The true cost of missed calls in dental offices

A call that is not answered is not merely an irritation; it can place a substantial dent (pun intended) in a dental office's bottom line. 

As we rely increasingly on technology and the necessity for patients to have efficient care increases every day, it is essential to understand the true cost of missed calls not being answered. 

This article explores the implications of this phenomenon, why it is happening, and what can be done to stop the above and save a practice from this loss of cash flow.

The impact of missed calls on patient retention

According to a study by the American Dental Association, acquiring a new patient costs five times as much as keeping an existing one. When a potential patient calls a dental office and the call goes unanswered, that person feels neglected and undervalued. Research indicates that 85% of patients who experience bad customer service do not return to the practice.

Not returning calls can also seriously damage trust and confidence in the office. Patients expect timely responses, which creates a bad vibe when they don't get them. That lousy vibe can spill over into the office's reputation beyond the individual patient, as patients usually share their experiences, good and bad, with their friends and family.

Financial implications of missed calls

The potential financial impact of not answering calls can be immense. Dental Economics reports that an average dental practice could see an annual hit of up to $100,000 due to missed calls. This figure encompasses not just lost appointments but also a decline in patient retention and the nearly unfathomable lost opportunity represented by potential new patients who never get through the door.

In addition, the expense associated with not answering calls is not confined solely to lost earnings. It can also influence the overall effectiveness of the practice. When personnel are swamped with a mountain of administrative work, they lack sufficient time and energy to care for the patients and the services that should be their priority.

The role of dental virtual assistants

More and more dental practices are employing virtual assistants to lessen the effect of being unable to take a call. These professionals have only one job: managing the dental practice's administrative workload, which includes taking calls and handling the kind of calls that should go to the insurance department. 

By allowing a virtual assistant to do that well, the office staff cannot miss a call from a patient who wants to make an appointment.

Virtual dental assistants can also enhance the efficiency of making appointments, reminding, and even talking to patients if necessary; in other words, they can make dental practice easier in all aspects related to communication with the patient. They can help you retain patients, and the models in place have yielded way more than expected in terms of increasing the number of patients you keep in your practice.

Enhancing patient experience and increasing revenue

Dental practices can increase the overall patient experience by resolving two key areas: missed calls and patient communication. 

When a potential patient calls and gets a voicemail, that directly makes them feel undervalued. When someone enlists dental help, it's a vulnerable moment. When sitting on the exam chair's edge, a person is more likely to pick up and voice their emergency. Most calls are made outside of office hours, dental emergencies can and do happen 24/7. A patient on the brink of a breakdown will not sit around and wait for a dental office to call back.

Today, many dentists are turning to dental virtual assistants to help manage their administrative workload. Virtual dental assistants lighten the load of practice administration and, in so doing, allow the practice to reach out to every prospective patient who calls.

Conclusion

The toll wrought by unreturned calls in dental offices goes well beyond the lost income associated with the calls themselves. It taps directly into the issue of patient retention, into the realm of patient trust, and even into the domain of how well “efficient” the dental practice runs.

In conclusion, investing in a virtual dental assistant is a forward-looking move that helps ensure that tomorrow's dental practices remain profitable. It will improve your dental revenue. 

This specialist communicates with patients and potential patients with the degree of certainty necessary to keep the profits rolling. Contact us for more information.