Daniel Bobrow

3 rings before answer, which is the maximum number of rings consistent with prompt, courteous service.

Greeting:  Pretty Good. The greeting is your opportunity to set the tone for the entire call.

Empathy:  The call handler pretty much missed every opportunity to show the caller she cared about her and her situation e.g. when she stated she’s gotten older, discussed radiation, etc. Clearly she would have enjoyed a sense that the call handler truly cared about her, which would have made issues with scheduling perhaps less of a challenge. Instead, all the call handler could manage was “What is your name?”

Rapport: Until the end of the call, very little rapport was established. Humor is a useful way to establish rapport.  Toward the end of the call, the call handler said “They have the nice pretty sign. We’re the other guys!” which at least served to end the call on an upbeat, which is important.

Enthusiasm: The call handler did have some inflection in her voice, but in general, scores low on the enthusiasm scale. When the call handler stated “we take a lot of x-rays, because we like to have a lot of x-rays”,  she missed an opportunity to explain to the caller why it was to the caller’s benefit that the practice takes a lot of x-rays.

Control/Questioning: The call handler never managed to gain control of the call. This is in evidence by the fact that so much of the dialogue consisted of the call handler responding to the caller, and so often with one word answers such as “Okay” “Hello” “I’m Here”.

The best call handlers see themselves as problem solvers and advocates for the caller. It’s always a sign of a good call experience when an attempt is made at collaborating with the caller to help her with whatever challenge she is facing e.g.: “I’m sorry we’re having a challenge finding a time for you!  Let’s see what we can do for you okay?”

Call answered after 3 rings, which is at outer range of acceptable.

Good enthusiasm and communication.

Call handler matched pace and energy of the caller well.

Good rapport and energy

Upbeat

Nice ending, used caller’s name.

Using a strong greeting and ending form the bread of the solid patient appointment sandwich so use them!

Call answered after two rings (okay)

Pay attention to your pacing with and listening to callers.

This call handler needs to allow time for callers to complete their sentences, so they not only know they are heard, but feel respected.

Interrupting a caller in mid sentence suggests impatience.

Avoid imparting less than positive news e.g. “out of your pocket” “offer is only valid in absence of gum disease” “the exam and xrays may be an extra charge” and the like.  They only serve to give the new patient reasons to not keep their appointment.

The call handler did end with a bit of enthusiasm, which is always nice.

One ring before answered: Good

The call handler competently scheduled the appointment, yet missed the opportunity to ‘connect’ with the caller, opting instead to qualify before selling, that is, identifying needs and offering solutions, to the caller.

She also made the assumption that the caller had issues/concerns about price.

She did an effective job of ensuring the patient that no work would be performed without a complete explanation of recommendations and fees, which seemed to resonate with the caller.

Caller would do well to aggressively listen to callers to understand where best to ‘take’ the call.

In general, I would like to have heard the call handler connect with the caller by introducing herself, and getting and using the caller’s name.  She only requested the caller’s name toward the end of the call, and then only his last name.

Even when an appointment is made, the likelihood of if being kept is increased by having connected on an emotional level with the caller.

5 rings before answer – most systems allow after hours messages to go directly into voicemail. You never know how busy (or patient) a caller is, so make it as easy as possible for them to leave a message.

Office hours, unless truly exceptional, should not be included in your outgoing message. Instead, use the 40 seconds (max!) as your opportunity to establish a truly unique and positive first impression.

Your message should include your tagline e.g. “Happy Valley Smiles, where our patients always leave smiling, and be enthusiastic and upbeat.”

Avoid dictating terms e.g. ‘This machine does not accept appointment changes.’ If you need to share information concerning your policies, do so with the patient’s benefit in mind e.g.:

“We ask that any appointment change requests be discussed with one of our team members, who will be happy to help you.”

Evaluation: 1 = Excellent,  5 = Poor

Greeting = 5
Rapport = 5
Empathy = 5
Enthusiasm = 5
Enunciation = 4
Control = 5
Questioning = 5

This is an essentially verbatim account of the call handler’s responses:

“Yes we do.”
“Yes.”
“Okay we’re here after 8:30 tomorrow.”
“Okay”
“Buh bye”

It would be worthwhile to ask yourself how you would have done things a bit differently, specifically, how would you have:

Greeted the caller?
Established Rapport?
Conveyed Empathy?
Exuded Enthusiasm?
Asked Questions?
Scheduled the Appointment?