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A Dynamic Website and an Equally Dynamic Front Desk Team by Fred Joyal

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Your website and your front office - this is your first impression one-two punch. What new patients see on your website and hear on the phone will heavily influence how they view your practice and, more importantly, whether they become a long-term patient.

So where do you start? First, you don't just need a website, you need a dynamic one. This term "dynamic" means you can add and change the content of your website without going back to your webmaster. Most practices have a static website, which means they need to contact their web designer to make any changes. Worse, they have to pay for the privilege to edit their own site. Your website should be able to constantly evolve and you should be able to easily update content right from the practice.

Years ago, having a well-designed, informative website was enough to keep Google happy. It's just not anymore. Now you need to be able to add photos, video, written content and patient-generated content easily and on a continual basis. SEO is a moving target, and search engines now want relevant, ever-changing content. If your site is exactly the same as it was three years ago, Google won't even offer you as a search result unless you're the only dentist in town (And yes, you still need a website even if you are the only dentist in town, to keep your patients informed of all your services, and to let them request an appointment).

The best way to have fresh, constantly updated content is by integrating patient reviews into your site. I do not mean testimonials. Everyone knows who wrote those. People are too sophisticated to give any credence to testimonials at this point in the Internet age. They want to read credible reviews from real patients. That means you need a systematic approach to eliciting those reviews. If you use a digital communications service like PatientActivator or DemandForce, then this is being done automatically, and you just need them to upload to your website. Ideally, you are also pulling in reviews from third-party sites that patients know and trust, like Yelp.

You also need a clean, modern look to your website. As irrational as it sounds, patients are making judgments about the quality of your dentistry based on your website. Consumers see hundreds of different websites every month, and they are used to a high level of design and functionality. If they don't see that, they move on. If your site is out of date, they assume your practice is too. And your site should display properly no matter what browser the person is using. Lastly, it shouldn't have Flash animation, because that format will no longer display on any Apple device.

Just as critical is how your website appears on mobile phones. More than 50 percent of Internet searches are done on smartphones now, and most dental websites are either just shrunk down to fit on a phone (making it unreadable) or they don't display properly (if at all). Your website needs a dedicated configuration that works differently, and more simply, when it appears on a phone. It should have a button to call the practice, location info and an appointment request button, all clearly visible. And it should be designed vertically so patients only have to scroll up and down.

Currently, more than 60 percent of dental websites are more than three years old, which means it's time for a serious upgrade. Your website is the cornerstone of all your practice promotion, both online and in any print - from your business card to direct mail.

Websites no longer need to be expensive, because you don't need a custom site as much as you need the content to change regularly. The proper range is $2,500-3,500 to build it, including the dedicated mobile version. And you should have good customer service, where you're not getting charged every time you want to make a change, with live support. Including hosting, that shouldn't cost more than $65-85 per month. Here are the website essentials:
  • Dynamic, not static, so you can make changes and add content yourself
  • No Flash animation
  • Dedicated mobile version
  • Clean, modern design
  • Full browser compatibility (updates automatically)
  • Patient reviews, ideally new ones all the time
  • Appointment request form

So now we come to the biggest log jam in every dental practice: the front desk.

This position at reception is the most undertrained in the entire office. Yet it is the very aorta of the dental practice, and many dentists have severe blockage in that artery.

Normally I might say that the key is to answer the phone well. But really, the first step is to actually pick up the phone. On average, more than 30 percent of calls to a dental practice go to voicemail when the practice is open!

Even worse, a recent study showed that more than 34% of first-time callers will never call back if they get sent to voicemail or hang up after being put on hold. That's a staggering loss of potential new patients. And it's not good business. Make sure you have enough people to answer the phone whenever it rings, and have a policy that everyone in this office needs to dive for that phone if it goes beyond three rings.

Get someone wonderful at reception. Attitude is 90 percent of this job. Find someone cheerful to the point of effervescence, naturally helpful and openly compassionate. And don't pay them minimum wage. This is a key position. Notice I didn't say find someone with great computer or collection skills. Seldom is that personality type your ideal payment collector. Collect your money using someone else, somewhere else in the office.

Next, make it clear to your front desk staff that their job is simple - get patients into the office. The goal is to get every potential patient in to let the person experience the practice. With new patients, don't pre-judge them or overly pre-qualify them. If they have an ability to pay (either through their insurance or cash) and a pulse, they should be appointed within 24 hours. There are tons of studies that show that new patients want to come in right away, and that the further out you schedule them, the more likely they are to not show up.

With existing patients, they should be greeted warmly, treated as if they're old friends, and when they leave given a fond farewell and an invitation to return soon.

Here are the front desk essentials:
  • Hire for attitude
  • Don't underpay
  • Don't overburden the position with multi-tasking
  • Don't understaff
  • Spell out clear, simple priorities

There are a number of services and consultants that can help you train your front desk team and sharpen their performance. Using the right words, listening and managing the software are all teachable skills, and will pay high dividends. But it all starts with the right person in the position.

A great website and front office staff need to come before everything else. If you're advertising for new patients and you don't already have these two pillars solidly addressed, you're wasting your money. Focus your attention on the basics, and once they're in great shape your office will be poised to steadily grow.

References
  1. Article References
  2. 1-800-DENTIST, Dental Marketing in the Digital World - 2013 National Survey, May 2013
  3. xAd-Telmetrics U.S. Mobile Path-to-Purchase General Findings 2013. http://visual.ly/xad-telmetrics-usmobile- path-purchase-general-findings-2013
  4. ATT&T Study. http://www.onholdnetwork.com/onhold/about/studies.aspx#3


Author's Bio
Fred Joyal is founder of 1-800-DENTIST and author of Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth. As an industry expert on dental consumer marketing, he has lectured at dental tradeshows nationwide and is a regular contributor to Dentaltown. For more weekly dental marketing advice, subscribe to his blog at www.goaskfred.com.
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