Do's and don'ts for patient questions: Be prepared for questions

If patients are going to spend time and money in your office, they will understandably want to know more about you and your services. Anticipate questions and prepare to address them enthusiastically and thoroughly. Because many patients will have similar questions, it helps to be ready with scripted answers to the most common inquiries.

Be confident. When answering patients' questions about potential treatment, you want to be perceived as knowledgeable about all services at the practice. This helps build trust with patients. Use scripting to improve your ability to communicate treatment knowledge. When patients trust the opinions of all team members, case acceptance will increase.

Don't say "You'll have to ask someone else" to patients. You may not know the answers to patients' questions, but take responsibility for getting the answers they need. Rather than leaving it up to patients to ask others, make the effort to connect them with the staff member who can help them out.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

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