Why answering your phone calls = Clinic Success!

Why Efficient Phone Calls Are Critical for Your Dental Practice

In this video, I discuss why efficiently answering patient phone calls is one of the most important factors for your dental practice success. Handling calls correctly may literally make or break your clinic’s revenue.

I’m Dr. David Park, CEO of Clear Lakes Dental. We help associate dentists transition to owners of their own dental practices using proven systems that maximize efficiency and profitability.

Filling Your Schedule

The first step in running a profitable dental practice is ensuring your schedule is full. This depends on patient care coordinators (PCCs) who answer incoming calls and book appointments efficiently. Without skilled PCCs, you risk losing patients and revenue.

Let’s imagine the potential revenue from a fully booked day. If each patient generates $1,000 and you have 12 appointments, your revenue is $12,000 for the day. If only half of the appointments are scheduled, revenue drops to $6,000. Many dentists underestimate the impact of this lost revenue over weeks, months, and years.

Here’s the critical part: fixed costs remain constant. Rent, team salaries, supplies, and overhead don’t decrease when your schedule is half full. Ensuring all calls are answered and appointments are booked efficiently directly impacts profitability.

A Real-Life Example

One of our franchisees experienced a sudden drop in scheduled patients, even though their clinic had previously been booked out three months. After investigation, we discovered the issue wasn’t patient interest — it was phone call management.

The clinic had five PCCs initially. Over time, only two remained to handle incoming calls. Despite increased patient inquiries, calls weren’t answered promptly, and the schedule emptied. By hiring additional PCCs and optimizing the phone call workflow, the clinic returned to full capacity and even exceeded prior booking levels.

This example highlights why patient call management should be your top priority. It directly affects your schedule, patient retention, and overall dental revenue.

How to Win in Your Office

Optimizing phone calls in your dental office requires smart systems and processes:

1. Choose the Right Phone System: Ensure it fits your clinic’s needs and allows easy tracking of calls, voicemails, and patient follow-ups.

2. Minimize Call Duration: Efficient calls don’t mean poor service. Stay on script and address patient needs quickly to handle more calls effectively.

3. Implement Scripts for PCCs: Scripts create consistency, prevent errors, and help with patient de-escalation. They allow your team to handle difficult interactions professionally.

4. Train and Support PCCs: Provide training for handling insurance questions, interpreter requests, voicemail follow-ups, and ongoing support. Use scoreboards or metrics to encourage accountability.

5. Optimize Scheduling: Ensure that all incoming calls are answered promptly, appointments are booked efficiently, and patient follow-ups are not missed.

By implementing these systems, your PCCs can manage a higher volume of calls, fill more appointments, and maximize dental practice revenue.

Overall

Efficiently answering patient calls is not just about picking up the phone — it’s about creating systems that maximize schedule capacity, optimize PCC performance, and protect your fixed costs.