WEBVTT 00:00:10.180 --> 00:00:12.779 Welcome to By Size Dental Marketing. Today I'm 00:00:12.779 --> 00:00:15.240 with Callie Ward. Callie is the CEO and founder 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:18.379 of Dash Dental Consulting and my personal friend. 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:20.879 And Callie, it's such a pleasure to have you 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:23.820 back on the podcast. And today we're going to 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:27.480 talk about phone skills. Hi, Eric. Thank you. 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:30.519 It's so great to see you again. Yeah. What have 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.140 you been up to since we spoke last? I mean, we've 00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:36.320 had... Most of the last half of 24 and we're 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.020 into the, I guess we're technically still in 00:00:38.020 --> 00:00:41.420 Q1 of 25, but it's about to be over. Right. What 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:43.880 have you been up to? Time is flying. I have been 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:48.320 busy. So working with new clients, traveling, 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:54.130 doing a lot of. accountability on myself with 00:00:54.130 --> 00:00:57.750 my business. You're marketing, right? And that's 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:00.450 probably my least favorite thing to do with what 00:01:00.450 --> 00:01:03.770 I do is marketing myself. And so I'm trying to 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:06.890 walk the talk, do what I want to see my clients 00:01:06.890 --> 00:01:10.010 do, and that is interact on social media and 00:01:10.010 --> 00:01:13.129 just be present and engaged with people who are 00:01:13.129 --> 00:01:15.590 having some challenges that I might have a solution 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:18.030 to. Wait, are you saying that you don't like 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:20.010 to get on video and talk about yourself, Kelly? 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:25.500 I love podcasts. I don't love taking pictures 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.159 of myself and posting them on social media and 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:32.719 saying, look at me, hire me. I think we should 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:35.780 bring glamour shots back. The 80s with really 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:40.640 big hair. Yeah, that'd be fun. I do. I do. Now, 00:01:40.859 --> 00:01:43.819 you mentioned travel. What's the best trip you've 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:46.340 been on the last couple of years? Ooh, well. 00:01:47.370 --> 00:01:50.049 I would have to say my best trips are to meet 00:01:50.049 --> 00:01:55.049 my new grandbabies. And that takes up the majority 00:01:55.049 --> 00:01:58.269 of my travel time other than work trips. And 00:01:58.269 --> 00:02:01.629 I absolutely love the first time meeting a team. 00:02:02.549 --> 00:02:06.989 It's a chance to learn their personalities and 00:02:06.989 --> 00:02:09.229 connect with them as human beings that you just 00:02:09.229 --> 00:02:11.810 can't do on a virtual like this. Like you really 00:02:11.810 --> 00:02:14.310 just can't get to the nitty gritty of who we 00:02:14.310 --> 00:02:19.090 are. And develop those connections. So my work 00:02:19.090 --> 00:02:21.610 trips, I think a highlight was the Dental Entrepreneur 00:02:21.610 --> 00:02:25.330 Woman group. It's a one time a year meeting and 00:02:25.330 --> 00:02:29.210 probably the most powerful and uplifting, welcoming 00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:31.930 women in the dental industry. It just it makes 00:02:31.930 --> 00:02:34.490 my heart happy every time I go. What is it about 00:02:34.490 --> 00:02:37.530 that lifts you up? And I'm asking because I'm 00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:39.889 reading a book and I'm not far enough in to talk 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:41.530 about it's called The Power of Moments, though. 00:02:41.610 --> 00:02:46.439 What is it about that summit or? I think one 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:48.719 of the things about the dental entrepreneur woman 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:53.960 is there's no bull. So it is women who are committed 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:57.840 to helping other women. So there's not cattiness. 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:01.879 There's not clicks. It's you show up for a coffee 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.259 chat. So we had one this morning and we were 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:07.659 talking about how we're writers and we write 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:11.710 articles and that we, one of our. friends had 00:03:11.710 --> 00:03:15.229 plugged her article into an AI to say, are you 00:03:15.229 --> 00:03:17.689 detecting that this was written by AI or not? 00:03:17.870 --> 00:03:20.610 And so we're trying to embrace technology that 00:03:20.610 --> 00:03:24.030 we're at, but also not, and it got categorized 00:03:24.030 --> 00:03:26.469 that it was written by AI, but she had written 00:03:26.469 --> 00:03:30.189 it. And so as entrepreneurs, how do we help each 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:34.210 other? What are we learning in the field to help 00:03:34.210 --> 00:03:36.729 somebody else? And it's just a genuine group. 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:39.659 of people who really want to help you succeed. 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:43.680 So they're just, they, they celebrate with you. 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.259 They lift you up. If you're struggling, they 00:03:46.259 --> 00:03:48.919 give you, you know, we share ideas, we share 00:03:48.919 --> 00:03:52.300 things that we've learned and AI is mind blowing. 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:55.259 It's absolutely mind blowing, but we want to 00:03:55.259 --> 00:03:57.000 make sure that we're walking in integrity with 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:01.319 it. Yeah. Yeah. Well said. Yeah. No, I like it 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:03.780 when you can surround yourself with people that, 00:04:03.780 --> 00:04:07.680 you know, genuinely care and want you to do well 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:10.539 in the world. Right. And speaking of doing well 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.419 in the world, it's hard to do well as a dental 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:15.520 office if you can't answer your phones right. 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:17.879 It's hard for your marketing to survive if we 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:20.100 don't answer the phones. I will say that's probably 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:22.939 the number one reason we get in trouble. Good 00:04:22.939 --> 00:04:25.980 marketing can happen. You know, they can't schedule 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:27.699 them for any number of reasons, but that's a 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:31.079 topic for a different day. Tell me a little bit 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:32.839 about what you're doing, Callie. I mean, I know 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:35.100 you're coming in and, you know, I know today 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:37.120 we want to focus on phone skills. Where do you 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:39.720 see most people going wrong and how are you helping 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.680 them correct it? So, and this is really, really, 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.160 really basic. I think I had been working in a 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.360 dental practice for over 10 years before somebody 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:51.259 said, this is our marketing. This is what we're 00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:54.009 doing to get new patients. And gosh, the goal 00:04:54.009 --> 00:04:56.829 of that phone call is for you to get them scheduled 00:04:56.829 --> 00:05:00.670 into the schedule. Like nobody was really abundantly 00:05:00.670 --> 00:05:03.329 clear with that expectation. So I think that 00:05:03.329 --> 00:05:05.110 we need to improve the communication process 00:05:05.110 --> 00:05:07.910 between the doctor, the marketing company, and 00:05:07.910 --> 00:05:10.910 the team who are answering the phones of this 00:05:10.910 --> 00:05:14.189 is what we're posting out there. This is our 00:05:14.189 --> 00:05:17.930 goal. And then empowering that team member to 00:05:17.930 --> 00:05:20.810 give them the power of, hey. If that patient 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:23.069 is a second opinion, let's go ahead. You can 00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:25.769 offer them a free consultation to get them in 00:05:25.769 --> 00:05:29.269 the schedule. Give them some tools in their toolkit 00:05:29.269 --> 00:05:33.189 to get those patients scheduled. But we, number 00:05:33.189 --> 00:05:35.990 one, have to answer the phone. And then we have 00:05:35.990 --> 00:05:37.870 to answer the phone like we're excited to talk 00:05:37.870 --> 00:05:40.470 to them, not that they're interrupting my day. 00:05:40.629 --> 00:05:43.230 That's an interesting conundrum to solve because 00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:46.810 I feel in our push to be effective as we feel 00:05:46.810 --> 00:05:48.730 short -staffed. I know some of that's, you know. 00:05:49.180 --> 00:05:52.600 calming down in 2012. We want to get the most 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:56.439 out of our team. Sometimes by doing so, we're 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.120 actually exacerbating phone issues because that 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:00.800 phone is now an interruption to the thing you're 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:03.259 asking me to do. And that's very problematic. 00:06:03.459 --> 00:06:05.360 You know, we listen to phone calls here at the 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.319 company and the biggest challenge we hear consistently 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:11.959 isn't someone's rude, it's just impatience. across 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:13.959 the phone because you're interrupting my day. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.839 We joke, you know, we have a great agency if 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:17.980 it weren't for all these clients who are needing 00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:21.939 stuff all the time. And, you know, and the same 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:23.699 is true for dental office. I mean, I'm sure you'd 00:06:23.699 --> 00:06:26.139 run a great office for those patients calling 00:06:26.139 --> 00:06:28.439 in trying to make appointments. Right. And we 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:33.339 do find people who either don't tell us any information. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:36.899 So they're very, very short with it. Or the opposite 00:06:36.899 --> 00:06:39.480 of that is a new patient phone call could take 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:43.399 30 minutes depending upon what intake form am 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:46.680 I asking my team member to take and the long 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:49.680 answers that the patient gives us. So sometimes 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:52.980 they give us so much information that you're 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:55.420 just like cut to the chase. And that comes down, 00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:57.399 I think, to the number one skill with answering 00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:00.759 the phone is I'm the person in the office. I 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:04.110 need to control the call. So how do we take control 00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:07.629 of a phone call first to not give them that opportunity 00:07:07.629 --> 00:07:11.509 to just go on and on and on? So it has to be 00:07:11.509 --> 00:07:14.709 genuine. It has to be in a way that's polite, 00:07:14.870 --> 00:07:17.350 but we can also make it efficient. Talk me through 00:07:17.350 --> 00:07:19.589 some tools to take control. Like when you say 00:07:19.589 --> 00:07:22.189 that, how would you take control of someone saying, 00:07:22.370 --> 00:07:26.350 hey, Callie, I saw your ad or I saw your website 00:07:26.350 --> 00:07:29.490 or my friend told me about you. Do you take my 00:07:29.490 --> 00:07:32.819 insurance? I only want to go someplace that takes 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:35.579 my insurance. Gosh, Eric, it's so great that 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:38.279 you called here. I'm so, so thankful that your 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:40.740 friend referred us. Can I get your friend's name? 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.579 I'd love to be able to celebrate with them. So 00:07:43.579 --> 00:07:46.300 I'm going to ask that. I'm going to find out, 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:50.339 you know, so were you having any pain? Were you 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:53.399 just wanting to get in for your cleaning? What 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:56.360 was top of your mind with calling us today? So 00:07:56.360 --> 00:07:58.639 I want to find out what their why is because 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:01.620 I want to solve that before we hang up. But then, 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.360 you know, I know that asking about your insurance 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:06.800 is a great question. So there's two ways that 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:09.480 I can answer that. There's either let's say that 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:11.360 we're a fee for service and I don't participate 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:14.740 with any insurance. Absolutely. I absolutely 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:17.100 understand that insurance is important to you. 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:21.339 So in our practice, we are a practice that does 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:24.379 not necessarily participate with an insurance, 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.329 but we absolutely can submit for you. All that 00:08:27.329 --> 00:08:30.689 means is that it may be at a higher cost out 00:08:30.689 --> 00:08:33.230 of pocket for you. What I'd love to do is to 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:35.610 get your information and give your insurance 00:08:35.610 --> 00:08:38.230 a call so that I can give you a factual cost 00:08:38.230 --> 00:08:40.909 difference between if we were in network or out 00:08:40.909 --> 00:08:43.830 of network. Most often, our patients that have 00:08:43.830 --> 00:08:47.129 your insurance maybe experience a $10 difference 00:08:47.129 --> 00:08:49.690 between being in network or out of network. I 00:08:49.690 --> 00:08:53.029 want to be honest. I want to help them. I don't 00:08:53.029 --> 00:08:55.470 want to say we accept your insurance and then 00:08:55.470 --> 00:08:58.110 it's reimbursed at a lower rate. To me, that's 00:08:58.110 --> 00:09:01.629 deceptive. But we do accept your insurance. We 00:09:01.629 --> 00:09:05.450 are just not a participating provider. And if 00:09:05.450 --> 00:09:08.850 we're in -network, it's an easy, absolutely yes, 00:09:08.909 --> 00:09:11.350 we're a participating provider for that. Let's 00:09:11.350 --> 00:09:14.159 go ahead and get you scheduled. On the pre -show, 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:16.240 we were talking a bit about that question. It's 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.460 the only question they know how to ask. I mean, 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:22.500 in candor, right? And if you told me 10 years 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:25.100 ago, 15 years ago, that do you take my insurance 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:28.279 question was such a hard question, I would giggle. 00:09:28.299 --> 00:09:31.460 I just didn't understand it because as professionals, 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:36.159 we very much are misinformed about how much knowledge 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:38.919 the end consumer has. They don't know that if 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:42.019 you're getting an all -on -four case or a set 00:09:42.019 --> 00:09:45.580 of six veneers or seven crowns or whatever it 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:49.220 is, that insurance has... Who even cares if you 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:51.440 take my insurance at some point, right? Right. 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:53.500 I guess if you have perfect teeth and you just 00:09:53.500 --> 00:09:54.799 need cleanings, yeah, I mean, I guess insurance 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:57.519 matters. But even then, I can talk about how 00:09:57.519 --> 00:09:58.960 you're paying your insurance company and we can 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:02.600 just cut out the middleman. Insurance is a benefit. 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:06.399 It is not dental insurance is not like medical 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:09.759 insurance geared to get us healthy. Right. Dental 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:13.039 insurance is a copayment. It is. It's like a 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:16.080 Costco membership, right? Like you're paying 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:18.620 to have this dental insurance, but it's really 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:22.179 only getting you a discount. So if I were to 00:10:22.179 --> 00:10:25.019 explain in network or out of network, let's say 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:29.809 that you've purchased this insurance and. You 00:10:29.809 --> 00:10:31.769 want to get your cleanings and you think that 00:10:31.769 --> 00:10:36.409 they're going to be covered at 100%. We as an 00:10:36.409 --> 00:10:38.990 industry have done a disservice because we've 00:10:38.990 --> 00:10:41.210 solved all those problems and told them yes or 00:10:41.210 --> 00:10:44.110 no. When in reality, it's changed, right? Like 00:10:44.110 --> 00:10:47.409 when I started in dentistry, it was 1992. And 00:10:47.409 --> 00:10:50.529 I was using a book to schedule appointments. 00:10:50.649 --> 00:10:53.850 We weren't on a computer. So it's come so far 00:10:53.850 --> 00:10:57.179 and changed. But the industry... maximum is the 00:10:57.179 --> 00:10:59.580 same now as it was in the 60s when it was introduced 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:03.179 right and and unfortunately when you look at 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:06.539 the metrics for practices their annual value 00:11:06.539 --> 00:11:11.080 per patient is about two cleanings and maybe 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.980 two fillings a year is what they maximize for 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:17.779 that patient so we're insurance is an assistance 00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:22.620 but it is not designed to get them healthy and 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:25.480 i think we have to start Communicating that to 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:29.779 patients, you know, we can't diagnose dentistry 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:33.879 tooth by tooth. We should diagnose dentistry 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:37.200 best case scenario. So this is the best solution 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.820 for you. And then we should see what can we get 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:43.340 assistance wise. It just is. It's unfortunate 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:52.149 that insurance in the dental realm either. Maybe 00:11:52.149 --> 00:11:54.769 we just look at it for cleanings and exams and 00:11:54.769 --> 00:11:57.090 the rest of it is just a bonus if we get anything 00:11:57.090 --> 00:12:00.190 from it. Yeah. How are you talking to teams about 00:12:00.190 --> 00:12:03.330 it, Kelly? How are you working with them to sort 00:12:03.330 --> 00:12:05.649 of get past this? We have not changed in the 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:07.529 dental offices how we talk about insurance in 00:12:07.529 --> 00:12:10.210 the last 15 years, to my knowledge. I think it's 00:12:10.210 --> 00:12:12.490 really important to share the worst case scenario 00:12:12.490 --> 00:12:15.750 price fee with a patient, which means. If we 00:12:15.750 --> 00:12:18.950 are a PPO insurance and we are only telling them 00:12:18.950 --> 00:12:21.990 what the PPO agreed upon fee is. So let's take 00:12:21.990 --> 00:12:25.009 a crown, for example. Let's say that our full 00:12:25.009 --> 00:12:28.909 fee, our regular fee is $1 ,500 for a crown. 00:12:29.029 --> 00:12:32.330 But our agreed upon fee with that PPO insurance, 00:12:32.629 --> 00:12:36.539 let's say, is $800 for a crown. And we're only 00:12:36.539 --> 00:12:40.600 telling them that the fee is $800. They don't 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:44.360 understand that that doctor is taking a cut of 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:48.309 $700 off of that crown. Just to honor that insurance. 00:12:48.570 --> 00:12:51.129 And then the insurance is paying 50 % of that. 00:12:51.309 --> 00:12:54.629 So I think it's important to say, you know, absolutely. 00:12:54.750 --> 00:12:57.049 Here's what your treatment is. You need a crown 00:12:57.049 --> 00:13:00.110 and that crown worst case scenario is $1 ,500. 00:13:00.250 --> 00:13:03.389 That's our full fee for that crown. Great news 00:13:03.389 --> 00:13:06.549 is we participate with your insurance. So it's 00:13:06.549 --> 00:13:10.970 only going to be $800 instead of $1 ,500. Now 00:13:10.970 --> 00:13:13.889 in the interim, if you lose that insurance between. 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.879 today and your appointment in two weeks, you're 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:20.840 going to pay that $1 ,500 for that crown. So 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:23.720 they're understanding the impact of that arrangement 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:27.600 of being PPO. And then we share our best case, 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:30.480 our best guess is that the insurance should pay 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:33.320 50 % of that. But I just want you to remember, 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:36.360 worst case, the full fee for that is $1 ,500. 00:13:37.899 --> 00:13:40.299 That helps them understand the impact that the 00:13:40.299 --> 00:13:43.600 practice is taking. Then if insurance doesn't 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:45.639 pay, I've told them what worst case scenario 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:50.240 is. So I've done my due diligence. This is what 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.539 the fee is for that treatment. We're going to 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:54.539 do everything that we can to help you maximize 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:58.419 your benefits and get that payment. But as a 00:13:58.419 --> 00:14:00.639 phone call to the patient when they call is. 00:14:01.309 --> 00:14:03.490 We need to be honest. Are we in network or out 00:14:03.490 --> 00:14:06.210 of network? That's what they're asking. But what's 00:14:06.210 --> 00:14:08.490 the value if we're out of network? How can I 00:14:08.490 --> 00:14:12.309 close that gap if we're looking at new patients 00:14:12.309 --> 00:14:16.129 calling? It is, you know, in our office, we provide 00:14:16.129 --> 00:14:19.049 X, Y, and Z. We do all of these things for our 00:14:19.049 --> 00:14:23.090 patients. We see fewer patients per hour than 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:29.320 other insurance -driven practices do. creating 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.659 that value. Because if you think of Nordstrom's, 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:35.919 you think of Whole Foods, they're high price, 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:39.360 right? Like that's an expensive thing. but we 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:42.820 have a perceived value of why we're wanting that. 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:46.940 So patients want the best. We want to be given 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:50.340 the best. We just have to help them see why coming 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:53.399 to us is best, even if we are out of network. 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:56.000 So it's sharing that value. And part of that 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.940 is answering the phone with energy and enthusiasm 00:14:58.940 --> 00:15:03.899 and using their name. Getting to the real reason 00:15:03.899 --> 00:15:06.840 what they're calling for and helping them see 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.440 that I'm going to connect with them as a human 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:11.639 being and take care of them like they're in the 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:15.019 right place. These doctors are this is exactly 00:15:15.019 --> 00:15:18.500 what they love to do. You're in the right space. 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:23.360 That's where we can take that new patient phone 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.440 call who's just saying, do you take my insurance 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.879 and helping guide them to the solution here in 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:32.100 our practice? No, that's. And it gets back to 00:15:32.100 --> 00:15:34.519 what we talked about earlier, just slowing down. 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:37.080 And there's many ways that people articulate 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:39.139 getting behind the question, slowing down and 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:43.159 getting to the why. But at some level, it's just 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:45.500 having the wherewithal to be curious on that 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:47.419 phone call about what the heck you call me for. 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.799 Right. We can't just answer their question. Yes 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:53.039 or no. We're in or out of network because they're 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:54.659 going to that's all they know how to ask and 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:58.070 they're going to hang up. So it's it's did you 00:15:58.070 --> 00:16:00.730 have an issue that you're dealing with? Is this 00:16:00.730 --> 00:16:04.649 a second opinion that you're looking for? Are 00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:07.129 you concerned about the price? Is that a concern? 00:16:07.289 --> 00:16:09.809 We have financial options that we can offer you. 00:16:09.870 --> 00:16:12.710 Like there's so many ways that in the questions 00:16:12.710 --> 00:16:15.950 that I have for that new patient, if I can be 00:16:15.950 --> 00:16:19.250 their advocate and help them solve that problem, 00:16:19.509 --> 00:16:23.450 I'm going to guide them in. But it's. I recently 00:16:23.450 --> 00:16:26.210 moved to Colorado Springs and went through this 00:16:26.210 --> 00:16:28.590 exact experience of trying to find a dental practice 00:16:28.590 --> 00:16:32.970 for myself. And it was shocking to me how difficult 00:16:32.970 --> 00:16:37.889 it was on a lot of those practices to see me 00:16:37.889 --> 00:16:40.570 as a human being and not just answer my question 00:16:40.570 --> 00:16:42.950 and hang up. Is that just the culture of the 00:16:42.950 --> 00:16:46.629 industry? Why are we defaulting to that as... 00:16:47.769 --> 00:16:50.210 That's, you know, the phone skills. Cause, cause 00:16:50.210 --> 00:16:52.090 what you're explaining is just the world over. 00:16:52.190 --> 00:16:54.129 Right. I mean, that that's right. Listen to a 00:16:54.129 --> 00:16:55.809 hundred thousand phone calls and I promise you 00:16:55.809 --> 00:16:58.190 80 ,000 are just what you described. Right. Right. 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:01.149 Why is it that way? Well, I think in the dental 00:17:01.149 --> 00:17:04.910 industry and I worked up front for 30 years, 00:17:05.009 --> 00:17:09.130 I think that we hire people who are pleasant 00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:11.789 and nice, but we don't necessarily train them 00:17:11.789 --> 00:17:16.089 clearly. I think that, um, Post -COVID, we've 00:17:16.089 --> 00:17:19.329 lost a lot of team members. If we had somebody 00:17:19.329 --> 00:17:21.589 that was dedicated just to answering the phone, 00:17:21.710 --> 00:17:25.170 I think we would see a better retention of new 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:28.670 patients because that's what they do all that 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:31.750 we're asking them to do. But odds are, you know, 00:17:31.769 --> 00:17:33.769 if we've got two people up front and let's say 00:17:33.769 --> 00:17:35.849 that we've got three hygienists and two doctors. 00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:39.680 We are greeting patients and checking out patients 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:42.519 all the same time that we're answering the phone. 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.000 Also, the same time that I'm verifying insurance 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.000 for 50 patients that are coming in that day. 00:17:48.140 --> 00:17:51.440 I am handling team issues that are going, you 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:53.980 know, in between there. I've got them running 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:57.440 to Costco to pick up supplies like the list continues 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:02.619 and continues. And either we need to. set really 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:05.740 clear expectations of this is Susie and Susie's 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:08.619 first on the phone and Mary is second on the 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:11.079 phone. I think that's having that hierarchy is 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:13.140 really important so that our calls get answered. 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:17.759 But I think we also need to, you know, look at 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:20.319 what can we delegate off of the front desk. If 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:22.799 we're a small practice, can we maybe take the 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:26.180 insurance and have somebody remote doing that 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:29.180 so that that team member is either handling a 00:18:29.180 --> 00:18:31.200 patient in front of them or answering the phone? 00:18:31.690 --> 00:18:34.250 That gives them a little bit more ability to 00:18:34.250 --> 00:18:37.049 be present. But when we're asking them to do 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:41.210 all that we ask them to do, and we haven't communicated 00:18:41.210 --> 00:18:44.549 what the marketing is and or whatever it may 00:18:44.549 --> 00:18:51.150 be, they're very swamped with just handling the 00:18:51.150 --> 00:18:55.990 patient flow in and out of the office. When you're 00:18:55.990 --> 00:18:58.750 working with your teams, walk me through your... 00:18:59.369 --> 00:19:02.369 normal engagement of, you know, how often are 00:19:02.369 --> 00:19:03.509 you meeting with the doctor? How often are you 00:19:03.509 --> 00:19:05.549 meeting with the teams? How often are you going 00:19:05.549 --> 00:19:08.230 on site? What are you doing virtually? Are you 00:19:08.230 --> 00:19:11.250 listening to phone calls? Talk me through the 00:19:11.250 --> 00:19:15.509 Cali coaching program. So there's a couple of 00:19:15.509 --> 00:19:17.329 different things. Let's say that there's a... 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:20.880 a member of yours that is just wanting their 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:22.660 phone skills handled. That would be something 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:25.640 that we would do a one -on training, maybe a 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:28.720 four -hour arrangement where we walk them through 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:31.019 and I see, are they in network? Are they out 00:19:31.019 --> 00:19:33.059 of network? We strategize how to answer their 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:35.400 calls. So that's a type of training that I do. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.019 But I think, you know, when we look at everything, 00:19:38.299 --> 00:19:41.740 that's where we see a lot of small changes make 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:45.740 a big difference. So my full coaching is where 00:19:45.740 --> 00:19:49.099 I come in. I get to know the team. We do an in 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:51.680 -office visit. I listen to phone calls. I listen 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:55.180 to handoffs. I watch the interactions between 00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:58.039 the team members with the patients, the team 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:00.680 to team. We analyze, you know, what are their 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:02.940 strengths? What are their weaknesses? And identify 00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:05.660 how do they want to grow? And then we work on 00:20:05.660 --> 00:20:09.430 that with. Calls with the team virtually and 00:20:09.430 --> 00:20:12.569 with the doctors on where they want to see that 00:20:12.569 --> 00:20:15.950 growth pattern be. And that goes, you know, we 00:20:15.950 --> 00:20:19.430 can do a year contract to 18 months. I think 00:20:19.430 --> 00:20:22.069 18 months is ideal because that gives us three 00:20:22.069 --> 00:20:25.990 recurve cycles to work through. It's not a cookie 00:20:25.990 --> 00:20:28.769 cutter. It's not like every practice is different. 00:20:28.829 --> 00:20:31.450 We all have the same problems, right? They're 00:20:31.450 --> 00:20:34.190 the same things, but some practices excel at 00:20:34.190 --> 00:20:37.470 one area and another area they're lacking in. 00:20:37.549 --> 00:20:40.190 So it's really an analysis of their metrics, 00:20:40.470 --> 00:20:43.309 their goals, where do they want to be, where 00:20:43.309 --> 00:20:47.150 the gaps are, and identifying, you know, are 00:20:47.150 --> 00:20:50.589 they wanting to do something differently to see 00:20:50.589 --> 00:20:53.509 a different result? And I think that's the trick, 00:20:53.650 --> 00:20:57.059 right? We have to be willing to try to do behaviors 00:20:57.059 --> 00:20:59.500 a little bit differently to see a different result. 00:20:59.980 --> 00:21:04.839 And a lot of times it's just communication. I 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:09.180 think that's the number one thing for me is I'm 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:12.460 really passionate about helping the doctors really 00:21:12.460 --> 00:21:16.220 know their team members so they feel safe and 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:19.700 secure and feel great at the end of the day instead 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:22.839 of exhausted. And then they're able to take great 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:26.180 care of their patients. And so if we look at 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:28.839 solving problems, it just kind of depends on 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:32.180 where they're at and where they want to be. And 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:35.680 then we can devise a plan. Now, if you had, you 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.740 know, one, two or three, however many, you know, 00:21:38.740 --> 00:21:42.819 tips to give a front desk, like what are they? 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:46.339 What do you got? My number one is answer the 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:51.410 phone in the first three rings. B, answer with 00:21:51.410 --> 00:21:55.069 genuine enthusiasm. So share your name. Thank 00:21:55.069 --> 00:21:59.789 you for calling X practice. This is Callie. What 00:21:59.789 --> 00:22:02.769 brings you in today? How can I help you? Just 00:22:02.769 --> 00:22:08.450 that immediate, I'm a human being. And then really 00:22:08.450 --> 00:22:10.569 connecting to that patient. So if they're calling 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:14.130 and they're in pain, show some empathy. If they're 00:22:14.130 --> 00:22:16.730 calling and their child is hurt, oh my gosh. 00:22:17.390 --> 00:22:20.730 go into mom mode and, and match that patient 00:22:20.730 --> 00:22:23.390 where they're at and, and help solve their problem. 00:22:23.650 --> 00:22:26.509 Being slowing down and being curious. I like 00:22:26.509 --> 00:22:30.170 it. I like it. Yeah. Well, how do we get in touch 00:22:30.170 --> 00:22:33.630 with you, Callie? Someone, someone's one of the, 00:22:33.630 --> 00:22:37.309 you know, Dennis listening. What are they, what's 00:22:37.309 --> 00:22:39.549 the best way to get in touch with you? Absolutely. 00:22:39.650 --> 00:22:43.900 So my, my company name is Dash. Dental Consulting. 00:22:43.900 --> 00:22:46.480 That's my grandma name. And I love helping doctors 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:49.099 live intentionally. Like we're born and we die 00:22:49.099 --> 00:22:51.680 and it's what's in between is the dash. And you 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:55.859 can reach me. I'm on social media. I have a website, 00:22:56.059 --> 00:23:01.740 dashdentalconsulting .com. And my email is dashdentalconsulting 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:04.869 at Gmail. So I'm really easy to reach. Yeah, 00:23:04.910 --> 00:23:07.230 I'll link to all that in the show notes. Give 00:23:07.230 --> 00:23:11.369 everyone a little get to know Callie. But I love 00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:16.410 the dash between the first breath and the last. 00:23:16.549 --> 00:23:19.609 That's nice. See, you're marketable, Callie. 00:23:19.609 --> 00:23:22.789 We can work with all that. Right? Well, life 00:23:22.789 --> 00:23:27.490 goes really fast. And I think if we're not intentional 00:23:27.490 --> 00:23:31.450 with what we're doing every day. intentional 00:23:31.450 --> 00:23:33.990 in the dental practice, intentional in our personal 00:23:33.990 --> 00:23:37.609 lives. I think that a lot of it slips by and 00:23:37.609 --> 00:23:43.250 that we're not fully present. And life is short. 00:23:43.509 --> 00:23:45.849 And I want to help people feel great at the end 00:23:45.849 --> 00:23:48.869 of their workday, not exhausted. Man, well said, 00:23:49.029 --> 00:23:51.730 Callie. Good job. Thanks so much for jumping 00:23:51.730 --> 00:23:54.190 on the show. And I think this is a great place 00:23:54.190 --> 00:23:56.589 to wrap it up. That's your bite of dental marketing, 00:23:56.769 --> 00:23:59.400 Callie. Appreciate it. Thank you, Eric. Yeah. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:01.900 And we'll link to the show notes and the show 00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:03.599 notes. We'll link to your website, social media, 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:07.259 you know, you know, especially link to that, 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:11.220 that your dash poem. I like it on your site there. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:13.559 All right. Well, thank you very much, Kelly. 00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:14.440 Thanks, Eric.