How to Turn every Phone Call into an Appointment using 4 BEHAVIORS and 5 ELEMENTS

Awww….the sound of the phone ringing (sound of a phone ringing)….it’s music to all of our ears.

That sweet sound of prospective patients calling…interested in our body contouring services.   

But…when was the last time you called your office, not just to check-in, but to really see what your patients experience?  

Have you done it ever?  Or have you ever employed the services of a secret phone shopper?  

So is your office ready to capitalize on every opportunity, on every single phone call?  

Maybe not…but we’re going to get you ready.  

In this episode

we’ll show you how to turn every call into an appointment with actionable steps you can put into practice

There are two components to your Phone Team’s performance.

How to ACT
What to SAY

How to ACT: 4 Behaviors

Let’s start with the way your Phone Team should act during phone calls to meet the needs of your prospect patients.  Unlike a traditional medical practice or even an aesthetic office focused on skin and beauty, your prospective body contouring patient’s decision to pursue body contouring services is emotionally charged and is a two-fold decision:

The decision to pursue body contouring services at all
Once that’s decided, the decision regarding which Provider to choose.   

So it’s imperative that your Phone Team demonstrates the following FOUR BEHAVIORS during all body contouring phone calls:

Enthusiasm
Empathy
Concern for the Well-Being of the patient
Quickly and Confidently answer questions

Let’s discuss each of these in more detail.

They must be Enthusiastic.   It must be genuine and in the right doses.  It must be mixed in with other emotions to be perceived to be sincere.
They must express Empathy for the callers.  This is a key component.  Many of your competitors miss the ball on this one so when you fill this emotional gap, your practice shines.  
Your Phone Team must express their Concern for the Well-Being of the callers.  This is similar to empathy but different.  It can be expressed by asking questions and showing interest in what the patient is saying.  For example, by asking follow-up questions and acknowledging what the patient says.
They must Answer Questions Quickly and Confidently.  Your Phone Team must be well-trained and able to field most questions.  But when they don’t know an answer, they must never say “I don’t know,” but instead should say “Let me find out for you.”  You must realize that these callers will judge you and your practice based on the ability of your Phone Team.
These FOUR BEHAVIORS should become habits or ‘second nature’ for your Phone Team –  Enthusiasm, Empathy, Concern and Quick & Confident Answers.

So you know how your Phone Team should ACT during the calls, now let’s move on to what your Phone Team should SAY during the calls.   

What to SAY: The 5 Elements crucial to every phone call  

The Greeting
There are 4 PARTS of a strong greeting:

A warm hello
The name of your practice/business
The name of the Team Member who answered the call
An offer to help

Here’s an example of a good greeting:

“Good Morning.  Thank you for calling Body Beautiful.  My name is Charlotte. How may help you?”

Here’s an example of a bad greeting:

“Body Beautiful, Charlotte speaking.”

   The Motivation
Next, discover the Motivation for the call.

Is it a body contouring call?
Is this patient new to your practice?
Is this patient your established patient who has a new interest in body contouring?

If you learn this is a new patient, then welcome them to your business.

“We are so happy you called us at Body Beautiful.  What are your interests or concerns? I’d love to help you with them.”

If you learn this is your established patient with a new interest in body contouring, congratulate them on the decision.

“Let me say that you are going to love these body contouring treatments.  They are totally amazing. I’d love to help you today. What questions do you have?”

There is some key information your Phone Team will need to get from the prospective patient.  Depending on the course of the conversation, your team can get it during the beginning of the call, within the body of the conversation or at the closing of the call.  This information is critical both for patients scheduling appointments and for those who do not schedule.

 Key Patient Information
Key Patient Information you must get before the call ends

How the patient learned about your office (and if it’s an established patient but new to body contouring, how she heard about the body contouring services)
The patient’s email address
The patient’s cell phone number

So to summarize where we’ve been, the first element is a Proper Greeting, the second is discovering the Motivation for the call and three, getting that Key Information sometime before you end the call.  Next, the real “meat” of the call, the Body of the call.

  Body of the Phone Call
Ask open-ended questions, i.e. “What areas trouble you?”
Display a depth of knowledge about body contouring, i.e. “There are so many choices for fat reduction.  For example, did you know there are over 40 different devices available?”
Express enthusiasm for the body contouring services (include personal or ‘patient’ story if applicable), i.e. “I had the treatment…to my abs.  I am so happy I did. I’m wearing pants I haven’t worn in years.”
Describe the provider and/or facility as body contouring expert(s), i.e. “We’ve helped so many people contour their bodies.  Dr. Handy is really an expert at helping people reduce fat.”  
Keep your discussion on point and in tune with your facility’s ‘brand’ and ‘USP,’ i.e. “Above all, we want you to feel welcome and comfortable here.”  Is there anything we could have waiting for you to drink besides water?  We can also offer you green tea and diet coke.”
Exhibit both empathy and a concern for the patient’s well-being, i.e. “I am so sorry to hear that.  Did you have any more problems after that experience?”

 Closing
It’s not just a simple goodbye.  There are five elements of a good closing.  

5 Elements of a Closing

Restate the patient’s name
Summarize the highlights of the call
Ask the patient if she has any further questions
Ask for or confirm the patient’s email address (to send email confirmation if she is scheduling or to send ‘helpful information’ if not scheduling)
Ask or confirm the patient’s cell phone number
Thank the patient for her time

Let’s look at a couple of good examples:

Scheduling Patient

“Okay, Melissa.  I’m so happy you’ve decided to come in and learn more about our body contouring treatments.  I have you scheduled in for a Consultation tomorrow at noon. I’m so excited to meet you in person; I feel like I know you already!  Thank you for your time. Let me verify your email, melissa@yahoo.com and your cell number 333-333-3333 for your appointment confirmation.  Any other questions I could assist you with before tomorrow?”

Non-Scheduling Patient

Phones:  “Okay, Melissa.  I enjoyed chatting about how we can help you contour your body.  I feel sure you’ll be impressed when you learn more during a Consultation.  Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. Since you’re not ready to schedule, we’ll send you some helpful information.  May I have your email so I can send it your way? And also your cell phone number. I like to text after I send the email to let you know I’ve sent it.  Any other questions I could help you with?

Patient:  No more questions, I don’t think.  My email is melissa@hotmail.com and my phone number is 555-555-5555.  

Phones:  Okay, so that’s melissa@hotmail.com and 555-555-5555.  Super. I’ll send that email your way, then check in with you in a few days.  Sound Okay?

Patient:  Yes, that sounds good.

Phones:  Okay, Melissa.  Please enjoy the remainder of your day.  We’ll talk again soon. Goodbye.

Patient:  Thank you.  Goodbye.

Turning phone calls into appointments is an achievable goal.  You’ve learned how.

You know that phone conversations with body contouring patients can be emotionally charged, so your Phone Team must employ 4 key Behaviors –  Enthusiasm, Empathy, Concern and Quick, Confident answers – to meet this particular challenge.

And you’ve learned that your Phone Team must meet 5 Elements – Proper Greeting, Motivation, Key Information, Body and Closing – during every phone call.

Action Step:  Assess your Phone Team.  Listen to their conversations.  You can listen just from their end but it’s better if you can record.  We think you’ll find they could use some improvement. Discuss the 4 Behaviors and the 5 Elements with your Phone Team.  Make a checklist to evaluate them. Block out time in their schedules for role-playing asking them to put their newly acquired knowledge to work.  Scriptwriting may be in order.

In our next episode, we’ll continue with our topic of telephones and discuss how writing phone scripts is key to your success in body contouring.

That’s it for now.  Please stay tuned for next week.  Hit subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

Bye for now from Shannon and Kay at the Body Contouring Academy’s Proven Profits Podcast.