Dentaltown May 2018 - 14

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In most businesses, the people who are taking inbound calls are called "inbound sales"-they're
wearing suits and ties and making six figures. The people in the back of the machine shop, welding
or making the actual product, are carrying lunch pails and making maybe $20-$30 an hour.
In dentistry, that's reversed: The person who makes the big bucks is the one in the back-the
doctor-but the person with the most important job still works up front, in inbound sales.
They're making sure that people who call schedule appointments. We call it "the funnel," and
it starts with the fact that on average, 100 people have to land on your website before three of
them call your office. And on average, only one out of three schedules an appointment.
How many calls end up on hold because you've got only one person up front to handle
inbound sales, but two assistants helping the dentist in back? That ratio should be reversed:
You should have twice as many people manning inbound calls (and making outbound calls to
patients who haven't been in for a while) as you have assisting a doctor.
Almost every time I walk into a dental office, the doctors are back in their private offices.
When I ask what they're up to, they'll say, "Oh, I'm letting this soak in for 10 minutes" or, "Well,
the assistant's packing the cord." I'll say, "How long are you going to sit back there while she
packs the cord?" "I don't know-10 or 15 minutes?" Dude, I can pack the cord myself in one
minute. You're sitting back there for 15 minutes because you're lazy, you've got two assistants
doing this work and yet you have only one person answering inbound calls and making outbound
calls. That's why she can't take the time to convert.
Most offices that are doing $1.5 million to $2 million a year do so because they can convert
70 percent to 80 percent of inbound calls to make an appointment. That's why the retail therapy
experience matters in your dental office.

Ensure great service for all patients

See Howard Live!
Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, is an international speaker who
has written books and dozens of articles. To schedule Howard
to speak at your next national, state or local dental meeting,
email rebecca@farranmedia.com.

2018

MAY
15

Riverside/Corona Study Club

JUNE
15

Wyoming Dental Association

Riverside, California

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

MAY 2018 // dentaltown.com

Something else that really gets under my skin is when I hear
people talk about the importance of the "new patient experience."
Fortune 500 companies don't focus solely on new customers-they're
into loyalty programs, because they want customers for life, and
you're not going to get them if you treat new customers or patients
better than existing ones.
I know tons of women who have moved houses or changed jobs,
yet drive 10 or 15 miles back into their old part of town to see that
special hairstylist or manicurist. In reality, that salon doesn't offer
better services than one that's closer, but they value the fact that they
made a connection with someone. Patients like coming back to our
office because they like Jamie, who cleans their teeth, and Valerie,
who's always so friendly when they walk in. It's therapy-after they
come in, they feel better.
It's not the same experience if a patient is greeted by a glass wall
that some weirdo slides over, just to hand her a chart and tell her to
sign in. Patients won't like coming to your office if you treat them
like property being returned. Make them feel connected! ■

http://www.dentaltown.com/magazine http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown May 2018