Scripts are a funny thing. We all hate them, yet we can’t seem to live without them. And when it comes to our medical practice telephone scripts, we want them to be perfect. After all, this is the first impression many of our patients will have of our business! So how can we make sure ours are up to snuff? By following a few simple tips, that’s how. In today’s blog post, we’re going to take a look at the essential medical practice telephone scripts that you should use in your business. Stay tuned!
As a cash-based practitioner, you know that customer service is key.
You need to be engaging, personable, and professional to reel in new patients and keep the ones you have. Scripting can help make this process a lot easier for you. By having a set of prepared responses to common questions and situations, you’ll be able to handle any situation that comes your way with ease. Not only will this make your patients feel taken care of, but it will also show them that you’re an expert in your field.
You’re probably spending thousands of dollars on marketing each month. Now, every time a lead comes into your system, and if they are not responded to within 20 minutes, they’re getting cold very fast. Not getting a response will surely make them go away.
Respond to Leads Appropriately
Probably the most prevalent way a lead comes into your system is from a form people fill out on your website. When a lead first comes into your system, you need to respond to it within 20 minutes. This is because within 20 minutes, this lead might be going off and doing something else, and they’re basically going cold. Worse, they might be just going away.
Let me ask: Are you using scripting in your business? Have you actually sat down and put together word for word what you want your front desk to actually say on the phone when their outbound calling or when an inbound call comes in?
Control the conversation from the start
The first part of the script is the introduction. You must take control of the conversation from the very start, especially for outbound calls.
Imagine this:
Somebody sitting at their desk and their cell phone rings. Looking at the caller ID, it shows a number they don’t recognize, even when it’s in their area code. Automatically, they are going to be in that frame of reference of, “Oh, this is probably a sales call. Somebody’s going to try to sell me something.”
Of course, we realize that that’s not always the case. You’re just trying to book an appointment because they filled out a form on their website.
Now picture this other scenario:
They’re sitting at their desk, they’ve just filled out a form on your website, and their phone rings. They’re going to think, “Hmm, is there a connection between me filling out that form on the website and my phone ringing?” Then they pick it up to answer. At that moment, you need to be friendly, smile, and take control of the conversation.
Always assume the person you are calling is the person who is answering.
For an inbound call, it would sound something along the lines of
“Hi, John, this is Tom from Medical Wellness. How can I help you today?”
At this point then you take over the conversation. They may answer: “Oh yeah, I just was on your website.”
Now you can make the connection between the website and the phone call. You will also feel their level of alertness is decreased so they’re more apt to have a conversation with you.
Breaking it down, the introduction should include:
- You say who you are, where you’re calling from.
- Get right to the very first question: “What inspired you to fill out the form today?”
This is really important. This is how you will start to have a good relationship with the person who called. You will also see that they will start to relax and talk with you more easily, rather than just following a script.
People usually won’t have time for a long conversation. You just want them to book an appointment with you. But if they make the connection between making the appointment and why it is important for them, they are more likely to show up for the appointment.
The Expertise Statement
After that, you would then create an expertise statement.
For example: “We have a lot of patients who have that similar issue.”
Now they’ll be connecting it to you having helped a lot of other people. You must be an expert in this area. (Of course you are.) This will show them they are not the only ones with this problem. Make sure you are listening to what their responses are and take note. This will help your marketing efforts.
A Social Proof
Next, you will want to go into a social proof element of the conversation. This could something like:
“Oh, well your issue reminds me of a patient, Joe, who came in with XXX problem. We were able to solve it in X number of months.”
You always want to give some type of estimate. You’re telling them how long it will take for them to solve the problem they’re reaching out to you to solve.
Qualifying the Caller
After you’ve done the social proof piece of the script, you now want to move into qualifying the caller. This is vital because you want to make sure the people that are sitting in front of you during your consultation are the people that you can actually help.
Here is an example of a takeaway statement:
“John, we don’t work with everybody. We just want to make sure you’d be a good fit for the practice and the practice would be a good fit for you, so you get the best results that you want.”
You and your staff are probably going to get some more detailed questions. The phone call to book the appointment is not the appropriate place to have that conversation.
Deflecting
It’s a pretty common technique. The deflecting technique is acknowledging what they said and putting it off to the next step.
It could be like this:
“That’s a really great question. Each of our programs is personalized, so it’s hard for me to tell exactly what would be involved in the situation. However, in your consultation with the doctor, they will go over all of those questions with you in more detail.”
See how now you’re seeding the appointment and why it’s important for them to show up, get all their questions answered. They’ve been validated and their questions have been heard. It’s not like you’re just glossing over the question.
Working the Appointment
Next will be you setting the appointment. You need to do this quickly and very much in control of the conversation. Avoid using a questions such as: “When would you like to come in?” Because most likely, you will get an answer like: “Oh, I’m not sure… what is you schedule like?”
Then they will go through this whole scripting:
“Do I really have time to come in for the appointment?”
“Is it a phone call?”
“Is it not a phone call?”
Take control of that conversation and lead them through. I always give my agents instructions to use alternate choice statements:
Agent: “Would you prefer mornings or afternoons?”
Customer: “Great. Well, I generally like afternoons for my appointments.”
A: “Great. I have an appointment on Tuesday or Thursday. Which one would work better for you?”
C: ”Oh, Thursday would work better.”
A: “ I have a two o’clock or a four o’clock. Which one would you like?”
You should always give people two choices. This way, they don’t have to think about too many things at once. It will make it easier for them to book an appointment.
I put all of this scripting for you together in a PDF that you can download here. You can simply follow through the link and sign-up to get started with these awesome training scripts so you’ll be able book even more appointments. Feel free to share it with other colleagues and friends that might find this information useful.
Many of the same principles that apply to selling in person also hold true for telephone sales. By using a script and following some simple guidelines, you can make sure each call is handled in a way that increases the likelihood of making a sale. Of course, it always helps to have an expert on your side who understands how to put these concepts into action. If you’re looking for help increasing your cash-based medical practice revenue through better phone skills, we’d be happy to schedule an impact call with you and show you exactly what needs to be done. Thanks for reading!
If you want help putting together a telephone script that works for your medical practice, I am here to assist. Give us a call today to schedule an impact call. During which we can discuss your specific needs and create a plan tailored just for you.