How to Make a First Impression that Attracts More Patient Leads

You’re probably investing a lot of time and money into marketing your practice and working hard to keep generating more business. But have you been paying attention to the kind of experience a potential patient has when they pick up the phone and call your practice?

According to Consumer Reports (January 2010), having difficulty reaching a human on the phone when calling about a service is one of the top everyday annoyances by those surveyed. The first impression your patients have about your practice could determine whether they end up booking an appointment or go elsewhere for the services they want.

In reviewing incoming calls for a certain practice, PracticeDock specialists found that out of ten of the most recent calls, three callers were able to make an inquiry about a service, one call was from a solicitor, and six were hang-ups because the call was sent to voicemail. All six of the calls that ended in a hang-up were made during regular business hours. What does this mean for the practice? They just lost six potential appointments or patient leads to add to their database. That’s a significant amount of lost business for any practice; and, it all happened during regular business hours.

So what happened to these potential patients? If the patient had left a voice message, it’s imperative that a staff member follows up with a phone call to find out more. Remember that it’s just as easy for the patient to give up and call the competition where a human being might answer the phone and book an appointment. The sooner your staff can get back in touch with the patient, the easier it will be for you to snag that appointment.

Make sure you’re doing everything possible to attract more patient leads and following up with potential patients. You can’t afford to lose a single one of those incoming calls (except maybe the solicitor). Invest in a phone system that can be answered throughout your office so that patients rarely end up going to voicemail.

Need more help marketing your practice? Talk to a PracticeDock marketing specialist today!

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