32% of dental calls go unanswered | How to fix it

Clear communication is vital, yet it is hard to believe how critical dental practices make communication sound. A voicemail (or no answers at all) might be the most underwhelming communication situation for a patient. 

Reach is aware of this problem, and we have created a solution. Our virtual assistants made this task one of their primary responsibilities. 

Therefore, we will discuss this problem, its impact, and our detailed suggestions.

The reasons behind missed calls in dentistry

There are many reasons for this. Unqualified staff, lack of personnel, and internal company management problems. Here are the most common issues we encounter:

1. Heavy call loads

Dentists' offices tend to have certain times of the day when the phones ring. These are the exact times when the phone at any office rings the most: early in the morning, lunch breaks, or late in the afternoon. 

When the staff at a dental office has to manage a phone ringing off the hook, this is the time to leave a voicemail or try to call back at another time. 

According to the American Dental Association, offices can receive up to 50 daily calls. Even with the best intentions, there are too many calls for one human to try to answer and be nice to.

2. Staff shortages 

Numerous dental practices function with lean staffing, particularly in the key administration area. Many of our clients integrate a virtual assistant for their dental practices here.

Dental offices with staff shortages have much to lose regarding the vital first impression. A survey by Dental Economics found that 60% of dental offices that reported missed calls also reported staff shortages as a principal reason for the missed calls.

3. Inefficient call handling

Today's digital era demands more from call-handling methods than traditional ones can provide. Relying on only in-house staff to manage calls can lead to overburdened systems that result in longer wait times and, by extension, more frustrated patients. 

A study from the National Institute of Health reports that if a patient is on hold for over 30 seconds, the likelihood that they hang up increases significantly.

The impact of unanswered calls

The results of not answering calls can cause immediate patient dissatisfaction and can develop into something worse. Unanswered calls could mean a new patient was lost to another practice. 

Over 70% of new patients select a dental practice based on their first contact with the office, and that first contact is often over the phone. 

Missed calls can lead to missed appointments. They can also result in the first phone call being the only call a practice receives from a potential new patient, which can cause severe damage to what a practice is trying to build.

Solutions to improve call answering rates

Dental practices can implement several effective strategies to address the problem of calls going unanswered:

1. Use virtual assistants

The most reliable option. One of the most effective solutions is to employ virtual assistants specializing in dental call management. 

These professionals are trained to handle the unique demands of a dental office and can take over appointments and information calls during your busiest hours. They can work when your office is busy and can handle the demands of taking calls and scheduling patients, which allows your staff to work without being overwhelmed.

2. Execute solutions for patients who call

When a patient calls, how do you answer? Investing in solutions that do the talking for you can yield incredible dividends for your practice. Services that automate call routing (to the right staff, at the right time) can cut wait times by as much as half, turning a frustrated front-line staff into happy customer service representatives. 

You can also gain insights from the services that do the dial directive for you; learning how, when, and what you're doing on the phone can help you make a better business case. Virtual Assistants can also help you with this.

3. Follow-up systems

A system for following up on missed calls can make a practice more successful. People judge a system by its results. If a practice follow-up system works, calls are returned timely, and prospective patients are served. One way to evaluate the effectiveness of a system is to look at its productivity. If a system is productive, it usually has a high return on investment.

Virtual Assistants with Reach

It is critical to deal with the problem of unanswered telephones in dental practices for patient acquisition and retention. The most common excuse dental practices give for not answering the phone is that they are too busy. 

The first step is to get beyond that excuse. Afterward, practices can use virtual assistants, advanced call-answering technology, and good old-fashioned training to ensure better accessibility, operational efficiency, and patient experience.

By contracting our Reach services, you can forget about unanswered phone calls. Contact us to learn more.

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