ADA News

What do most patients hear when they are put on hold by a dental practice?

According to a 2008 survey of dentists from ADA Business Resources, 55 percent of respondents said their callers hear nothing, 10 percent hear music and 35 percent hear a pre-recorded message with updates and information about the practice.

It’s a reality of most busy practices that some callers will be put on hold, but the question is, how can an owner best utilize the on-hold time for everyone's benefit?

Thousands of ADA members have found that offering a custom message while callers are on hold can help educate patients about every service the practice offers.

Mr. William Schroeder, vice president of InTouch Practice Communications, believes that patients don't always know that practices offer services such as veneers, implants or whitening.

"We've worked with thousands of dental practices over the years," he said. "We hear dentists tell us that patients are leaving their general dental practice and the doctor they trust to look elsewhere for services such as veneers because they didn’t know that a general dentist could provide that service."

Mr. Schroeder cites statistics that claim that callers hearing dead silence will abandon the call much sooner than those who hear a message.

"Sometimes callers wonder if they've been forgotten, and they tend to be more frustrated while on hold than if they are hearing a personal message from the dentist."

A message while they wait can help callers learn more about a practice's services but also about the staff and any changes or news about the practice.

ADA member Dr. Andrew Arriola, from Temecula, Calif., said he became interested in a message on-hold system when he learned it could help boost his professional image and educate patients about all of the services he offers.

"Before we had the message on hold, my patients heard dead silence, and I just didn't appreciate that," Dr. Arriola said. "My patients are now asking questions when they come off hold. The message on hold has been a rock-solid system for us."

The staff at InTouch Practice Communications—the only message on-hold company endorsed by ADA Business Resources—are experts in dentistry who attend more than 15 dental meetings across the country each year. This enables them to understand the new technologies and services that dentists are eager to educate their patients about and create a custom message for each client. They also give each recording its own personality and professional voice.

Additionally, each InTouch on-hold program is 14 minutes—longer than other on-hold systems, so frequent callers will hear a variety of messages about services that make each practice unique.

ADA members who are interested to know what a custom on-hold message sounds like can hear a sample at www.intouchdental.com. From now until May 31st, InTouch will create a free custom message on-hold demo for ADA members who call 1-877-493-9003 or email info@intouchdental.com.

The InTouch message on-hold system is available to all ADA members for $1,295—a total savings of $300. For an additional $259, there is also an optional InTouch Flex Plus Plan, in which members can receive unlimited message changes, unlimited short subject program creation and a full replacement warranty.

InTouch also provides appointment reminder systems to help reduce missed appointments by contacting patients by phone, text or email for as low as $99.00 a month. For more information, visit www.intouchdental.com or call 1-877-493-9003.