Transcript - Read Along Here 👉🏼
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Business of Hearing podcast. Today we're talking front desk. More importantly than that, like, what are the three critical roles that they play in your business? The five point framework that they can use for leading patient phone calls, and really why they're absolutely invaluable to patient success. This may be an episode for you. It may be an episode for your front desk to listen to also, but let's jump in. Welcome to the Business of Hearing podcast with me, Oli Luke. The podcast for entrepreneurial private practice hearing care clinic leaders that want to set benchmarks of excellence, build wildly successful businesses, grow their impact, and navigate the choppy waters to spearhead the future. A private practice hearing care. Thank you so much for joining us. Pour yourself a cup of tea and let's get stuck into this week's episode. So welcome along. And this is an interesting one, because I'm really trying to record this from the lens of speaking directly to you as the practice leader, and also directly to anybody in a front desk role, because the front desk role, in my opinion, and I think in many practice leaders opinion, including yourself, is is entirely underappreciated in terms of its importance because it plays an absolutely critical role in the patient and business success. So if you go back to 2016, there was a study that was conducted by the media group, and what they did is they asked 2234 Americans their opinions on customer service handling and their experiences of an initial phone call with a business. What came back was 95% of the people participating in the study said the first phone call. If it wasn't handled correctly, they'd be very unlikely to do that, do business with that business. Um, but what made it more interesting is, is, worst of all, the survey found that the least tolerant people were over the age of 55, and that group shared that an unsatisfactory phone call would lead to 63% of them never buying from that business again. Now, given that's pretty much the age group of the large majority of the phone calls that occur in our industry. It's a concern, right? Because this is literally the difference between poor call handling, resulting in only three out of ten of the phone calls that hit your office, progressing to an appointment, and great call handling, leading to potentially ten out of ten landing on the schedule, like the front desk, hold a significant role in the outcome of, first of all, how a patient perceives you. Second of all, if they're going to schedule an appointment and third of all, how they're pre-sold and prepared for what that appointment is going to look like, what's going to happen, and whether they're going to be motivated to progress with treatment if that becomes an option for them. But the person that holds all that power is front desk. Now, my belief is many private practices don't truly understand just how important that front desk role is. Um. But it's mission critical. Absolutely mission critical. And this for real reasons why front desk is so, so important. First of all, like it serves as the entry point of the practice. Like if a patient doesn't like what they hear or if their question isn't answered correctly, there's a strong chance they're not going to schedule and they're going to move elsewhere. They're going to call somebody else, um, their treatment is going to be transitioned somewhere else. They're going to move ahead elsewhere. Yeah. On the other hand, if the experience is great, if the patient feels heard smart for choosing you and that they've called the right practice, then they're very likely to to schedule and be much more inclined to work with you. Number two is front desk is is often a patient's first experience. We all know first impressions matter no matter what the website says, what your review says, if they call up like that, communication is going to tell them an awful lot, and it's important for them to decide if you're the right people or they're the wrong people. And it's all going to happen from that initial phone call. So front desk truly are a patient's first experience. Number three is front desk. Set the expectation. Like not many people know what treating or hearing loss looks like. Which means that like you as front desk or the front desk of your business. Like hold all the power, like you've got to set the expectation, you've got to show empathy towards their situation. Um, and you're able then to say exactly what's going to happen, how it's going to happen, which means you can make the world of the wider team significantly simpler. Fourth of all is the patient is looking for comfort, and they're looking for comfort from the front desk because nobody grows up looking forward to the day they can call a hearing care clinic to have their hearing tested and potentially learn they need hearing aids. It's daunting. And in that initial conversation, like people are desperate for comfort, they're desperate for somebody to wrap their arms around them and tell tell them that everything is going to be okay. The front desk of your business are the people they're looking for in that initial phone call, and if they do it, it's going to make a big difference. And if they don't do it, it's it's going to make a big difference. So super, super important. Now there are three big roles that the front desk have. Because the front desk does a lot like they're often the engine of the business. The engine keeps it moving forward. They keeps the schedules flowing. They ensure the providers are using their time efficiently. Patients are, um, being scheduled on time to turning up on time, walking into appointments on time. And it can truly feel like a a juggling act for the front desk. Now, a couple of years ago, we interviewed a front desk expert called Gerry Durham, and he shared this almost thought provoking breakdown of how a front desk can be broken into three roles. And it's always kind of sat with me and let me take you through these because I think they're super, super key. So the three big roles of Front Desk are number one, you're the voice of the business. When a patient calls like your front desk are the voice, patients are going to make decisions based on how they interact, um, how the expectations are set, how they explain what's going to happen next. And that conversation is going to greatly contribute to a patient's success. And in many ways, the businesses success also. Secondly, they're the face of the company. And I don't mean that they're the face on your website. Uh, on the home page. But when a patient walks in for that first appointment, like, who is the first person they're going to see? It's front desk, right? This is this is customer service on steroids. It's making the patient feel welcome. It's ensuring they have everything they need. It's supporting them on that journey, almost becoming their advocate, their support in this journey. You're you are they are the safety to the patient in many ways who the phone call occurred with. And if that phone call ends with, I'm looking forward to seeing you on Thursday. I'll be here. I'll be looking out for you. You sat in a very nice position to be the face of the company and the voice of the company. Third of all is the back office. And what do I mean by back office? It's it's doing the the admin duties to ensure the business continues to operate smoothly. So that could be insurance. It could be helping update patient paperwork, collecting patient email addresses, organizing providers schedule. But all the important stuff that without it, the business will fall over almost immediately. So like this stuff is super, super important. So to summarize, front desk are the voice of the business, the face of the business, and the back office of the business. Really, really important. Now let me just take a moment to reflect here, because you may be listening to this as the practice leader. You may be listening to this as somebody in the front desk team. But let me just reaffirm what I've said here. The data suggests that the way phone calls are handled by front desk. Are significantly important. It's a make or break for many relationships for big reasons why front desk is so important. They serve as the entry point to the practice. They're a patient's first experience. They set the expectation, and they can use empathy to give the patient significant comfort. They have typically three roles, um, that are not really broken down like this, but will give thanks to front desk expert Jeff Cherry Durham for this. Um, I nearly said Jeffrey Dahmer then. That would have been quite daunting. The the voice of the business, the face of the company and the back office. Now, understanding this from my perspective allows front desk to understand you play probably one of the most important roles in the entire organization. Yeah, in many ways, front desk don't often get the appreciation that they deserve. And if you're listening to this as front desk and it's been referred to you by the practice leader, then good news you're in a practice that doesn't see it that way. And if you are listening to this as a practice leader and you've never really considered the importance of your front desk, maybe the kick up the backside is to start giving consideration to this, help them understand their role, and really empower them to understand that this just isn't an admin job. This is an absolute mission critical job for patient success and business success. I don't know if you can hear the background rain. By the way, my the rain is unsurprisingly pouring down here in the UK as we called this. Now let's jump into the next thing. And this is very specific for front desk, and I want to share a five step framework for answering patient calls, all focused on driving business success. And the framework looks like this. Number five greet number two. Determine once. Number three present options and build value. Number four schedule and set expectations. And number five recap. So if a patient calls you and it's their first ever phone call, this is the five step framework that we found to be the most successful. Now I've had the joy and the pain of listening to a lot of phone calls, listening to front desk, and helping practices understand what can be done better. And it never fails to amaze me just how poorly many are handled. And many of the conversations are a hey, how can I help? And it's like, oh, I'm looking for an appointment. When do you want to come? Uh, Thursday. We've got 2 p.m. on Thursday. Yeah. What's your name? This. What's your date of birth? This. Uh. Okay. Do you have any insurance? Yes. This? Oh, okay. That should be fine. Um. All right. We'll see you then. And that's typically what happens. And that doesn't play any form of empathy. It doesn't pre-sell the appointment. It's just so many missed opportunities. So let me take you through this five step framework. First of all is this great piece. Now this is super simple. Within the first 20s of a phone call, your front desk have an opportunity to quickly make the patient feel at ease and know they're in the right place. Like, keep in mind that the the bar for customer experience in healthcare is so low. So just simply greeting and acknowledging the caller like it makes a big difference. And you also have an ideal opportunity to take control of the conversation. Because patient doesn't quite know how hearing healthcare works. It's a big step for them to make this call. They need somebody to take them by the hand. So let's play this out. I'll be. I suppose I'm gonna have to be both characters in this. Well done. I didn't think that one through. Um, but it's. I'll do two different voices. Hello, ABC hearing. Hi. I'm calling to book an appointment to ask a question. Let me start that again, Mike. So let me play this out for you. So we'll do an example and I'll do two different voices. Uh ring ring ring ring. Hello ABC hearing. Hi I'm calling to book an appointment. This is horrendous to do. Excellent. Well, my name's Ollie, and I can certainly help heal my speaking to patient Sharon. Right. So we've got Sharon calling Ollie. Sharon being the patient. Ollie, be in the front desk. We're gonna have to continue with this, but can you see what that's done? Their introduction by the person who answered the call. Hello, my name is bloom. Who am I speaking to? Simple. All of a sudden. Nice, easy greeting. They know who you are. Step two determine once. What do I mean by this? Well, we often assume like. How can I phrase this like. Although we often kind of assume this part, we want to truly understand what the patient wants and what their desired outcomes are. And then they may have mentioned, like they're calling for a hearing test, or they want some more information, but we need to dig a little deeper to understand kind of their true objectives and wants, and basically to ensure that before they hang up, like we've we've heard them, we've heard exactly what they want and we've helped them achieve the outcome that they're looking for. And if we go through a bit of an example of this, well, let's go back to the terrible vices I was doing. I'd be like, oh, thanks, Sharon. So what are the reasons that you want to schedule a hearing test? And Sharon will go, oh, well, I'm concerned I'm not hearing as well as I once was or I'm realizing background noise is causing an issue and I just want to get it tested. But essentially, they share the pain point of what they're looking to achieve in their own words. And it means that at this stage, I've created the patient. You've made them feel comfortable, and now you understand kind of exactly where they're at. So let's go into the third. Third step is present options and build value. So the caller is told you what they believe they want. It's now your job to kind of introduce their options and most importantly build value. And this is often a missing part of the jigsaw because for many of the calls I listen to patient shares what they want. They jump straight to like, okay, here it is, Thursday at 2:00. See you then. But this present options and build value is often a missing piece. So let me explain what that could look like. And this comes down to front desk. So it's like oh thanks Sharon. So based on what you've told me, it sounds like scheduling a hearing evaluation with one of our hearing experts is the best next step. I'm just looking at our schedule, and I believe Doctor Smith would be the best option for you. She or he has a reputation for connecting the most comprehensive, also conducting the most comprehensive evaluations. And from what I've learned about you up to now, I believe you're a great match. How does that sound? Like all of a sudden? Can you see what's done? They're introduced to recommendation, built the value of who they're going to see, and ensure the patient is now empowered, motivated to believe you've connected the perfect solution to the challenge and outcome that they want. Next step number four schedule expectations and set schedule expectations. So once the callers confirm that they're happy to schedule an appointment, you then want to kind of find a date and time that works and prepare the expectations. And really, this isn't only great customer service. Um, but you're contributing to whether that patient shows up or not, how pre-sold the I am working with you and truly the provider's success. So jump back to a script on this and it's like, okay, well, we have availability with Doctor Smith on Tuesday at 2 p.m.. Um. How does that sound? Patient replies. Sharon replies going yeah, that's perfect. Uh, excellent. So you all scheduled in? What's the best email address to send your confirmation details to patient shares? It's Sharon at gmail.com. I need to give up on these voices. Um, us front desk, and I like. Thank you. Well, we'll look forward to seeing you there. Um, and I'll be personally here to greet you walking through the door. Your appointment will last about 60 minutes. Start by discussing some of the medical history before running through a number of different hearing tests, before discussing the outcomes with you. Uh, just for our records. How do you plan to pay for the appointment patient? Well, it'll be insurance. Well, I'm going to use this insurance, uh, cash, card, etc., and it's like, thank you. I'll, uh, I'll take that note for your records and then collect anything else and just remind me of your date of birth, just for file, etc., etc.. But can you kind of see that like that works so well? And then summary have your front desk just summarize like final step before the call and hangs up. It's like, okay, so uh, thanks for your time. So just to summarize, looking to get help with, um, hearing in background noise a little concerned, we decided the best next step was to schedule a hearing test with Doctor Smith. Uh, there'll be a great fit, and we'll be able to comprehensively assess your hearing before making a recommendation if required. Your appointment is at Tuesday at 2 p.m. and it'll last around 60 minutes. Is there any questions that you have for me at this stage? Patient says yes or no. Thank you. Look forward to seeing you on Tuesday. Like hopefully you can see from a front desk position handling that incoming call to contribute to both the patient success and the business success is so, so important. And that five step methodology truly helps. So once again greet the patient, give them some form of empathy. Um, and set up that call. Number two is determine their wants and needs. What are they actually looking for? The big one. Present the options and build value. Number four schedule and set expectations. And then number five recap. If you can do all that, patients are going to be scheduled fast mover. They're going to absolutely love you as front desk. The providers are going to love you because you're going to be pre framing and preparing patients to to turn up effectively and um, and be pre-sold, that the provider is already the person that's going to help them solve the challenges that they're experiencing. And we're going to minimize no show rates because you've done a good job in selling. The importance of the appointment, talking towards the challenges they have as the patient and pre-selling the provider as the person that holds the solutions. Now, if you're listening to this as practice leader, hopefully it gives you some thought, some ideas to to help potentially restructure some of your training for your front desk. If you're listening to this as front desk, then I sincerely hope it's been helpful to not just understand the importance of value and significance of the actions that you have in the business, but also giving you some frameworks to follow to ensure that when you do have phone calls, your best position to support them, handle them and maximise the opportunities that come along with them. Hopefully this was helpful. As always, I appreciate your time greatly and I'll speak to you again soon. And there we have it. But before you head off to skip to the next episode or eagerly await for next week's, I have three things for you. First of all, if you've enjoyed what you've heard today and want to learn more about our exclusive inner Circle to discover how 60 plus clinics are setting benchmarks of excellence in private practice, benefiting from a mastermind of North America's most successful practice owners, and having an industry leading marketing team driving gold standard implementation. Then go to WW. Orange hyphen gray.com. That's orange hyphen gray.com. There's not only a video there detailing how you can win in the next two decades in private practice, but it also shares a downloadable PDF with no ask for email address or anything like that. But we'll explain exactly what becoming a member looks like. Second of all, I strongly feel that private practice is in a very challenging spot right now. Where we're the David fighting against Goliath is made up of large groups, manufacturer owned chains, cost, goals, and whatever the next heavily funded whiz bang on like online direct response consumer model will be. I'm a strong believer in a rising tide lifts all boats, and the more private practice can fight back at scale, the bigger impact will make. So please consider a friend or colleague, or even a Facebook group, a LinkedIn group, etc. where you can spread the word about this podcast. And third, and finally, it may be a little thing, but a five star review hitting subscribe will ensure you automatically download all future episodes and help the algorithm to grow the impact of this podcast. And at the very least, it will certainly put a smile on my face when I go and look at the numbers. So I look forward to talking to you again next week. Thank you for your ears and I'll speak to you soon.
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