RevUp Dental

Is your dental practice stuck growing? It's not your dental skills holding you back, it's what's happening under the hood. RevUp shows you where you're losing patients and fixes it with proven systems, training and marketing that makes you money.

Blog By:
Nick Fotache

Many dental offices believe that the way to get more patients is to ramp up marketing, whether that’s through dental SEO, Google Ads, social media, or flyers. While marketing is essential, it isn’t always the most effective or affordable way to increase patient flow. In reality, most dental practices could double their new patient numbers by focusing on one simple thing: how they handle patient interactions.

 The real issue for many dental practices lies in the way staff handle patient interactions, particularly when it comes to answering the phone. While marketing strategies can help generate leads, it’s the quality of your team’s interactions with potential patients that often makes or breaks an appointment.  



The Biggest Bottleneck: Staff's Sales Skills
Many dental practices focus on building better websites, running more ads, or investing in dental SEO, thinking that these tactics will lead to an influx of new patients. However, many times the real bottleneck often lies within the office itself, specifically in the sales skills of the staff. 

And It's not their fault, most dental receptionists and office staff are not trained in sales. They may be friendly and courteous, but without proper training in handling patient inquiries, they might miss opportunities to convert a lead into a booked appointment. 

Patients calling for a dental appointment are not just looking for information, they want to feel confident and comfortable with the practice they choose. When your staff lacks the skills to engage effectively with callers, it’s easy for patients to move on to another practice where they feel more heard, appreciated, and valued.

When dental offices approach us for help in driving more patients, we always start by asking one simple question: “If you were to get 10 new patient calls this week, how many of those do you think your staff would book for an appointment?”

The answer we often get? “Oh, my staff is amazing! They would book at least 8 or 9 out of 10 leads.” Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch: most offices don’t track their call-to-booking conversion rates at all. They have no idea how many calls were actually answered, how many were converted into appointments, or what went wrong with the calls that didn’t result in a booking.

When we probe deeper, asking how they know their staff is doing such a great job, we often hear, “Well, I’ve worked with these people for years. They’re fantastic!” But the truth is, without any data to back it up, it’s difficult to know for sure how well your staff is performing.

Our software is analyzing patient call data for dental practices in North America, and what we’ve found is eye-opening. On average, practices that we work with are booking only 30-35% of their new patient calls, meaning that for every 10 calls they receive, only 3 or 4 lead to an appointment. When we show this data to dentists, they’re often shocked. Many assume their staff is doing a much better job than they really are.

How to Improve Patient Interactions
If you’re looking for how to get more dental patients, improving how your staff handles new patient calls can transform patient flow. Here are a few simple but effective strategies to consider.

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Encourage your team to ask open-ended questions that invite patients to share more about their needs. Questions like, “Do you have any ongoing dental issues?” , “When was your last dental checkup and cleaning”, "Are you experiencing any pain?" show patients that your practice truly cares. These questions also give your team useful information to make a connection and respond personally.

2. Take Charge of the Conversation
Receptionists should feel confident leading the conversation, helping patients get the answers they need while keeping the call organized and positive. 

For instance, if a patient asks, "How much do you charge for dental implants?" here's how a receptionist could respond:
Receptionist: Absolutely, I can provide you with information about the cost of dental implants at our practice. Would it be okay if I ask a few questions to better understand your situation?
Patient: Uh... sure.
Receptionist: Great! As you might know, the cost can vary based on your specific needs. If you're inquiring about implants, I'm assuming you're missing one or more teeth? Can you tell me if it's on the top or bottom, and whether it's on the left or right side?

3. End on a Positive Note
Before ending the call, leave the patient with a friendly closing remark, like, “We’re excited to take care of you!” or “We’re here if you have any other questions.” This final touch leaves a lasting impression, making patients more likely to book with you and look forward to their visit.

Use Technology to Improve Patient Conversion
Alongside training, technology can play a big role in how to get more dental patients by tracking and following up on calls. Here’s how simple tools can help.

1. Track Your Calls
Call-tracking software can give you important insights into how calls are handled, including what works well and what doesn’t. It records calls and you can track how many result in booked appointments, which helps you see patterns and find areas to improve. With data from call-tracking software, you can coach your team to answer common questions more confidently, avoid missed chances to book appointments, and have more effective patient conversations.

2. Automate Follow-Ups
Not every patient books an appointment right away, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity is lost. Automated follow-up systems can remind patients of their inquiries and show that you care about them even after the first call. This kind of follow-up can turn a “maybe” into a “yes,” helping your practice increase patient numbers without needing more advertising.

3. Encourage Patient Reviews and Referrals
Your happy patients can be some of your best marketers. Encouraging satisfied patients to leave online reviews or refer friends and family can help build trust with new patients before they even pick up the phone. Positive online reviews help your practice stand out to people searching for a new dentist, and referrals from family and friends are often the most trusted recommendations.

Our clients have had great success with patient testimonial videos. A wall filled with happy patients sharing their positive experiences is a powerful trust-building factor for potential patients.

What Top Practices Are Doing Differently
Through our work with hundreds of dental offices across North America, we’ve observed a clear difference between the way top-performing practices handle patient calls and how average offices approach these conversations.

Successful practices have staff members who are not only friendly but skilled at using sales strategies to book appointments. They know how to ask the right discovery questions, handle objections, and create an engaging conversation that leads to a positive outcome for both the patient and the practice.

At RevUp Dental, we’ve spent years studying the best practices in the industry. We’ve identified the key elements that make these offices successful at booking patients, and we’ve distilled them into a free guide that you can use to train your own staff. The goal isn’t to teach outdated sales tactics, but rather to focus on proven, modern techniques that work in today’s dental market.

The guide focuses on one of the most important areas of patient communication: asking effective discovery questions. These questions are crucial for building rapport with the patient and ensuring that you address their specific concerns and needs.

Conclusion
If you’re serious about getting more dental patients, don’t wait until you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on ads or redesigning your website. Start by improving the way your office handles phone calls. With the right training and strategies, you can dramatically increase your conversion rate, fill your schedule, and grow your practice without spending extra on marketing.

By investing in your staff’s skills, you’ll create better patient experiences, boost your conversion rates, and see a noticeable increase in the number of appointments booked.