Why are long phone calls with patients a bad sign?
Because the longer you talk, the more you tend to unravel the consult before it ever happens. I know a thirty-minute phone call feels productive, like you really bonded with the patient. It is usually the opposite. The best thing you can do on that call is get the basics, reassure them they made the right decision reaching out, and get them scheduled. Beyond that, every extra minute is a chance to answer something badly, raise a doubt, or talk them out of coming in. That is the sales fundamental people miss. There is also hard math. You only have so many phone minutes in a day, and one twenty-minute call eats the slots of patients still trying to reach you. Track your call times. If calls creep long, that is a coaching problem, not good service.
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.