If you want to increase production, do not miss the many opportunities to lead dental patients into your schedule. And the important thing to keep in mind is those opportunities do not always seem so obvious.
The great inventor Alexander Graham Bell once said, “Sometimes we stare so long at the door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” This is certainly true for dental teams.
For example, when a patient calls to cancel an appointment, the front office team is typically thinking about the steps needed to fill the opening. The focus is on the door that closed. Too many times the patient who is cancelling is not invited to reschedule. In addition, a quick check of the patient’s file may show family members who are past due, and opportunities to schedule those family members are also lost.
Another example of missed opportunities is when a hygienist is left with an open hour in her schedule. The dentist and team are not happy to see the opening. But instead of focusing on the door that closed, consider how the hygienist could use that time to open additional doors.
The hygienist holds as much sway as anyone when it comes to motivating past due patients to schedule. A motivated hygienist making personalized phone calls to her patients will result in past due people scheduling, creating many opportunities for the practice.
Therefore, be sure to challenge yourself and your dental team whenever it appears a door is closing. What opportunities are you missing? How can you use the time to bring benefits that far outweigh what was lost? When you challenge yourself to think like that, you will see many doors opening around you.