The Best Internal Marketing Call You Can Make

A post-op telephone call made by the dentist to the patient is a great motivator to inspire patient loyalty. The unexpected display of concern demonstrates the level of caring that the patient can expect from you and your dental office. There are some important logistics to keep in mind concerning the calls.

As you go through your day, identify each patient who meets your criteria to receive a post-op call. In fact, you can make a notation on the patient routing slip at the conclusion of the appointment. Your dental hygienist(s) should do the same for her patients. Have your appointment coordinator prepare a list of the names and appropriate contact telephone numbers of these patients. She should confirm the best number and time of day to reach the patient and note this, along with the patient’s name and the procedure you performed.

The call itself should go like this:

Introductory statement: “Hi Anne – this is Dr. Mike Goldstein. I’m calling to see how well you’re getting along following your dental treatment?”

Closing statement: “I’m glad to hear that everything is fine and under control. Don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday, at 3:30, when you come in to have your teeth cleaned.”

Make these post-op calls the following day. By doing the calls the next day, you are assured of a short and upbeat conversation.

You can expect the patient’s response to be, “…well my mouth was a little sore last night like you said it would be, so I took the medicine your recommended and got along fine. Everything feels great today!”

Typically, for a list of four to six patients, the total time involved making the calls might be six to ten minutes. After two no-answer attempts to reach the patient, I suggest you delegate these contacts to a team member for follow-through. In this case, the conversation sounds like this, “Hi Mary. Dr. Goldstein asked me to personally call you to see how well you’re getting along…”

You also should know that a doctor message, as discussed, left on a patient’s voice mail is almost as effective as having a conversation with the patient. In this case, you should leave your contact telephone number should the patient wish to call you back.

Dr. Mike Goldstein
Goldtein Management