How do I build a team culture of really listening to patients on the phone?
Teach the hardest discipline first, which is shutting up after a question. Most of us, even outside work, ask a question and then answer it ourselves before the other person can speak. We put words in their mouth. On the phone that habit costs you everything, because you need the patient’s own words, their language, their story. So I train teams to ask, then go silent, then wait. Question mark, pause, wait for the answer. It feels uncomfortable at first and that discomfort is the point. A culture of listening is not a poster on the wall, it is a trained reflex to stay quiet long enough to hear someone. Drill the pause until it is automatic. When your team genuinely listens, patients feel understood, and feeling understood is what gets them to show up.
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.