Laura Horton regularly helps and advises practices on how to get patient conversions and what steps to take to increase your chances of success. This blog rounds up her top tips on doing just that!
#1 Pick up the phone!
So, you’ve received an email enquiry from a potential new patient, now’s your chance to get them into the practice! But how? That’s easy! Encourage them to give you a call – this is your opportunity to really sell your practice.
The best people to respond to new patient emails are your practice treatment coordinator (TCO) or your front desk team, so make sure they’re aware that this is their responsibility and ensure there’s a structured way of doing so. For example:
- Check the practice emails every hour, even the junk folder, to ensure you’ve captured all of them. If you’ve received an email which has the patients number give them a call, or if not reply to their email address asking them for a telephone number and a convenient time to call them. Always work around what’s best for them.
- What happens if you call and leave a message? Always drop them an email to confirm that you have called and would love to speak to them about their options. Why not ask them if there is a preferred time or day to speak to them?
- Once you have replied to their email, if you don’t hear from them again, email once more three days later and then leave it there. Continuing to email and call makes it look like you’re desperate and could give the wrong impression.
To increase your chances of speaking to a new patient make sure you include a contact form on your website which contains a mandatory field for a telephone number (preferably a mobile number as it’ll increase your chances of contacting them).
#2 Use an auto-response email to acknowledge their enquiry
Using an auto-response email system acknowledges any enquiries, giving the prospective patient confidence they’ll hear something soon.
You should make sure that you give specific time frames of when they should hear from you and always deliver on your promises.
Your auto-response can also include links to your social media channels and website, helping you to keep them engaged for as long as possible!
#3 Email your patients the ‘things’ they want to know more about!
If you want to become really slick and good at converting, then you need to refine your systems and maximise your potential.
I recommend that you add a section on your website contact form (as above) which asks your prospective new patient to tick what it is their enquiry is about e.g. missing teeth, broken teeth, yellow teeth etc.
That way, if you have the right systems to allow you to, you can tailor your automatic responses to the prospective patient, allowing you to send an information pack on their particular enquiry direct to their inbox. That way you’re increasing your chances of a response straight away.
#4 Make sure the patient knows what to do next!
Most new patient emails lack a call to action, but this is crucial to converting your prospects into new patients.
Here are just a few examples of how to tell your potential new patients what to do next:
- I would like to speak to you to explain how we can help. Can we arrange a call?
- Why not call us and schedule a complimentary consultation?
- Please call us so one our helpful team members can learn more about your situation and explain how we can help?
For more articles on attracting and retaining patients at your practice, check out our Resource Library.