508: Say This, Not That for Scheduling - Ariel Juday, Adriana Booth,&Andy Konkle - a podcast by ACT Dental

from 2022-12-07T03:00

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Say This, Not That for Scheduling

Episode #508 with Ariel Juday, Adriana Booth, & Andy Konkle

Patients should fit into your schedule — not the other way around. For that to happen, you need to guide them with your language. And to teach you the words to say and avoid, Kirk Behrendt brings back his amazing ACT team for their insight into scheduling success. Master what to say for late, no-show, or canceling patients! To learn the secrets to protect your schedule, listen to Episode 508 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:


Links Mentioned in This Episode:

ACT Dental’s Say This, Not That document: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153

Main Takeaways:

Don't ask patients when they want to schedule.

Know which questions to never ask your patients.

Eliminate words like “cancel” from your vocabulary. 

Tell patients what you can do, not what you can't do.

Learn how to tell patients no without saying the word no.

Take time to practice and audit yourself after each interaction.

Quotes:

“[Scheduling] is extremely important. It helps us to manage our time and have predictability.”  (2:44—2:50) -Adriana

“No one wants a root canal, a crown, a filling. There are only a select few of us that choose to schedule to go to the dentist. So, my first thought [to asking, ‘When do you want to schedule?’] is no. Second thought is, ‘Okay. Well, if I have to come in, I'm going to pick a specific hour. And most likely, they're not open. So, now, they're going to have to tell me no.’ So, that's why you don't want to ask.” (4:16—4:39) -Ariel

“[By asking patients when they want to schedule,] you're setting yourself up for having a bad experience for that patient. Or you're having to get into a conversation, and we’ve created a barrier — an unintentional barrier, but we’ve created a barrier for that patient.” (4:48—5:02) -Ariel

“You should never try to fit into anyone’s schedule. They should try to fit into yours.” (5:12—5:17) -Kirk

“You have a schedule to protect. And your ability to guide patients into the right spot is critical, not only to the overall flow of the day, but there are procedures you should be doing certain times of the day. So, I think the first part is, let's think better about our schedule. Now, we can support it with verbal skills.” (5:28—5:46) -Kirk

“If the doctor does that procedure in the morning and in the afternoon and I have both of those options, then I would [ask,...

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