A front desk playbook for turning dental inquiries into consultations

Whatever you spend to get a new patient to call or fill out a form, the outcome gets decided at the front desk. A team member with a clear process can book someone who was only half sure. Without one, even a good team member can lose a person who had already made up their mind.

This is the playbook we'd suggest. Change the wording so it sounds like your office, and practice it out loud until it stops sounding like a script.

Get ready before the phone rings

Put together a one-page sheet for the desk, so nobody has to put a new caller on hold to find an answer:

• Whether new patient consultations are free or have a fee, and what's included.
• The insurance plans you're in network with, and how you handle the rest.
• The payment and financing options you offer.
• The next few openings for new patient consultations.
• Parking and directions.

Hold some consultation slots open for new patients each week. If the earliest time you can offer is three weeks out, no script will save the call.

Decide who answers new patient calls on each shift, and who calls back website inquiries. Our article on speed to lead explains why that callback should happen within minutes.

Answering the phone

Answer by the third ring if you can.

Thanks for calling [practice name], this is [your name]. How can I help?

Get the caller's name early and use it. Ask for a callback number in case the line drops. If you have to put a new caller on hold, ask first and keep it short.

If the inquiry came in through a form or a smile preview, read what they sent before you dial. With Smile Fitter, for example, each lead shows up in the dashboard with their smile photos, so you can open the call with what they were looking at.

Questions to ask

A handful of open questions will tell you what the person wants and what might stop them:

• "What's prompting the call?" or, for cosmetic inquiries, "What would you like to change about your smile?"
• "How long has this been on your mind?"
• "Have you talked to another dentist about it, or had any treatment on it before?"
• "Is there anything that's made you put it off?"
• "How did you hear about us?"

Write down their answers in their own words. If they mention being nervous, or a bad experience somewhere else, the dentist should know before the consultation starts. The rest of the intake can wait for the new patient forms.

Handling price questions honestly

There are two ways to get price questions wrong. One is ducking the question with "you'd have to come in," which sounds evasive. The other is quoting a number blind, which sets an expectation the dentist may not be able to meet once they've seen X-rays.

The honest middle is to explain what the price depends on and give them the numbers you can stand behind.

That's a fair question. The cost depends on things the doctor needs to see, like how many teeth are involved and whether you need any work done first. The consultation is [free, or your fee], and you'll leave with a written plan and the exact cost before you commit to anything.

Change that last sentence to match what your consultations actually include. If your dentist is comfortable with it, you can also give a typical range for common treatments, as long as everyone at the desk uses the same approved range. If you publish prices or ranges on your website or in ads, check your state dental board's advertising rules first.

Offer two specific times

"When would you like to come in?" invites "Let me check my calendar and call you back," and that callback may never come. Offer two real options instead:

I have Thursday at 10:30 or Monday at 4:00. Which works better for you?

Two choices make it easy to say yes without feeling cornered. If neither works, narrow it down. "Are mornings or afternoons better? Early in the week or later?" Then offer two more, and book it before you hang up.

Insurance and financing questions

For insurance, get the carrier and member details and be clear about whether you're in network. Treat any coverage figure as an estimate until you've checked.

I'll look up your benefits before your visit and let you know what to expect. The final amount depends on your plan and the treatment the doctor recommends.

For elective cosmetic work, once you've checked, tell them plainly if their plan isn't likely to help.

Know your financing options, whether that's in-house payment plans, third-party patient financing or both, and bring them up along with price, before they have to ask.

We also have payment options that let you spread the cost out. I can send you the details before your visit.

Leave loan terms to the lender's own materials.

Confirmations and reminders

Before you hang up, repeat the day, time and address. Ask whether they prefer text or email for reminders, and note it in their record. Then send a written confirmation right away with:

• The date, time and address, with a map link and parking instructions.
• What to bring, such as an insurance card, photo ID and a list of medications.
• A link to new patient forms, if you use online forms.

Send reminders two days before and on the morning of the visit, and make rescheduling easy.

Rules on texting patients vary by state and by the kind of message. Reminders for a visit the patient booked are different from marketing, but check with counsel about your own setup.

Track outcomes by source

For every inquiry, record:

• The date and time it arrived, and when you first responded.
• The source, such as your Google Business Profile, Google Ads, your website form, social ads or a referral.
• The treatment they asked about.
• The outcome: booked, still following up, not a fit, or never reached.
• Later, whether they showed up and started treatment.

Don't rely on "How did you hear about us?" alone. Someone who saw an ad and then searched for your name may just say Google. Use call tracking numbers and form source fields where you can, and treat the caller's answer as a second opinion.

Review the numbers with the doctor every month. The sources that send people who book and show up aren't always the ones that send the most calls. Our guide to how dental practices get new patient leads goes through each channel, and the 30-day follow-up plan covers people who don't book on the first call.

Your next step

Print the one-page sheet this week. Then spend 15 minutes with each person at the desk role-playing one call: a new patient asking what implants cost. If everyone gives the same honest answer and finishes by offering two times, the desk is ready. If not, you've found what to work on next.