What should a prospective dental patient actually feel from the mood and tone of the front-office team member answering the phone?
Cared for, listened to, and welcomed. The team member’s voice needs to carry warmth, expression, real personality, and genuine interest in the caller as a person rather than as a transaction. Ideally the patient hangs up feeling that the team member would have reached through the phone to help them if they could. That tone is a deliberate choice trained into the role. It does not come from accidental personality fit. The team member uses inflection rather than monotone, asks questions that show interest in the caller’s specific situation, and signals throughout the call that this practice is glad the caller dialed. Practices using major media marketing that pulls patients from long distances need to be especially careful here. The caller is being asked to drive past hundreds of other dentists to reach this practice. The phone interaction is the first proof that the trip is worth it. Mood and feeling are not soft skills. They are operational.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.