How Many New Patient Calls is Your Practice Missing?

Did you know that 75% of people¹ who have a negative phone experience with a business (e.g. no one answers the phone) are likely to choose a competing business instead?

That means if your practice doesn’t answer the phone every time it rings, 75% of prospective patients who call you and don’t get an answer will turn to a competing orthodontist down the street instead.. Yikes!

Missing patient calls is not on purpose, of course. Your team has a lot on their plate. It can be challenging to ensure that every call is answered and every in-office patient is attended to.

Let’s say you’re running a Google Ad for your practice and it’s proving successful. Your phone lines are ringing, and you have one or two front office team members dedicated to answering patient phone calls.

If one team member is on the phone with an existing patient, and the other team member is helping an in-office patient check in for their appointment, who’s answering the new patients calling your practice?

Unfortunately, an unanswered phone call could completely derail a prospective patient from starting treatment with you.

Whether those prospective patients assume that your practice is understaffed, that your team isn’t at the front desk right now, or that your practice is no longer in business—that’s up to them to decide as they continue the search for a nearby orthodontist.

Your practice should control the narrative by doing everything it can to answer every phone call. At SmileSuite, we partner with your practice to help you deliver a uniquely awesome patient experience at every touchpoint, from the initial contact to the signing of the contract.

Missing new patient calls during lunch breaks?

When do your team members take their lunch breaks? Could that be the same time that your prospective patients are taking their lunch breaks and calling your practice to schedule their initial exam? It very well could be!

Even if you rotate your team members’ lunch breaks, someone will have to stay back to man the desk—and who wants to miss out on team bonding time? One way or another, someone or something will be missed.

Whether it’s an existing patient calling, an in-office patient checking in for their appointment, or a prospective patient ready to start treatment right away, you don’t want to miss any of these communications. They all tie into the patient experience you offer and the patient satisfaction you earn.

With our full suite of services, we take care of the new patient phone calls, initial exam scheduling and insurance verification, so your team can focus on everything else. That’s how you ensure a stellar patient experience every time—and for every patient.

Who answers the phone when your patients call in the evenings? What about the weekends?

You may be scratching your head right now thinking… uhh.. no one? Many orthodontists can relate! Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, even if you don’t have someone answering the phone – prospective patients are still calling. We’ve seen as many as 25% of a practice’s inbound calls by potential patients come in after 5pm or on weekends!

When you partner with SmileSuite, you get to rest assured that 100% of your new patients are being followed-up with, 100% of the time.

Our concierge team members will answer your phones on evenings and weekends, when your team is on their lunch break, when they step away to help a patient, when they’re catching up on 15 unread emails, and every moment in between.

Unlike other patient follow-up systems, our concierge team members are real orthodontic professionals, based in the U.S., with extensive training in how to properly nurture and communicate with your prospective patients.

Your prospective patients won’t talk to an automated answering machine—unless your practice is missing calls and they’re going right to voicemail… which is why we’re here. With SmileSuite, your new patients will talk to real people who have experience answering countless questions about orthodontic treatment.

We’ll answer your prospective patients’ calls, represent your brand positively and professionally, gather and verify their insurance information, and schedule their appointment with you.

If your new patient doesn’t show up to the appointment or cancels their visit, we’ll follow up with them and address any barriers that may be stopping them from saying YES to treatment.

SmileSuite makes everyone happier. Your treatment coordinators won’t be so overwhelmed. Your front office team gets a chance to focus on existing patients. Orthodontists receive more new patients, and new patients are impressed with your organization and prompt communication.

Our solutions are an integral part of an effective lead nurturing strategy. We provide a customizable treatment and case presentation system that connects your practice to our highly trained concierge team. We give your practice the best chance to improve your patient start numbers by answering every new patient phone call that comes through.

Find out more about how you can improve your bottom line and use your team members’ time most efficiently through a partnership with SmileSuite.

Book your demo today!