5 Customer Service Focused Case Acceptance Strategies

1. 5CustomerService-FocusedCaseAcceptance Strategies Dentalcase acceptancecanbedefinedasapatient’sagreementtoproceedwithdiagnosed procedures. A dental practice’s case acceptance rate or percentage is the number of accepted casesdividedby thetotalnumberof cases (acceptedanddeclined)presentedto patientsfortreatment. Andcase acceptance strategiescan increase profitand buildtrust with patients. Thetypicalpractice inthe USseesa35-45% case acceptance rate. Thismeansthat55-65% ofpatientschosenottomoveforward withdiagnoseddentalneeds. While approximately50%of the populationsees adentist,it’simportanttocapitalize onthese opportunitiestoprovideserviceswherediagnosed. What causeslowcaseacceptance ratesin dentistry?

2. Poorcustomerexperience • Inability toprovideaconcrete estimateof cost/insurance benefits • Lackof follow-upondiagnosedwork that hasnot beenscheduled(opentreatment plans) • Insufficienttrustinprovider andstaff • Financialhurdles • Thereare alot of hurdlesthatkeeppatientsfromsayingyestotheirdiagnosedtreatment. Customerexperience,trust,money,andlackof communication are amongthe most commonissues, butthey canallbecorrected.Belowwediscusshowcustomerservicecase acceptancestrategiescanelevatetheexperiencesof yourpatientsandincreasecase acceptance. • AlwaysAnswerthePhone • Customerexperience beginswhen the patientfirst hearsabout yourpractice.What dothey feelfromthe referral, commercial, orotheradtheysee that drivesthemtocallyouroffice? After,howisthe phone answered? Wasit answered?Diditgotovoicemail? Manydental practicesleavemore than 60%of theirincomingcallsbeingunanswered. Correctingthisis completely in yourcontrol.Startby answeringthephoneandgettingthe patientonthe phonein a courteousandefficientmanner. • Greetthe PatientUponArrival • You’vescheduledthe patientandtheyhavearrivedfortheirfirst appointment. Asuccessful DSOemploys goodpeople tobuilda positive culture.Nowisyourchanceto“wow”them andprovidethe best experience they could haveat the dentist. Greet thepatientbyname. You knowwhoiscomingat whattime, soevenifyouhave16chairsin youroffice,youhave aneducatedguessonwhoeachpatient iswhen they enter.

3. Next, keep your intake documents as succinct as you can. If there are items you never use on newpatientdocumentsthat are14yearsold,it’stime toreviseyoursystem. • Surpriseyournewpatient withafree gift.Thisdoesn’t needtobe somethingtremendous, but abrandeditemwithyourpracticelogois great. Thiscould be atumbler,ice scraper(in thewintermonths),chipclipandmagnet, orsomethingelse. An itemthat showsthe practiceis gratefulforthepatient’schoiceof yourpractice fortheirdentalneeds(orthe abilitytowin theirtrust). • Finally,bespecificwiththecarethepatientwillreceiveandwhowillbeassistingthem. You knowthe assistantorhygienist whowillbecallingthemtothe treatmentroom, sobe suretoprep the patientforthathandoff.Give themthename of yourteammate whowillbe coming toget themfromthe reception area. • Establisha PersonalConnection • Buildingon theintroductiontothe practicewhen thepatientarrives,some patientswill requireaslightly elevatedexperience. These patientsinclude thosewhohave voiced concernsof anxiety, butalsothosewhohave comeforamajorconsultation.Utilizinga treatmentcoordinatorhelps maintain thislevelof experienceandwillgreatlyimprove the probability of yourpatientcommittingtoproposedservices. • In thesesituations,haveyourtreatmentcoordinatordothe following: • Speakprivately withthe newpatient(5-8minutesmax) in aprivatesetting. • Ask questionstogatherinformationtomanage the patient’sexpectations, why they choseyouroffice,andwhytheylefttheirpreviousdentalprovider(ifapplicable). Repeat theanswersbacktothepatienttoshowyourunderstanding.

4. Builduptheprovidersbycommentingonthepatient’s choice of office. Reference • the experience of the doctor in the interests of the patient. Repeat the reasons and treatment required forrestoration. • Youhave setup thepatient’sexperiencetoalign trust andcomfort,but nowcomesthe • discussion ofdiagnosedtreatmentandhelpingthe patientsay“yes”toyourtreatmentplan. Thiscanbeadelicateconversation, especially whenthere maybemore goingon than the patient’sinitialconcern. Inthese situations,speakwhen youneedtoandlet the patientfill • theemptyspace. • KeepitSimpleand OnlyUseDetailWhenNecessary • Divingintotheprocedure-by-proceduredetail ofthe treatmentplanis oftenoverwhelming toapatient. The opportunityforyoutospeak andexplainmaymake youfeelgood, but be careful.Providingtoomuchproceduraldetailwithoutbeingaskedbeingaskedcan decreasethelikelihood ofthe patientsayingyes. • Start withasummarysuchas,“Toaddress yourconcerns andget youtooptimalhealth, takingcare of [issue here],yourtotalinvestment is[$__].”If the patientneedsmoreinfo, let themask. It’sokay fortheretobe somesilenceastheyprocesstheinformation. • Finance the TreatmentPlan • A patient’sability topay can beabigbarriertocaseacceptance.Besuretoremovethe obstacles for the patient when possible. This could be as simple as using the patient’s existing CareCredit account, but may require in-house financing. If it is a large treatment plan withvaluesabove typicalfinancingthresholds, considerarelationshipwithalocal bankorcreditunion toofferpatientsanotheravenue. Creditunions are alwayslookingfor new members and they will see this as an opportunity to help the patient with other debt obligationsat the sametime.Herearesomeitemstokeep inmind asyousecurethe financialcommitmentstoclosethetreatmentplan:

5. Offer 3rdparty financingif it cannot bedonein adownpayment afewpayments. • When usingin-house financing, donotbe afraidtoapplyinterest.Patients understandcredit. • Utilize auto-paymentwhenpossible. If apatientresistsauto-pay,youhave ahigh • probability of default.Consultyourcreditcardmerchantservicesprovidertoseeif thisisafeaturethey haveavailable. Thecustomerservice youofferdentalpatientscanmakeorbreakyourcase acceptance rate. Dental case acceptance strategies as a whole can help you bring in more profit while excellinginpatientcare.Asdentalconsultants,SkytaleGroupcanhelpyoudevelopcase acceptancestrategies.Tolearn more,start aconversation withus!