North Texas Dentistry Volume 8 Issue 1 NTD 2018 ISSUE 1 DE | Page 18

practice management
Are Phone Skills
Killing Your
New Patient Numbers?
by Bethany Petty
I hear it all the time – practice owners who think that their marketing efforts are not working.
“I just don’t have very many new patients every month,” they say. When I ask about phone call
conversions (the total number of new patient calls versus the number of patients scheduled),
I normally get a blank stare. Most dentists do not consider the impact that the person answer-
ing their phone can make. I have observed many practices and am appalled at the lack of skill
by well-meaning people. Before throwing in the towel on your marketing, take a look at the
skills of those answering the phone when new patients call.
18 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com