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The telephone is the most useful tool in your office as it is the gateway to appointments. “Whoever answers the phone in your practice holds their hands around the throat of your business,” declared Von Hansen (a seasoned hearing healthcare trainer) in a recent interview THP conducted. He asserted that your business is predicated upon how your Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) answers the phone. Most people instinctively know that the phone is important but they just don’t know what to do with it. Training the person who answers the phone at your practice (often called a PCC) is an investment that can yield drastic results. This is where a script can be a crucial component in building a foundation of trust and rapport with your potential customers who call into your office. A proven script with PCC training and coaching will optimize incoming calls for maximum benefit. In Hansen’s experience, hearing aid specialists who use a script (with proper training and accountability) will see their call conversion rate to third party appointments grow to 70%, on average.

IHS conducted a webinar on this topic in October 2012: Front Office 201: Advanced Phone Skills where Hansen shared his experience and emphasized the importance of training front office staff to use each and every phone call to begin building a relationship regardless of the caller’s intent. A PCC’s responses to questions OR his/her urge to schedule an appointment can make or break the

budding and fragile relationship with the person on the other end of the phone.

There are three deadly sins that untrained PCCs commit on a regular basis:

1. Assuming the caller is a patient2. Immediately asking the caller to

commit to an appointment3. Losing control and direction

because they talk too much and don’t listen and ask questions

Training your receptionist with a script provides a specific plan of action and helps him/her to avert the pitfalls listed above. It is crucial that your receptionist be trained to listen, ask, and guide the caller as opposed to rushing them to commit to an appointment.

The webinar drew record numbers of attendees and at the end many questions were asked of Hansen but because of time constraints many were not answered. As a result, what follows is a wealth of information gleaned from an interview with Hansen following the webinar. (Most of the following questions were not covered on the webinar.) Be sure to check out www.ihsinfo.org for an archived copy of the webinar later this year.

Encouraging a Third Party: Three Is CompanyWhat is the importance of bringing a third party to an appointment? The patient who

Advanced Phone Skills

Unleashing Your Phone’s True Potential

practice management

Utilizing a script system of training and monitoring PCCs will transform your telephone into a free-flowing conduit of secure appointments.

By Von Hansen

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comes in by themselves with a significant hearing loss will purchase only 20% of the time. The same person who comes in with a significant other, will purchase 70% of the time. A third party is important because they will corroborate the truth of the hearing loss and provide permission for the patient to honestly address their hearing problems.

If a caller is resistant to bring in a third party with them on their appointment, how do you persuade them otherwise? Here’s an example of how that conversation should go:

“Mr. Jones, we have found that it is important to bring someone with a familiar voice with you, so we can use that familiar voice during your evaluation. It is really essential. Who will you bring?”“My wife.”“What is her name?”“Mary.”

It is vital to get the name of the third party so that you can remind both parties about the appointment, when calling with appointment reminders.

How do you handle it when the third party does not show for the appointment? Without a third party, your chances of helping someone diminish significantly. So, your optimum response should be:

“I’m sorry your wife Mary isn’t here. Let me give you a quick screening and then we will reschedule your appointment doing a complete evaluation when she is available. It really is very important that we use her familiar voice.”

How do you respond if a caller states that they are bringing their minor child/grandchild as a third party? While not ideal, definitely let them bring the child. This young person will be a familiar voice during the screening and will also corroborate the truth of the hearing loss.

How should you deal with a husband and wife who both want to have their hearing tested? Go ahead and schedule them together, they can be each other’s third party

What happens if a customer brings along a third party who actually tries to talk them out of getting hearing aids? Unfortunately, this does happen and there is no magical wand to alter the situation. Simply complete the screening and move on to the next customer.

Getting Their InformationWhat if someone absolutely refuses to give you their name or phone number? This is where training and a script is vital. Engaging questions are needed in this scenario. “Are you calling for yourself or a loved one?” is a great initiating question.

OK, what if they STILL will not give you their name or number? At this point, inquire if they would like you to send them some information on hearing aids. If yes, then you’ll have to get their name and address. Then, politely ask if they would like a follow up call? If so, you have successfully found a way to secure their phone number.

Call EtiquetteIf you are on a call, going through a script, is there a good way to put your caller on hold while answering the other call? Yes. If you are at the beginning of the call, going through the initial questions, it is acceptable to inject, “Excuse me, my other line is ringing. May I put you on hold?” This can only happen once during the same

call. If a second interrupting call comes in, let it go to voicemail. Now, if you are beyond the initial basic script questions, then I’d advise not putting your current caller on hold. This is a critical time where you are closing in on the appointment and breaking away at this point would damage the relationship you are building.

How do you handle ‘no show’ appointments? This is one of the biggest problems in appointment setting, and occurred 25-30% during the last year. Part of the solution lies in performing an engaging reminder call. However, the confirmation call cannot just be a reminder, rather it should be made by the hearing professional and should engage the potential client with questions as well as provide a brief summary of what they, and the third party person, will experience.

“Have you ever had your hearing tested before?”“During the evaluation I will be doing A, B, and C. Do you have any questions?”

This should take just a few minutes and will further your relationship, while strengthening your client’s commitment to make appointment.

What is the best way to avoid a hang up during a cold calling session? The outbound call should be viewed as a conversation filled with engaging questions as opposed to an information dump. The primary focus of the call should be the person you are calling, not the sales pitch you are wanting to convey.

Is it good to use a calling queue for patients who call in when you have one PCC answering the phone? Nothing is more effective than for a caller to talk to a human! Take efforts to have a call transfer service forward calls to another office or a remote person to answer the calls that come in while everyone in the office is busy.

Is there a recommended way to handle someone who states they are just shopping around and have several

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other appointments? All you have is one shot to prove why your practice can best meet their needs. To do that, you have to be compelling, and the questions you ask are essential. Follow a script and build a stronger relationship than the other venues are offering.

Cost QuestionsWhat is the most effective response to a caller who balks at the cost of hearing aids? First, always give a range when asked the price of hearing aids over the phone. Then, never leave that price range hanging in the air—return to your script and ask the next engaging question. Pausing after giving a price range begs them to comment on the price and can lead to an unproductive call. Swiftly shift the conversation back to the caller and their needs.

What is the best way to handle a caller who demands an exact price of hearing aids, after you have given them the price range? Ask for the brand and model number and then give the price. Again, keep the questions from the script flowing after you have given them the information they requested for the best chance of avoiding a demand for exact price.

How do you respond to someone who is looking for an unbundled hearing aid cost? Be prepared in advance as to what your policy is on unbundling and then relay that information, based on your policy.

Ending the CallHow do you end a conversation when the patient is overly chatty? This involves

taking control of the conversation. It is a skill that can be mastered with a script and practice. First, you interrupt with love, “Excuse me,” and then you move on to the next question. It is important to stay in charge of the call and this is accomplished by taking advantage of pauses and being equipped with the proper questions to guide the customer and move the call forward. Once the business of an appointment is accomplished a polite, “Thank you so much for your call. We are looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday,” should end the call.

Tough Questions from the CallerWhat is a good response to, “How do I know if I need a hearing aid?” “Tell me, what sort of communication difficulties are you having?”

Is there a term other than ‘loved one’ that is good to use? Choose what is effective for you. “Someone else” or “significant other” may feel more comfortable. It is important to stick with the script as the questions in the script have been tested and get the job done. The majority of the script should not be altered but minor tweaks may be made to make it more natural for the user.

When is an appropriate time to ask about insurance? Insurance doesn’t make a difference until the caller walks through the door. Do not bring this up on the call.

Training with a ScriptWhat is the advantage/disadvantage of a paper vs an electronic script? An electronic or online script is designed to keep PCCs on track and focused on the plan on which they were trained. A paper script enables PCCs to disregard core questions and skip some basic fundamental, relationship-building questions. Keeping PCCs on task and in control of the call is a main feature of the electronic script. Another advantage of the online script is

that the dialogue can be entered, copied, and emailed with greater ease as needed.

How much time initially should be spent on training? Initial training should take approximately 1 hour.

What is a reasonable amount of time expected for PCCs to become comfortable with a script? One week is about average.

One last note on utilizing scripts in your practice. Owners who choose to invest in scripts must keep PCCs accountable so that the scripts are being used on each call. Scripts are a highly effective means to generate an increase in appointments—but only if they are applied on every call by all PCCs in your practice. This is where the accountability of PCCs is essential. A coaching and monitoring system should be in place should you choose to utilize scripts for your office(s).

Utilizing a script system of training and monitoring PCCs will transform your telephone into a free-flowing conduit of secure appointments. Hansen shares that in his experience, practices that do not use a script experience a 25% call-to-appointment conversion rate. Those who effectively use and monitor a script program experience a 70% call-to-appointment conversion rate. This is further proof that your businesses success is dependent on how your PCC answers the phone!

Von Hansen has created a phone monitoring system which optimizes advertising dollars by converting inquiries into third party appointments. You may reach him at: 1773 Post Street, Lebanon, Oregon 97355. Email address: vonhansen@comcast.net Phone: 541-259-1550

Von Hansen is a consultant and trainer for hearing healthcare professionals.

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1. Initial phone script training with a PCC (Patient Care Coordinator) should take approximately:

a. one hour b. one afternoon c. one week d. one month

2. After script training occurs, the script should be utilized:

a. only on calls that meet certain criteria b. on each and every call c. whenever time permits d. a and c

3. An electronic, online script will: a. keep PCCs on task b. help PCCs remain in control of the call c. enable PCCs to enter, copy, and email

call details d. all of the above

4. Overly chatty callers should be: a. dealt with in a swift and severe manner b. placed on hold to slow them down c. should be interrupted tenderly and

then asked the next script question d. allowed to direct the flow of the

conversation

5. A caller who asks for the price of hearing aids:

a. should always be given the average price of your office’s mid-level hearing aid

b. should only be given the exact price of your least expensive hearing aid

c. should be given a price range of your office’s hearing aid selection

d. none of the above

6. Immediately asking for an appointment is a deadly sin that untrained PCCs often commit while answering phones.

a. true b. false

7. Bringing a third party person to an appointment:

a. will typically diminish your chance at selling a hearing aid

b. will typically increase your chances of selling a hearing aid

c. is something you should tolerate, but not encourage

d. all of the above

8. Utilizing a proven script with proper training and accountability will, on average:

a. increase your sales by 20% b. increase your third party appointment

conversion rate to 70% c. reduce your third party sales rate by

20% d. all of the above

9. You may place a caller on hold: a. only two times during he entire initial

conversation b. only once during the early stage of the

call c. anytime during the call d. never, it’s just not acceptable to place a

caller on hold at any time

10. You should employ a call transfer service to another office or a remote person rather than let a call be picked up by voicemail:

a. true b. false

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ADVANCED PHONE SKILLS✁

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