Doctor
and Staff Scripting for Case Acceptance
By Roger P. Levin, DDS, MBA
Introduction
Orthodontists often consider their clinical skills as the key-determining factor of practice success. And this would be true - if all of their patients happened to be orthodontists. Despite the fact that most orthodontists would like to believe that excellent clinical skills are the main factor for building practices, it is very far from the truth. As important as technical expertise is, verbal skills and overall good communication with patients often determine what patients think of you and how successful your practice will be.
Good orthodontic care goes beyond clinical skills. Verbal skills are one of the most important success tools that any orthodontic team can develop. The power of verbal skills can dramatically influence team effectiveness, practice efficiency, and quality of patient care. The logical way to cultivate and strengthen consistent, effective communication with patients is through scripting for all situations encountered by the practice.
Good Communication is Everything!
Communicating effectively is important for all practices. Every patient is interested in understanding the diagnosis and the potential treatment. Patients want to know what has to be done and what is involved. In many instances, they have to decide between various treatment options based on the verbal presentation. They want to know the fees and the type of payment options available. Again, your success is contingent on how well you communicate information to patients.
As in many professions, there is a widespread problem in dentistry that can prevent good communication from occurring. Most team members believe that they are already excellent communicators and therefore if a listener does not understand or react appropriately, the problem resides with that listener. The truth is that verbal skills do not come naturally to most people. Few are born with such a talent. Instead, verbal skills must be first cultivated, and then continually enhanced.
Practices achieve exceptional performance mostly due to developing an excellent ability to communicate with patients. However, it is not good enough for the dentist alone to be an excellent communicator. Every member of the orthodontic team must be equally skilled in educating and motivating patients to seek good oral health.
Levin Group research shows that every patient has a minimum of four contacts with different individuals in the practice during a regular visit. Each of these contacts is an opportunity to enhance the relationship with the patient and add value to the patient's overall orthodontic practice experience. Without clear and consistent communication from the entire team, this process will not take place.
The Importance of Verbal Skills
An outstanding customer service program is of paramount importance to every practice. Why? Because parents and patients typically judge the quality of orthodontic care based on their perceptions of the communication they encounter and the level of customer service they receive. Despite every doctor's emphasis on clinical excellence, patients will typically assess the practice, team, and quality of care on something as simple as what you say and how you say it.
The role of effective verbal skills, therefore, is a key success factor in the orthodontic practice. However, there are complicating factors. Orthodontic offices often hire team members who have little or no ortho experience. These same individuals, while trying to master all of the clinical or administrative skills required to contribute to the orthodontic practice, may also be struggling because they have had no verbal skills training.
Fortunately, any team member can learn to improve their verbal skills. Not only do verbal skills help to create and maintain a positive attitude within the office, but also those same skills will change the way patients view a team member's level of intelligence, manners, and sophistication.
Positive Communication is the First Priority
Good verbal communication starts with a positive attitude. People are generally attracted to others who are positive. In fact, the effect of a positive outlook is contagious. Not only will the team with a positive outlook have a better impact on the patients, but also patients will appear more positive toward the ortho team. It's more than just a superficial appearance. When you use verbal skills to present yourself with positive enthusiasm, patients respond in kind. All of a sudden, doctors, staff, and patients find themselves happier, more motivated, and more positive.
Creating a cycle of positive communication is a remarkable achievement because most people speak more often in negative language than positive. One way to turn this around is to begin to use three times more positive words than negative ones. In fact, you can remove virtually all of the negative words from your vocabulary. Talking positively does take some skill training. Once you have mastered the technique, it simply becomes a question of which words and phrases you want to use to create a positive environment in your practice.
The wrong things are said to patients every day - although the team members certainly do not mean to offend patients. Consider the following example of a simple verbal blunder. Although it may seem a logical statement to make, it is a mistake to tell patients the following during a case presentation (or any other time)
"Our policy is…"
Nothing good will ever from saying this. When you make a statement that begins with, "Our policy is___," you are basically saying to the patient that you have no ability whatsoever to think for yourself. Patients don't want to hear the words, "our policy is___," unless they are dealing with the Internal Revenue Service or some other government agency that has no particular need for outstanding customer service. People can't decide that they don't like the IRS customer service department and shop around for another IRS that will understand their needs better. You, however, do not have a monopoly on orthodontics. Patients can shop around if you give them reason to. Your customer service is essential - at all times.
Action:
Instead of saying, "Our policy is___," say, "What we have found that has worked best for our patients is___."
Clinical Scripts
The way in which your clinical staff respond to and interact with patients has a strong impact on how patients and parents perceive the orthodontist and the practice. Unlike other orthodontic offices, orthodontic assistants perform many procedures and spend significant amounts of time with a patient when they are in the office. Language and verbal skills are important to presenting a professional image and are necessary for your clinical team to gain the confidence of patients and parents.
The scripts that follow should be customized according to your treatment philosophies and expanded upon so that all staff members have the opportunity to excel in their positions. One frequent question presented to many orthodontic assistants may be about their training. After all, parents/patients may expect the orthodontist to perform much of the needed care for their children or themselves. Make sure you invest in your staff by providing them with the education and the scripts they need to make a positive impression of your practice.
Qualifications of the Clinical Team
If clinical staff are confronted with questions from patients and parents regarding their professional qualifications, a good way for the team to respond is by emphasizing the ongoing commitment to education and training by the orthodontist. It is important that staff members are able to communicate the roles they play as part of the clinical team.
Script
Parent: Kelly, I am surprised that the assistants do so much of the work each time we come for an appointment. Have you and the rest of the staff had extensive training?
Assistant: Mrs. Harris, our position requires certification on a state level and the clinical team is trained to Dr. Smith's standards of providing care. We attend seminars, courses and meetings throughout the year to keep current in our field. This ensures that all team members stay abreast of the latest techniques and procedural innovations.
New patients/parents should be made aware of the way in which orthodontic assistants are utilized during their initial tour of the office. At this time, the Treatment Coordinator should promote all team members and give a brief description of their roles in the patient/parent's treatment.
Although scripting may sometimes seem like complicating the obvious, it is nevertheless a necessary tool to convey a consistent message to patients - and vital for case acceptance.
Summary
You cannot achieve practice goals simply by having exceptional clinical skills. In the end, people will perceive the quality of the practice mostly by the communication they receive from you and your team. Few practice enhancements will equal the impact of excellent verbal skills because they affect patient perceptions of quality and overall customer service experiences. Adhering to scripts as well as avoiding negative language and verbal mistakes are effective ways to maintain consistent, effective communication with patients.
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Roger P. Levin, DDS, MBA, is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Levin Group, the leading practice management consulting firm in dentistry and the only consulting firm with eight separate divisions for general and specialty practices. Dr. Levin has published more than 2,700 articles and 49 books. He received the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Consulting Services category. |