5 Advantages of Having a Dental Answering Service

Hiring a dental answering service is one of the most advantageous decisions a dental practice can make. By outsourcing the responsibility of answering and managing the phone to a third-party provider, dentists, and their staff can save time and money while providing better service for their patients. 

Discover the five biggest advantages of having a dental answering service. From improved customer service to reduced labor costs, there are many ways that a dental answering service can help your practice run more efficiently and effectively.

1) 24/7 Availability

One of the biggest advantages of a dental answering service is 24/7 availability. With a dental answering service, you can ensure that your office is available to answer calls at all times, even when you and your staff are away from the office. This means that potential patients can always get the help they need when they call, no matter what time of day or night it is. 

Is your receptionist out sick for a day? Is it a really busy billing day? Did you just turn up your marketing efforts? Just flip a switch in your AbbyGo app and your virtual receptionists will ensure every call reaches a real-human receptionist ready to impress on behalf of your business. It’s that easy.

Having an answering service ensures that no call goes unanswered, which can be especially beneficial for practices that have extended or irregular hours. Having a dental answering service available 24/7 also means that potential patients can always get their questions answered or schedule an appointment, making them much more likely to choose your practice over one that doesn’t have a dedicated answering service.

2) Trained Professionals

Having trained professionals handle your calls can be a huge advantage. Trained customer service professionals are able to handle various calls quickly and accurately, providing the best customer service to your patients. 

They understand how to effectively transfer calls, respond to inquiries, answer FAQs, and more. This can be a great relief when it comes to dealing with patients who may not be familiar with your office’s services and procedures. With a professional handling your dental answering service, you can be sure that your patients are in good hands and that any questions or concerns they have are taken care of properly. 

Not only can trained professionals handle inquiries quickly, but they also have the ability to take detailed notes about any conversations or questions that have been asked. This improves communication n and accuracy as well as record-keeping for your practice. Not to mention, having an experienced professional in charge of answering your calls can help create a sense of trust between you and your patients, leading to increased patient satisfaction overall.

3) Personalized Service

Traditional answering services are often robotic, and basic. While you get real humans answering the phone, the services didn’t allow for much customization or customer care. When you use a dental answering service, you will benefit from a service that offers customized experiences–ensuring your patients will be greeted by a friendly voice who’s knowledgeable about your business and can answer questions, perform intake, and sound like they work at your front desk. You want a service that’s so good that your patients come in and ask where Abby is.  

This personalized customer service helps to ensure that each patient feels like they are receiving the best possible care. With a dental answering service, you can customize the services you offer based on your practice’s needs. From appointment scheduling to after-hours emergency calls, a dental answering service can help to create a positive customer experience for all of your patients. 

Additionally, many dental answering services offer bilingual, English, and Spanish, customer service, so all of your patients can feel comfortable calling in and speaking in their native language. By investing in a dental answering service, you can show your patients that you are willing to go above and beyond to meet their needs and make them feel as comfortable as possible.

4) Increased Productivity

The use of an answering service can help streamline the workflow in a dental office, ultimately leading to increased productivity. Interruptions like phone calls, can negatively impact productivity. Studies found that the length of our recovery time depends on the complexity of our task; ranging anywhere from 8 minutes for simpler tasks to 25 minutes for more complex ones. This eliminates the need for the office staff to continually field calls throughout the day, freeing up time for other tasks. 

An answering service can help manage appointment scheduling and cancellations and provide helpful reminders for upcoming appointments. This helps to reduce no-shows and keep the office running smoothly. All in all, the use of an answering service can provide numerous benefits for a dental office, with improved productivity being one of the most important.

5) Cost-Effective

When it comes to running a successful dental practice, managing costs is key. Not only does a dental answering service provide 24/7 availability, trained professionals, personalized service, and increased productivity, but they are also cost-effective. 

Dental answering services are an economical solution for any practice.  You save on the costs associated with hiring and training an in-house receptionist (or an extra one, if you get a lot of calls), and you also reduce your overhead expenses. Furthermore, an answering service can help improve efficiency by reducing missed appointments, resulting in fewer lost revenue opportunities. 

At Abby Connect, we understand that budgeting for a dental practice is a complex process. That’s why we offer flexible pricing plans to meet the specific needs of each practice. With our service, you pay for what you need and nothing more. So if you’re looking for an affordable and reliable answering service, look no further than Abby Connect. We have the experience and expertise necessary to make sure your practice runs smoothly and efficiently.

Say Hello to Smiling Patients: Abby Connect’s Dental Answering Service

Patient satisfaction and care are the two main components of a successful dental practice. That’s why having a reliable, trustworthy answering service is so important. Abby Connect has been providing top-tier customer service solutions to dentists and orthodontists for over 17 years.

With Abby Connect’s dental answering service, you can rest assured that your patient’s calls will always be answered in a professional and friendly manner. Our experienced agents are available 24/7 and can provide personalized service tailored to each patient’s individual needs. All of our agents are HIPAA compliant, so you can trust that your patients’ information will remain secure and confidential.

Your small dedicated team of virtual receptionists can also schedule appointments, confirm cancellations and reschedules, and follow up on treatments or procedures. This increases productivity for your practice and allows you to focus more of your time on treating patients rather than fielding phone calls.

Having a dental answering service from Abby Connect is also cost-effective. We offer flexible plans tailored to meet the unique needs of your practice and budget. Plus, you don’t need to worry about additional staff members or call centers—we take care of it all for you!

Say goodbye to long hold times, unanswered calls, and unhappy patients. With Abby Connect’s dental answering service, you can say hello to smiling patients and improved customer satisfaction!

Sources:

  1. The Impact of Interruptions | People & Culture. (2023). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from Berkeley.edu website: https://hr.berkeley.edu/impact-interruptions

 

Written by

Ashley Fisher-Nelson

Ashley Fisher-Nelson

Ashley Fisher-Nelson is Abby Connect’s VP of Sales and Marketing.  She started at Abby as the Director of Demand Generation, but before Abby, Ashley performed with Billboard Top 25 Artists, developed strategic partnerships with over 250 organizations, and created partner programs for several companies including Lawyerist and a few of Abby’s virtual receptionist competitors. She ensured Ruby (formerly Ruby Receptionists) stayed on Portland Business Journal’s 100 Fastest Growing Oregon Companies list (9 years running).  As the daughter of a small law firm business owner, Ashley is driven to work hard to better the lives of small business and small law firms.  She has found success at organizations big and small by creating scalable systems, building relationships, and providing exceptional customer service.