The dental sector like many other sectors has gone through a huge change over the last few years. The pandemic highlighted the need for change in many different areas and bought to the forefront the need for dental practices to work differently.

Living in a fast-paced world means we all want instant responses; this includes customers who always want a prompt response and immediate solution to their problems.

We will look at some of the challenges facing dental practices and identify solutions for these challenges.

The impact of missed calls on your dental practice 

80% of business communication occurs through the telephone and most dental practices nowadays have a “click-to-call” widget on their websites for booking an appointment. This makes it easier for patients to call instantly.

But imagine their frustration and disappointment when they call and no one answers, or they are holding for a long – or they hang up too soon! These can leave a negative impression and if they are a first-time caller, they will inevitably call the next surgery on the list.

There can be numerous reasons for missed calls; staff off sick, pandemic or flu, busy surgery – but your patients aren’t aware of this.

It’s important to ensure you have visibility of what is happening so you can put contingencies in place.

Solution – Call Management phone systems for dental practices

Our call management software can do the following:

• Abandoned calls followed up with a single click, so you don’t miss any emergencies or important calls.
• Analyse call statistics giving your practice the ability to assess busy time and quiet times.
• Call navigation enabling you to route calls to specific people or inboxes.
• Voicemail to email which enables you to read emails in your inbox so you can prioritise.

To find out more about our phone systems for dental practices click here.

The True Cost of Missing Phone Calls!

Most dental office managers believe that missed calls are not a big issue. While dentists and dental office managers strive to provide top-notch services to their patients who are already inside the office, they often overlook the importance of telephonic communication.

The fact is that each call your staff misses can cost you in the form of your reputation and lost revenues. According to the latest statistics, an average dental office answers 80% of their calls from prospective patients.

Out of which, the staff can convert less than half of them into new or emergency dentist appointments. On the other hand, the top 10% of dental practices respond to about 95% of the calls and have a conversion rate of about 75%.

Is your dental practice phone system losing your business revenue?

Phone systems for dental practice – On-hold marketing 

There are many ways our phone systems for dental practices can help your business including our on-hold marketing opportunities.

We can help your practice to develop tailored on-hold messages specific to your dental practice and patients, these are flexible and can be changed easily whenever your practice requires. These can integrate with your telephone system to enable you to do the following:

• Free advertising on treatments which are popular and profitable for your business.
• Keep your callers informed about any new developments or new legislation.
• Reduce abandoned calls by educating and informing your patients while they are hold.
• Generate new revenue streams through promotion of treatments and offers.

How can we help?

HBT Communications have been in the communications sector since 1988 and cover all the UK. Our support team are based centrally from our Coventry Head Office and our consultants have over 60 years combined experience in delivering the best of breed solutions and ensuring that these are delivered in the most cost-effective way.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help you.