This is how most offices answer their phone and I must ask you, WHY? What a wasted opportunity to exceed your current and potential new patient’s experience. You now must make up for this mediocre experience in other ways.
An office works so hard and expends resources just to capture the attention of a potential patient. Let’s say you have a great website and killer marketing. It’s paid off, so you finally get that
magical new patient phone call. The impression of your office, with a blah greeting, goes from a 10 to 2 very quickly.
A few changes in tone and word-choice makes a tremendous difference in the way you engage with your caller. “ABC Orthodontics, this is Tuesday and I can help you!” Changing a question to an action is empowering. You are letting the caller know that you are prepared to handle all of their needs.
Being genuine and overall excited that your phone rang is step number one. I have called many offices and the greeting should be fun, but it isn’t. Monotone scripting is not my idea of an expanded greeting. It doesn’t start us on a positive note and sure doesn’t make me want to send my friends to meet you. Get excited and say with enthusiasm, “We are creating smiles and having fun today at ABC Orthodontics, my name is Tuesday, what’s your name?” Genuine and fun is the key here.
Current and prospective patients have many choices today. Please don’t waste an opportunity to share how great your office is by delivering a mediocre phone greeting. Evaluate yourself and allow friends to secret shop you. It’s amazing what you’ll hear in a recording that you may not have realized you were doing. Get critical, get creative and come up with a new greeting that customizes and highlights your office.