really want to know is “Are you trustworthy?” “Do you deliver treatment in a caring and comfortable way?” and “Will I receive value?”
The question you want answered, quite simply, is: “Why are you calling us now?”
To get to the point in the conversation where the caller is comfortable sharing this vital information with you, the simplest and most time efficient way we’ve found to accomplish this is through use of The TAFI Introduction™ .