How an Answering Service Can Improve Patient Experience in Your Dental Office

The goal of any dental practice owner should be to provide the best possible patient experience–which drives customer loyalty and repeat business while simultaneously freeing up in office- staff. A dental answering service can be an important part of this effort, as they can help improve patient experience in a dental office by providing timely responses to questions and inquiries over the phone and website chat. 

In the dental office, an answering service can enhance the patient experience by providing dependable customer service. Let’s delve into the ways in which utilizing an answering service can lead to a more favorable and positive patient experience.

The Importance of Excellent Customer Service

It cannot be overstated just how important excellent customer service is to a successful business. Studies have found that 89% of customers are likely to return if their experience with customer service is positive.¹ 

For businesses in the dental field, this statistic is even more important. This is especially important for patients who are nervous about dental procedures. They are more likely to trust a dental office that takes the time to listen and empathize with their concerns and address their needs. This can lead to a stronger patient-provider relationship and increased trust in the provider’s abilities. 

Dental offices need to be especially aware of how their customer service can impact patient experience and how this in turn can affect the success of their business. One of the most effective ways to improve customer service and create a positive patient experience is to use an answering service. 

According to a study by the Midlands Technical College, the average cost of poor customer service to a dental office is $75 per customer.² Implementing an answering service can drastically improve customer service and help avoid this cost–plus the opportunity cost of the potential clients you lose before they even become clients because they can’t reach you. 

A good answering service can provide a professional, knowledgeable, and friendly point of contact for your dental office, increasing patient satisfaction and improving the overall patient experience. With the right answering service, you can take your dental practice to the next level!

How An Answering Service Can Improve Patient Experience

Upon calling your office, patients anticipate a cordial individual who can assist them with their questions, concerns, and any pre-visit logistics. With an answering service, patients will always be connected to a real person, even when your office is closed or your receptionists are busy. This ensures that all of their questions or concerns are addressed by a caring individual in a timely manner, which leads to improved customer satisfaction. 

An answering service also helps to improve the patient experience by freeing up your staff from dealing with mundane tasks. By allowing your staff to focus on more important duties such as patient care, your dental office improvement will be felt throughout the entire practice. 

When patients are aware that they can reach a live representative every time they call your dental practice, they are more inclined to revisit and recommend your practice to others.

Abby Connect’s Live Answering Service is an example of a top-notch answering service that can help your dental office improve the patient experience. This service provides friendly and knowledgeable agents who are dedicated to your practice and available 24/7 to answer all of your calls. They are trained in both customer service and medical terminology, so they can provide accurate and helpful information to your patients. Additionally, they can take messages, set appointments, and handle other administrative tasks so that your staff can remain focused on what’s most important – patient care. 

When selecting an answering service for your dental office, make sure you look for one that offers features such as:

• A dedicated phone number for your practice
• A dedicated, small team of receptionists who get to know your practice
• Customizable greeting messages and intake
• 24/7 live operators
• HIPAA-compliant customer service
• Appointment setting services
• Automatic call forwarding and warm transfer options
• After-hours support

Answering services offer a variety of features that can help to enhance the overall patient experience at your dental office. By providing fast and professional service to each caller, you can ensure that all of your patients leave feeling satisfied with the level of care they received. 

The Benefits of Using An Answering Service

For dental offices, the importance of customer service cannot be overstated. People can get nervous when visiting a dental office, so it’s even more important that they have a pleasant experience. By utilizing an answering service, you can create an atmosphere that leads to better dental office improvement and an overall better experience for patients. It’s the first impression a patient will have of your practice, and it sets the tone for their entire experience. 

Here are just a few of the ways an answering service can improve patient satisfaction:

1. Speeding Up the Intake Process: An answering service is a great way to streamline the intake process. Your virtual receptionists can answer questions quickly and efficiently, skipping the back-and-forth and time lost waiting for a callback, so that patients can get the answers they need as soon as possible. Reduced wait times will keep your patients happy.
2. Unifying Your Team: By utilizing an answering service, your team can stay unified and organized. Answering services allow for quick communication between staff members so that no one falls behind or becomes overwhelmed with tasks.
3. Streamlining the Process: An answering service can help streamline the overall customer management process, from scheduling appointments to sending out reminders and managing communications. This helps to ensure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently, leading to a better overall experience for patients.
4. Making a Good First Impression: A good answering service will also make sure that patients feel welcome and appreciated. Answering services provide a friendly and knowledgeable voice to greet each caller, making sure that everyone who calls in gets a positive first impression of your dental office. 
5. Personalizing Dental Appointments: Answering services can ensure clients get what they need. with the benefit of customizable patient intake–they can ensure that patient needs are recorded and the staff is prepared to give them the most appropriate care and attention they need, while still maintaining the highest level of professionalism. This will help to improve patient satisfaction and make sure that each visit is tailored to their individual needs. 

Overall, an answering service can be a great way to improve patient experience in your dental office and is just one of many advantages of a dental answering service. By streamlining the process, unifying your team, and making sure that each patient is treated with care, you can create an atmosphere that leads to a better experience.

The Features of a Good Answering Service

When it comes to improving patient experience in your dental office, an answering service is a great tool to have in your arsenal. Answering services provide many benefits, but one of the most important things to consider when selecting an answering service is the specific features they offer–and whether they meet or exceed your specific needs.

Some of the key features to look for when selecting an answering service for your dental office include:

• A dedicated team: Most answering services will route your incoming calls to call centers with sometimes hundreds of receptionists. With other services, like Abby Connects’ virtual receptionist service, you get a dedicated team of 5-10 receptionists who get to know your business and provide truly customized service.
• HIPAA compliance: Like all other parts of your practice, HIPAA compliance is not optional. The team answering your phone should be HIPAA-compliant and trained.
• 24/7 availability: An excellent answering service will be available 24/7, allowing you to always provide timely and professional customer service to your patients. 
• 24/7 Customized intake: Many answering services allow you to customize the scripting used to answer incoming calls and the intake process, which ensures that your patients receive consistent, professional customer service every time they call. 
• Automated appointment reminders: An automated appointment reminder system can help reduce missed appointments, which can greatly improve patient satisfaction. 
• Emergency contact information: Your answering service should provide an emergency contact line so that patients can get in touch with someone who can help them in the event of an emergency. 
• Customer service training: You are dental experts, your receptionists should be customer service experts. The service you use should hire friendly professionals trained in the art of making your clients happy. 

By having these features in place, you can ensure that your dental office is providing the best possible customer service to all of your patients. With an answering service, you can rest assured that all of your calls will be handled professionally and that your patients will always have the best possible experience.

Abby Connect Live Answering Service 

Abby Connect provides high-quality virtual receptionist and live chat services that can help improve the patient experience in your dental office. Our team of experienced, dedicated professionals will provide a custom experience that meets your needs and makes sure every call is answered quickly and professionally.

Unlike traditional answering services, Abby Connect provides you with a dedicated team of 5-10 receptionists who get to know your practice. It’s like gaining a whole extra employee–or five! 

With Abby Connect Live Answering Service, you can rest assured that your dental office is providing the best possible customer service and improvement in patient experience.

Sources:

1. The True Cost of Poor Customer Service to Your Business | Midlands Technical College. (2023). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from Midlandstech.edu website: https://www.midlandstech.edu/news/true-cost-poor-customer-service-your-business
2. Smith, M. (2021, June 22). 107 Customer Service Statistics and Facts You Shouldn’t Ignore. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from Helpscout.com website: https://www.helpscout.com/75-customer-service-facts-quotes-statistics/