Monday Morning Meeting: Telephone Etiquette

Monday Morning Meeting: Telephone Etiquette

In most dental offices, the first person potential patients interact with is your receptionist and how they answer the phone may influence whether or not an appointment is booked. Brush up on telephone etiquette with your team, even those who are not at the front desk. Everyone answers the office phones every once and a while!

Telephone Etiquette

• Answer the phone promptly. The phone should not ring more than three times before it is answered.
• Answer the phone with the name of the practice and your name. (Example: “Thank you for calling Main Street Dental Care. This is Mary speaking, how may I assist you?”)
• If you have someone on the other line, ask “May I place you on hold?” (Important: Wait for a response before taking the other call! Assuming the person won’t mind waiting on hold can be read as rude!)
• Before putting the caller on hold and after taking them off of hold, thank them.
• Always get the person’s name and a call back number, when possible! Saying something as simple as, “May I have your name and phone number so that I may call you back in case we are disconnected?” ensures that you can follow up with the caller.
• Use the callers name during the conversation. This conveys to the caller that you care about them and their concerns.
• Never interrupt a caller when they are speaking.
• Use common courtesy words. Here are some great examples: Thank you, Please, I apologize for the inconvenience, It would be my pleasure!
• Have a pen and paper ready, just in case!
• Do not handle an unhappy caller’s concerns at the front desk/check-in counter. You do not want patients in your waiting room to hear any negative conversations.
• When a call is completed, thank the caller and wait for the caller to hang up first. Banging the phone on the receiver can leave a bad impression.
• Return calls promptly that have been left on voicemail and messages.