How does asking the right question on the first dental phone call surface the patient’s true motivator?
Through deliberate, open-ended questions that invite the caller to describe their situation in their own words. The patient who called did not call by accident. Something prompted them to pick up the phone. Generic intake questions like “what brings you in today” often get generic answers. Better-crafted questions, such as asking what specifically they are hoping a consultation would help them with, or what would need to change for them to be happy with their dental situation, surface real motivators. The team member listens and writes the exact words the caller uses. Those words travel with the patient through the rest of the journey. The doctor at the consultation references them. The case presentation incorporates them. The follow-up acknowledges them. The patient feels heard at every step because the practice remembered what they actually said on the very first call. The first phone call is the highest-leverage moment to capture this information. Skip it and the leverage disappears for good.
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.