“I’m here all by myself, can you call back later?”
I returned a doctor’s phone call today and the call began with the dreaded “Dr’s office, can you hold…click” I was then on hold for nearly four (4!!) minutes before being told, “I’m here all by myself, can you call back later?” I wish I could tell you that this was shocking to me. Unfortunately, it happens more often than you’d think.
This phone call and the greetings I received are disturbing for several reasons. First and foremost, every team member should know the value of presenting news so it reflects positively on themselves and the practice. Second, every team member needs and deserves to be trained in how to handle the telephone professionally.
Consider the difference that exceptional verbal skills would have made, for example “I’m currently speaking with another patient, may I please have your name and phone number so I can call you back within ten minutes when I will be able to give you my undivided attention?”
Every phone call is an opportunity for practice growth yet far too often the least experienced team members are sent to the phones. Your practice could be paying a very high price for this error. If your team needs training, check out the Office Magic Book of Scripts and our telephone skills coaching program.