20 Practice Management Tribune United Kingdom Edition March 15-21, 2010 Telephone tactics Julia Dawson discusses the importance of great telephone communication, and how getting it right can help your practice thrive I think it’s fair to say that the telephone is the unparalleled communication tool of our time. In fact, 40 million people own a mobile phone in the UK, which is twice as many as read a newspaper every day. In business too, more and more service sectors are giving people the opportunity to conduct their business by phone. But, good telephone communication is not as easy as simply picking up a phone and talking...it’s a learned skill. Remember, patients don’t have to do business with you, they choose to, and many things affect their choice. Good telephone tactics can not only give your practice the chance to be efficient and helpful, but also to enhance the image of your business. Minor changes when speaking on the phone can make a huge impact and these tips are designed to show you how and why telephone tactics are so important. A good first impression How often have you met someone you’ve only spoken to on the phone and thought ‘they’re nothing like I expected’? By making sure that you always answer the telephone and greet your patients in a bright, friendly manner you can ensure that that’s what your patients will expect when they come into the practice. Also, smiling when you answer the phone may sound a bit daft, but when you smile, the small muscles that raise the corners of the mouth lift the pitch of your voice and add a brighter, more welcoming tone. Great service will also help you attract new patients, as existing patients will tell their friends and colleagues how good you are. A word of mouth recommendation is far more powerful than any advert and is a real indication of how effective your customer care is. Some companies offer tailormade training days, specific to your practice’s needs and can even incorporate a modules focused on customer care and telephone tactics. Some of these courses can also count towards verifiable CpD when undertaken in accordance with GDC requirements. Avoid time wasting It may seem obvious but answering the phone promptly can really increase your customer service levels as it shows that caller how professional you are. It’s good business practice to answer a telephone call within three to five rings. Answering too early can startle a caller while leaving a phone to ring inces- santly gives the caller an image of inefficiency. One of the things that often comes up when discussing poor call-centre experiences is being kept on hold for long periods of time. If you’re unable to deal with a call straight away, let the caller know you will deal with their query and call them back. This not only makes the patient feel valued, but also allows you to look into more complex queries at a quieter time of day. For practices lucky enough to have lots of patients, there are often periods of the day that have particularly high call volumes. By monitoring the calls throughout the day you can identify these times and ensure you have sufficient cover to attend to them. Automated answering services are also great outside of working hours, but try not to use them during the working day. They may be more convenient for your team, but are often a waste of time for your patients, as they prefer to speak to a real person and explain their queries in their own words. Talking on the phone When a person loses one of their senses their remaining senses become heightened. The same goes for telephone communication as speech and hearing is all you can rely on. As a result, things that interfere with speech such as typing on a computer, shuffling files and eating become more audible to the caller and can make them feel ignored and less important than your other tasks. It’s vital that you really concentrate on your conversation, giving your caller your undivided attention. It’s also a good idea to hold the telephone properly – holding it under the chin will give a muffled sound to the caller and will hinder good communication. Whenever you speak to a patient on the telephone you should always aim to be calm, clear and concise and avoid dental jargon. It’s also really important to listen to the whole conversation, even if you think you know what their query or point of view is. By selectively listening you may miss important points. Acknowledging their points and statements will confirm that you’re actively listening to them and taking notes will help you deal with the call later. Dealing with complaints In my experience, the majority of complaint cases are caused by some form of breakdown in communication. It might be that a patient has not fully understood the implications of a particular form of treatment, or has chosen to disregard, or not take responsibility for, some aspects of their oral health. However, it’s crucial that you listen carefully and show you’re prepared to listen; even if you feel you’ve heard it all before people generally need to feel they can get things off their chests. Onceyoufullyunderstandwhat the complaint is about - genuinely sympathise with the caller and to show concern about the issues they are raising. All too often people can slip into the slow, monotone speech-patterns we associate with complaints departments, but this does not instil the impression you care about the person’s problem. Instead, summarise the complaint back to them to show that you have really listened. If you need to check anything, give the caller your name and a firm commitment of when you will get back to them. Taking Messages We have all been guilty at some time or another of hastily writing a message on a scrap of paper and when questioned about it, being unsure of the detail. Even if a phone call is for somebody else the way you deal with that call is a demonstration of your business’s efficiency. For example, if a message is from a ‘Mr Jones’, there may be hundreds of people with the surname Jones in the practice and we cannot assume that the message recipient will automatically know which one it is. Time is wasted and business lost when messages are not taken correctly or calls returned promptly so it’s a good idea to create a specific message form to remind you of all the details you need to note down. Many stationery companies supply preprinted pads for this purpose or you can easily create your own, but remember that if you’re using e-mail to send messages within your practice they should include the same information as the message forms. It’s clear that customer service is vital both in the practice and on the telephone and it’s the constant desire to make each customer feel individual and welcome which will set you apart from your competition. By following this advice, you can not only ensure that your existing patients stay loyal to you, but that you attract new patients through word of mouth and great customer care. DT About the author Julia Dawson joined Denplan in 1990, running the Ad m i n i s t r a t i o n department and in 1992 moved to manage the practice Support and Customer Advisor teams. During 1994, Julia transferred to the professional Services area, and in 1997 became Head of Operational Development before becoming Head of Denplan’s Customer Service division in 1999. Now as Director of Customer Services, Julia has overall responsibility for the practice Support Advisors, Customer Advisors, Registration and Administration Services, Insurance and Helpline and Corporate Customer Services.