One of the primary concerns of any dental practice is attracting new patients. An effective marketing campaign can help drive traffic to your website and get your phones ringing. However, what happens when the phone rings can have an even greater impact on the success of your business.

Even the best-trained team may miss an incoming call. Unfortunately, many people do not leave messages when they reach an answering machine or voicemail. If you don’t have a plan in place to track and return missed calls, you could be losing thousands in lost revenue every year. Here are 3 easily implemented steps to help you be certain you are making the most of every call.

Step 1: Track Your Calls

When calls are missed, it is important to be aware it is happening. Whether you use the caller ID or a dedicated call-tracking service, your team should be checking for and returning missed calls at least daily. If you close the office for lunch or only have the capacity to answer one call at a time, it is better to check for missed calls multiple times each day.

Step 2: Return Missed Calls

For best results, have your team return missed calls as promptly as possible. Train them to handle these conversations with confidence and compassion. Whether the missed call is from a current patient or a prospective one, a quick response and a caring tone can make the difference between an appointment with you and a decision to look elsewhere.

Step 3: Check for Patterns

Tracking and returning missed calls are an effective way to prevent lost revenue. However, no matter how skilled your team is in handling these return calls, some potential patients may have already scheduled elsewhere before their call was retuned. By reviewing for patterns in when calls are missed, you may find that making minor changes, such as staggering lunch breaks, could help prevent missing future calls in at least some cases.

Missed calls can affect revenue and growth potential for growth, especially if your practice doesn’t have a system in place for tracking and returning them. Be proactive. Review your current plan, check for patterns, and ensure your team is fully trained to handle return calls.

For more ways to keep your practice on the path to success, contact our office.