Patients, Promotions and Profits: Messages On Hold Can Help Create A Thriving Dental Practice That Doesn’t Have To Be Like Pulling Teeth!

No matter how robust your patient base may be, it’s the goal of any dentist to grow their practice by selling more services to current patients, and to attract new patients. Preferences change, demographics shift, people move, and somewhere along the way, you will lose customers who will need to be replaced.  For some, this may seem like a monumental challenge! Why? Well, like in any industry – competition is tough. In fact, there roughly 156,000 dental practitioners in the United States and in any given area, only one or two dentists can share the spotlight! So, what distinguishes your dental practice from all the others? How is what you offer your patients different from the same old, same old? What value does your practice provide independent of your core services? What sets your office apart from your perceived competition?

Dental marketing has changed dramatically over the last five years and dentists can often feel caught between two worlds: the old, tried -and-true marketing methods they’ve used for years and the future -focused digital methods patients are using today. Marketing your practice in today’s world requires the right marketing mix. The first interaction that a current and/or prospective patient has with your practice is when they call to make an appointment or have a question about a possible treatment. Many times, they are placed on-hold while your staff gathers their files, or checks the appointment schedule. Sometimes it takes a minute or so to find all of the information needed. In the meantime, your patient is waiting for you to return. This present a golden opportunity to set your practice apart with professional dentistry message on hold marketing services! As your patients wait on hold, you have a golden opportunity to offer them beneficial information that they will appreciate and to teach them about your services.

When patients select a dental practice to do business with, they base their decision on what they know about your office. Too often, the prospective patient may get bombarded with information about you, your credentials, your education, and your skills. Not enough attention is given to what is in it for the patient. During the average on-hold time, your patients will hear tips about maintaining the health of their teeth, mouth and gums. They’ll also hear messages that inform them about additional services and procedures that you offer, services that they might want and need. Another option is to promote a special service, like teeth whitening, invisible braces, implants, no-prep veneers, new patient specials and more. Tell the listener what is new and why your practice is different. Being more mindful of these factors will support your efforts to build lasting relationships of worth, which will lead to greater patient retention and referrals.

Advertising and marketing your dental practice correctly is very much a full time job. It’s also the second most important job after yours. Messages on hold acts both as a marketing opportunity and a patient education tool. It’s often an untapped opportunity to provide valuable information about the practice and the doctors, as well as educational information about oral health.”

From the patient’s perspective, they desire friendliness, timely appointments (with little or no wait time) a warm setting, kind customer service, and quality care with fair and reasonable fees. Patients come to your office assuming you know how to do the dentistry, but what they really want is to get to know you and your staff. They want to be welcomed and feel that they have made a good decision on how to spend their dental dollars on their health. If they like how they are treated and feel you have their best interests at heart, then they will trust you.

On-hold messaging establishes the caring personality of your practice, positioning you as:

• Well-established
• Knowledgeable
• Forward thinking
• Looking out for the best interests of your patients

Are you ready to take your practice to the next level? On Hold advertising makes sense and can bolster the success of your practice. It’s a low-cost way to engage your callers on hold and provide them with highly targeted marketing and promotional messages to deliver important information about your qualifications, treatment options, practice hours and directions, new patient special offers as well as encouraging existing patients to give those valuable referrals that can make a difference to your bottom line.