Chiropractic Marketing - 5 Ways To Make Your Receptionist A Closer!

I have been working in the medical marketing profession for a few years now, and one thing remains a constant in all medical professions; Receptionists are not closers. That's right; I said it, receptionists, the front line of your practice, the first person any new patient speaks with, the ambassador of your livelihood, is not a closer! Since working with a product that tracks and records all calls, I have learned a lot about this aspect of the business. Many receptionists aren't friendly, others try to treat patients over the phone, and others, well, just don't care.

So, the other day one of my long time clients called me and asked me, "Rory, how do I make my receptionist a closer? My phone is ringing, but the patients aren't flowing." I listened to his calls, quickly figured out his dilemma, and came up with this; 5 Ways to Make Your Receptionist A Closer!

1. Have them smile when they answer the telephone. You can hear a smile; you can hear the positive energy. People like speaking with pleasant people.


2. Assume the Appointment. They need to assume that every patient they speak to is interested in an appointment. Why else are they calling a doctor's office? Have them suggest times as opposed to having the patient suggest a time. For example, "What's better for you, Thursday at 9 am or Wednesday at 2 pm?" Very assumptive, the question isn't if you're going to come in, it's when you're going to come in!


3. Don't treat the patient over the phone. A lot of patients call in, complaining of their problems and sometimes try to get the quick fix over the phone. Instead of trying to diagnose, the receptionist should take this time to schedule them an appointment. For example, "I'm sorry to hear your in pain, my doctor is really great, and he has an opening today at 2 pm. Does that work for you?"


4. Get a phone # and email. These are great tools to have in the system to send appointment reminders, as well as some internal marketing.


5. Educate them on your techniques. An educated receptionist is a confident receptionist. Make sure they know your techniques. If you specialize in Spinal Decompression Therapy, make sure they know what that means. They should know if you have a laser or have a drop table or any other sort of specialty.

Thanks to technology, there are multiple avenues to go down that give you the ability to record your phone calls and monitor your receptionists, but ChiroAppointment.com is by far the easiest and most cost effective.