Becoming a Top-Notch Recall Scheduler – HOW NOT TO DO IT!
How Not to Do It!!
In most dental offices, when a patient is called to be scheduled for an appointment and they raise some objection or give an excuse as to why they don’t want to come in, the communication is virtually ended by the scheduler saying something like, “I’ll call you back next month,” without ever discovering the patient’s real consideration or even attempting to handle them to get them to come in. Do it several times with the same patient over a period of months and it becomes an “harassing” phone call in the mind of the patient, and all because you didn’t skillfully dig a bit to get the real reason the patient doesn’t want to come in, or use communication skills to remind the patient of the benefits derived from receiving regular dental care.
These objections or excuses are the things that the recall scheduler should thrive on. They make the job challenging and fun. Let’s face it. No job is fun if it is too easy or too hard for the person doing it. It’s also no fun for the unscheduled patients to go without needed dental care. Overcoming the objections is what gives you a real sense of accomplishment in doing the job, because you know you are helping that person improve some part of their life, and all because you had the skill to get them to help themselves. What happens when they tell you something you don’t know how to handle? Do you feel at a loss for words, like a loser or what?
When you learn how to be in control of the conversations with these patients and have successes in getting them to appoint and show up for their dental treatments, they will never again be able to surprise you, throw you off guard, catch you at a loss for words, put you on the defensive or place you in a negative position.
Remember what Abraham Lincoln once said:
If I had nine hours to cut down a tree, I would spend six hours sharpening my axe.
So, train yourself and be sharp!
