YOU HAD ME AT "HELLO"
"Good morning, Anderson Chiropractic. This is Katie."  Most employees can rattle off your office's greeting without a second thought - in fact, many can do it (and probably do) in their sleep.  It's automatic. Ring after ring, a greeting takes on the familiarity of a used car lot jingle you hear over and over.  But the way your employees greet patients on the phone is how they welcome them to your practice.  After all, personal greetings build rapport, and rapport eventually turns into revenue.  Entrepreneurs usually look at the bottom line rather than how they get to the bottom line, but the truth is, it all starts with hello.

Many consumers (your patients) get frustrated with pressing buttons in order to reach a live person.  If possible, always opt for a live person answering.  If this is impossible, make sure that callers can get a live person by pressing no more than 2 numbers.  There's nothing worse than feeling like you're stuck in a voice-mail maze.  Always try to answer the phone in 4 rings or less.  Ignoring calls or letting the phone ring too long without a personal greeting or a voice-mail pick up may convey that you are too busy or that you are not organized. What should you do if you have a patient waiting in person and the phone rings?  It's probably best to serve people in your office first, then answer the phone and ask callers if they can hold for a short period of time, or if they will accept a return call. 

SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN
Throughout the course of a typical day, it is unavoidable that callers will be placed on-hold. If your callers hear nothing but silence, they may not hold for very long. Sometimes they may hear a click on the line and think they've been disconnected. (We've all been there before!) If you have the radio playing, your callers may be on-hold listening to commercials and DJ chatter - or static!  Ever stop and think about the impression you're making while a potential or current patient is on-hold? 

For callers on-hold, why not have a customized recording playing?  Patients often inquire about services after hearing a promotion while on-hold. Plus, by updating the content periodically, the on-hold recording becomes even more effective as a means to promote changes in product lines, new services, or your staff.  For a more creative approach, some practices include Chiropractic trivia and other entertaining and educational messages on their recordings.

In addition to enabling a Chiropractic practice to promote its services, the on-hold recordings can have other positive effects, like enhancing its image. With a customized recording, your practice will look more professional and clients will get a great first impression on the phone. Remember, an impression will always be made either way, so be in control and ensure that it's a positive one.

Dr. Tom Schmidt of Life Wellness Center in Lakeville, Minnesota has had a customized on-hold recording for the past 2 years.  "I don't know how I did without it all those years," says Schmidt.  "Our on-hold recording has made us look more professional.  It has become an integral part of our marketing campaign.  Patients comment on the recording often - plus it's been a great advertising tool for us."

EASY TO DO
The installation of the on-hold system is pretty simple.  An audio source is plugged into your phone system, and any time the "hold" button is pressed on one of your phones, the caller will hear the on-hold messages and music. (Even practices without a PBX or KSU-type phone system can still benefit through the use of a special adapter.)  Recordings are played on either a Digital Player or a Portable CD Player.  On-hold recordings are anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes in length, with 8 to 10 "messages" or paragraphs.  The cost is considerably less than other traditional forms of advertising.  For all the benefits on-hold messaging can bring you, this may be one marketing idea you don't want to put on-hold.
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Amir Watynski owns Watt Media, Inc., which provides customized telephone "on-hold" recordings and voice-mail greetings to Chiropractic practices and other businesses.  Amir can be reached at 1800-250-8233 or amir@watt-media.com.  Demos are available at www.watt-media.com.