7 Ways to get patients to call you back

We all know that the best chance you have of scheduling treatment for a patient is when they are face-to-face, physically in your practice.  Once they leave, the likelihood of scheduling them as a result of a phone call is pretty slim.  BUT...  that doesn't mean you shouldn't follow up periodically to be sure patients haven't fallen through the cracks.

Call with the right intent.

Most of the time when we call pending treatment lists or re-care, we call with the intent to schedule...'Mrs. Jones, are you ready to schedule that crown?'  Well, if Mrs. Jones were ready, she'd probably have already been in your office.  More than likely your calls and messages are just adding to the 'noise' that your patients are bombarded with every day.  If you're going to separate yourself from the noise, then you have to do something different from everyone else out there - you have to stand out, be likable, and actually deserve a return call. 

Here are a few ways to get the conversation started when contacting patients…

‘Mrs. Jones, your name came up today and we miss seeing you!  Would it be okay if we set up a time to chat? We’d love to hear what’s next for you, and how we can best support you.  Looking forward to talking soon!’

For re-care– ‘HI Mrs. Jones! This is Carrie, your hygienist from Dr. Brady’s office –  I’ve missed seeing you, and was hoping you’d be willing to share with me what’s kept you away?’  

Or…

For restorative – ‘This is Amy from Dr. Brady’s office.  When we talked at your visit last month, you shared with us some things that are important to you.  We had discussed some possible solutions, but the timing wasn’t right for you.  What can we do to make this easy for you to accomplish?’  

These are merely suggestions for your verbiage.  Most importantly, use common sense and adjust your message to fit the circumstances.  Use the concepts and drape your words and personality over the idea.  REMEMBER ENTHUSIASM!

Here are 7 of the best ideas we've found to help you stand up, stand out and earn a return call from your patients.

1. Let them off the hook. 

In a voice or email, it's a great idea to tell a patient that it’s OK for them to say no.  Say something like: "If the timing isn't right, that's okay. Just let me know so I don't become a follow-up pest." The vast majority of the time, one of two things will happen - they'll either call you back and say, yes, I'm ready to move ahead,  or they'll say no, we haven't made a decision yet, and apologize for not getting back to you sooner.  Either way, you're ahead of the game because now you know the truth about what's going on.

2. Send a handwritten note. 

Sending a handwritten note after your first visit with the patient will dramatically increase your chances of getting a return call, in the event they don't schedule. Why? Because a handwritten note increases your likability, helps the patients to feel good about you and encourages them to take your calls.  When was the last time you received a hand-written note?  Chances are it had more of an effect on you than the countless emails and voice messages you receive. 

3. Put them on auto-drip. 

If you've tried everything you can think of and still can't seem to get through, but you aren't quite ready to give up entirely, put the patient on 'auto-drip', and send them something interesting and of value at least every month. It also helps if you're active with your social media - when you are present on your patients' radar with positive, enthusiastic activity, they're a lot more likely to refer to you, and call you when the timing is right for them to make an appointment. 

4. Let the Patient call the shots.

After every conversation, be sure you allow the patient to determine the next steps.   'When would you like for me to follow up?  What would be the best time and number?' . That way, when the time for the follow-up call comes around and the patient doesn't answer, you can leave a message like: "I'm calling because the last time we spoke, you asked me to call you ...'

5. Call with the intent to understand, rather than the intent to schedule.

If you leave another old, tired message asking your patient, 'Are you ready to schedule your treatment?', you can count on not getting a call back.  But what if you tried this instead?  'Last time we saw you in our office, we talked about a few things, but I'm not sure we really understood what was important to you, and how you see us supporting you.  I'd love the opportunity to get some feedback from you to be sure that we're on the same page next time around'.

6. Change your media. 

If a patient hasn't responded to an email you sent within 3-4 days, call to ask them if they received it. Likewise, if they haven't responded to a phone call, send them an email.

Everyone has their own preferred way to communicate. Your job is to find out which communication tool is easier for the patient.  

If you're not utilizing text, you are missing out - check out these statistics-

Phone calls to voicemail - 97%

Open Rate for Email - 20%                                  

Response Rate Voice Mail - 4%

Response Rate Email - 6%

Open Rate Text Messages- 98%

Response Rate Text -   45%

Sources - Weave, Business News, Seth Godin

7. Only the Patient decides to be inactivated.

I was talking with a practice recently that said they had been purging charts and inactivating everyone that hadn't been in over the last 18 months.  Well, at some point those patients will probably decide  to get back to the dentist.  If you're not marketing to patients who haven't been in regularly, someone else will!  Don't ever leave a message stating that  you will be inactivating the patient if they don't return you call.  Instead, whether in voice or email, try something like this..

"Hi there! Dr. Brady asked that I give you call.  We know it's a busy time and we just want you to know that you're always welcome back when the timing is right.   If you've moved on, the last thing I want is to become a follow-up pest! If that's the case, you can call or email back to let us know.  Otherwise, if it's alright with you, we'll continue to keep you in the loop through our regular newsletter and social media." 

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