When a potential patient calls your dental office, your words, tone, and confidence often determine whether they schedule or hang up and call the practice down the street. As Shelly VanEpps, COO at All-Star Dental Academy, shared in our recent webinar, “No one calls a dental practice by accident. Every call is high-intent.”
That means your phone skills directly shape patient trust, loyalty, and practice growth. For front office teams, whether you’re an office manager, scheduling coordinator, or receptionist, the phone is where relationships begin.
Here are eight practical strategies you can apply today to improve every patient call and strengthen your practice.
1. Shift from transactional to relational calls
It may sound overly simplistic, but too many dental offices jump straight into data collection: “Name, date of birth, insurance?” Instead, start by building trust.
Example: “Thank you so much for calling. My name is [Name]. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
Follow with a transition statement to set the tone:
“Chris, I want to make sure I can best assist you. May I ask a few questions about what prompted your call?”
This simple shift moves the call from transactional to relational. As a result, patients feel heard and welcomed.
2. Track the right KPIs (don’t rely on gut feelings)
Throughout the webinar, Shelly stressed that practices often say “our marketing isn’t working” when in reality, the marketing is fine, but the phones are the problem.
How do you know whether your phones are the problem? Start tracking these simple metrics:
- How many new patient calls came in?
- How many patients get scheduled?
For every “no,” jot down the reason: insurance, timing, cost, or another barrier. You’ll get real data to coach from, not assumptions.
3. Always ask for the appointment
You’d be surprised how many calls end without anyone inviting the patient to schedule an appointment. Remember: nobody calls a dental office for fun. They want an appointment, and you’re the barrier.
Best practice: Make it a rule that every new patient call ends with an invitation to schedule an appointment. Even if they’re hesitant, you’ve opened the door and shown you care enough to ask.
4. Master the “GREAT” call process
All-Star Dental Academy teaches the GREAT acronym to guide every call:
- Greet warmly
- Rapport first
- Engage with questions
- Ask for the appointment
- Take the information and thank them
The reason for this acronym is to keep the call relational. It goes back to point #1 above. When the last part of the conversation ends with collecting the patient's information rather than starting with it, you create space for the patient to feel special.
Print “GREAT” and keep it near the phone as a reminder. Practice until it becomes second nature.
5. Turn insurance objections into opportunities
One of the most common (and stressful) questions front office teams face is: “Do you take my insurance?” If the answer is no, many teams freeze.
Instead, Shelly shared the strategy she used with her coaching clients. It’s the Listen, Cushion, Question approach:
- Listen: “I understand, thanks for sharing that with me.”
- Cushion: “Many of our patients don’t have dental insurance…”
- Question: “Would you like to hear how they manage care affordably in our office?”
This approach opens the door to explaining payment options and, importantly, membership plans.
6. Use membership plans as a loyalty builder
Membership plans aren’t just a financial tool or a discount plan. They’re a relationship and loyalty tool.
The two greatest barriers to seeing a dentist are not having insurance and the fear of costs. When your front office confidently shares your membership plan, you not only remove fear, but you ultimately give patients a reason to stay long-term.
Example: When a caller says, “I don’t have insurance,” respond with, “Many of our patients are in the same situation. We offer an affordable membership plan that covers preventive care and gives discounts on treatment. Would you like me to explain how it works?”
Data shows that membership patients are the most loyal and profitable patients in a practice. By introducing the plan during the first call, you set the stage for a long-term relationship, not just a one-time appointment.
7. Practice supportive sales
No one wants to feel like a salesperson, but every team member is selling. That’s an important fact to remember. If the practice is going to grow, the front office needs to be great at “supportive sales, not pushy sales,” says Shelly.
Tie treatment back to what matters to the patient. Here's an example of how that can sound:
Instead of: “Scaling and root planing will cost $800. Do you want to do it?”
Say: “You mentioned you want to avoid dentures like your grandmother. Treating this now will help protect your gums and keep your smile healthy long-term. How do you feel about moving forward?”
When patients connect the treatment to their own goals, it feels supportive, not sales-y.
8. Final takeaway: Phone skills are patient skills
Improving your phone skills isn’t about scripts; it’s about relationships.
- Build rapport first.
- Track and coach from real KPIs.
- Always ask for the appointment.
- Confidently present membership plans and coverage options.
- Support patients in making the best decision for themselves.
And you will transform phone calls into loyal, lifelong patients.
