1 DA 117 Practice Management Communication and Telephone Skills.

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DA 117 Practice Management

Communication and Telephone Skills

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What is communication?

• Sharing information with others through speaking or nonverbally through writing or body language

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• Any verbal or non-verbal behavior that is perceived by another person

• Any message sent by a person to a receiver with a conscious intent to affect the receivers behavior

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Five Basic Elements

• Sender has intentions, ideas, feelings• Sender translates ideas, feeling into a

message• Sender send message to receiver• Receiver translates message into feelings or

ideas• Receiver has some internal response

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DA Role

• Patient’s education • Communicate current procedures and post-

op• Communicate for the dentist any of the

patient’s concerns• Know what those concerns are by listening

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Barriers to Communication

• Pre-judgment of Patients based on:

• Economic status• Disability• Language barriers

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• Hearing but not listening

– Volume of voice– Tone of voice

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Preoccupation

• Thinking of other activities while talking to patients – recognized by patients

• Unawareness of importance of situation to patient

• Impatient – hard of hearing patient, chatty patient

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Professional Telephone personality• Alertness – Answer within 3 rings – Identify

caller, use their name• Expressiveness – No monotone, smiles

before you answer, sound happy

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• Interest – Listen, ask appropriate questions, don’t rush to get off the phone

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• Clarity – Pronounce each syllable – speak slowly, no gum chewing, eating

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Incoming calls

• “I want to make an appointment “–• Ask:• Who is calling? Once identified use name in

conversation• Have you been here before? If not get

name, address, phone number• What is the appointment for?

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• Schedule the appointment – Thank the person for calling, and repeat the appointment date and time.

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• “I want to speak with the doctor”• Reply – Doctor is with a patient, can I help

you or take a message?• The doctor will sometimes take calls from

other doctors, labs, and family members

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• “I just got my bill and it’s outrageous!!”• Reply – Don’t say anything until the caller

has finished speaking. Listen first and the explain. The call may have be given to the person directly in charge of finances

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Personal calls

• The dental office is a business – personal calls should be limited to emergency only

• Do not interrupt clinical staff except for an emergency.

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Taking a message

• Name of caller• Phone number• Date of call• Message• Return call?• Your name

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Outgoing calls

• Have the correct phone number• Identify yourself and office• State reason for calling• Patient always hangs up first

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