Schedule As Soon As Possible
Whenever a patient expresses a desire to come in immediately for treatment, always set their appointment for the next available opening in the schedule. Also, patients who tend to procrastinate and/or are afraid to come in, should be gotten in fast before they change their mind. Always get them scheduled as soon as you possibly can, while their decision is fresh and they still have the intention to come in. Never make them wait for any considerable length of time. This is very important in the following cases:
- New patients
- Emergencies and people who want an immediate appointment
- Infrequent visitors
- Fear cases and procrastinators
There are things a particular patient feels a sense of urgency about that others would not. Whatever creates that sense of urgency is the motivating factor that prompts he or she to call. It may be a form of pain, suffering or discomfort, fear of decay or periodontal disease, or some aesthetic loss or ruination. So, it is important from their viewpoint to schedule them as immediately as possible.
Furthermore, if the patient is a fear case
, they may have thought about calling for quite some time, but could never get themselves to dial the number and make the appointment. They may have even dialed the number several times and hung up the phone before you answered. They will be on the lookout for the slightest excuse not to keep the appointment. A scaredy‐cat is afraid, not always because of fear of pain, but also because of cost and many other reasons.
So, the rule is this: Always schedule these people immediately or as soon as possible! Just make sure it does not interfere with their work or any other pressing schedule so they will be able to keep the appointment. Youʹll then go a long way towards handling the back‐out factor (cold‐feet
syndrome) many patients have!
