Dr. Tom Giacobbi rings in the new year with this advice on your dental practice's schedule and how to ensure you stay in control of it rather than handing it over to the patient.
Video transcript
"Go ahead and tell Mr. Wonderful I'll be there in just a minute.
"Let's talk about scheduling hacks for a smoother day. Never make the mistake of starting to schedule an appointment by saying to the patient, "When do you want to come in?" You've only set yourself up for disappointment.
"Always offer the patient two options right out of the gate. 'Susie, would you like to come in Wednesday at 1 or Friday at 8 a.m.?' If the person has a particular scheduling need, they'll let you know after you've given them the first two choices.
"Susie might say, 'I can only come in on Tuesdays." OK. 'Susie, do you want to come in at Tuesday at 10 or 3?' If Susie can't do those two choices, then offer to put her on a call list when you have a time that meets her specific needs.
"Oftentimes, you'll find that the patient will then revert back to one of the first four choices that you gave them.
"Remember, you're always the one in control of your schedule. Build it in a way that's going to make you have a happy day. Now let's get back to work."
