In the fast-paced world of dental practice management, efficient scheduling is key to success. Dental practices can’t afford to miss calls because missed calls can lead to missed opportunities, frustrating both existing and new patients. In short, missed calls mean lost revenue. By using a scheduling service like Unique Dental Scheduling, missed calls and unhappy patients can be a thing of the past.
1. The Value of Every Call
Every call to a dental practice represents a potential patient or an existing patient with a need. When a call comes in, a receptionist might be busy helping a patient in front of them, on another line helping another patient, on break, or doing something else and can miss a call.
Missing calls can mean missed opportunities to provide care, build relationships, and generate revenue. Each call is valuable, and it’s essential to have a system in place to handle them when your staff can’t.
2. The Impact of Missed Calls
Missed calls can have a significant impact on a dental practice. They can lead to frustrated patients who may seek care elsewhere, resulting in lost revenue and potential damage to the practice’s reputation. In addition, missed calls can disrupt the practice’s schedule, leading to inefficiencies and decreased productivity.
3. Patients don’t leave voicemails
Many patients prefer not to leave voicemails when they call a dental practice. They may simply move on to another practice if they don’t get a live answer. About 80% of callers hang up before ever leaving a voicemail. Do you know how many patients you’ve missed out on? This underscores the importance of having a system in place to handle calls promptly and effectively.
4. The Role of Technology
Technology plays a vital role in modern dental practice management. Dental practice management software can streamline scheduling, automate appointment reminders, and provide real-time access to patient information.
When we integrate with a practice, we set up to remotely access the scheduling software right in the practice itself. Every appointment we schedule appears in your schedule in real time. We also send updates to the practice after every single call, so everyone is always on the same page.
5. Extend practice hours
Patients call on their own time, which can often be outside of your practice’s opening hours. Unique Dental Scheduling operates from 7am to 10pm Eastern time (4am-7pm Pacific) Monday through Friday, so we are here for your patients before your practice is open, as well as after it’s closed. On top of that, we also operate 8am to 8pm Eastern on Saturdays, so whenever your practice gets a call, we are here to answer it.
In today’s competitive dental market, efficient scheduling is essential for success. Dental practices can’t afford to miss calls, as they represent valuable opportunities to provide care and build relationships with patients. Unique dental scheduling solutions, supported by technology and effective training, can help practices manage their schedules more effectively and provide better care to their patients.