Making the best impression often boils down to the words you and your team use when interacting with you patients and their parents. It sounds simple but you might be surprised how changing just a few simple words can alter your patient’s perception of a given situation. Take this for example; your Appointment Coordinator is juggling the phones while checking out a patient. You hear her say: “Ugg, it’s crazy here today, can you call back later?” If you were the caller, in this case, would you want to come into an office that is crazy? What if the caller is a new patient? They may just quickly hang up and call a less crazy practice. What if your Appointment Coordinator said, “Wow, we have had a busy day today! Would it be okay if I called you right back, I want to give you my full attention.” Better right? Verbal skills are important.
How about that patient who seems to always ask to schedule on a day of the week when your practice does not see patients? The conversation may go something like this:
APC: “Time to schedule your next appointment, when do you want to come in?”
Patient: “How about Friday?”
APC: “Sorry, we are closed Fridays.”
Patient: “Ok, Thursdays would work.”
APC: “I can’t do a Thursday, Dr. Jones doesn’t work on Thursdays”
And on it goes…. A better choice of words can spin this common interaction from one that focuses on what you can’t do, to one that emphasizes what you can do. Email me today at Allison@smartpracticeconsul
APC: “Alright, it looks like Dr. Jones would like to see you back in the middle of April. Do you prefer a morning or afternoon appointment?
Patient: “We need an afternoon, I don’t want Tommy to miss school.”
APC: “Great! We can see him on Monday, April 4th at 3:13”
Patient: “Tommy has baseball practice on Monday. Do you have a Friday?
APC: “Oh, I wish I could do that day but Dr. Jones is not in this office on Fridays. How about Tuesday, April 5th at 3:30?”
Patient: “Ok, that will work. Thank you”
By asking for the patient’s time preference and then directing then into a time you DO have available, you have avoided the dreaded back and forth and repeated nos. Eliminate the open ended question and shift the focus away from time that the doctor is not available.
Take a listen to the words your team is using. Are there words and phrases that hit you like nails on a chalkboard? If so, then it’s time to put these words to rest with some verbal skill bootcamp.
Smart Practice Consulting specializes in verbal skills training and practice development. Let me help you get your team on track!
