Did you know that 48% of patients still prefer to book their appointments over the phone? Even as patient demand for digital and online interactions continue to accelerate, the phone still holds a prominent place amid day-to-day interactions at the dental office.

For many dental practices, however, phone interactions look something like this: a team member answers the phone and then scrambles to pull up a patient record while holding a professional and engaging conversation with the caller. In other cases, a patient might be put on hold as the office coordinator sifts through multiple tabs on their PMS and the patient hangs up in frustration. In other cases, calls might go straight to voicemail as the front office attends to other urgent tasks. What a mess!

Phone Assistant by YAPI is an intelligent dental phone system that can help your practice improve the patient experience and alleviate stress in the front office. Plus, this product integrates seamlessly with leading dental phone VoIP providers such as RingCentral, significantly improving office communication protocols.

Did you know?

 

Over the past three years, there has been a 340% increase in provider-to-patient video visits. And according to a 2020 DentaQuest survey, 75% of the more than 2,000 dental providers surveyed said they expected their telehealth services to remain the same or increase over the next year. As the high demand for telehealth continues, having a VoIP provider—such as RingCentral, a partner of YAPI—that also offers video services will be critical.

Want to learn more? Here are three benefits of using Phone Assistant integration with a VoIP provider like RingCentral in your practice:

 

Quickly access vital patient information.

The second the phone rings, YAPI’s Phone Assistant syncs in real-time with your PMS to pull up patient information, such as patient names and contact information as well as past and upcoming appointment dates, patient notes, and even collections due. No more asking patients to repeat the spelling of their name or asking if they already have an appointment scheduled—you’ll be one step ahead!

 

Banish long call wait times.

Let’s face it, having multiple pop-ups on your screen is overwhelming. With Phone Assistant, however, all incoming calls are displayed in a virtual Phone Queue displayed at the bottom of the Phone Assistant pop-up. This comprehensive view makes it easy to scan the list and prioritize patients who need attention first. You can also communicate with patients on hold by clicking on the text or email icon next to a patient name and let them know in real-time that you’ll get to them as soon as you can.

 

Book multiple appointments during one call.

If the person calling is the head of household, a special badge icon appears next to their avatar in Phone Assistant (see below).

 

You can also see their family file—that is, family members who are also patients of the practice—and when their family members are coming into the doctor. If they are past due, you could say, “I see that Alison and Sam are due for cleanings in two weeks. Should I go ahead and set up those appointments while I have you on the phone?”

Booking multiple appointments during one call helps maximize productivity and optimize your schedule. Plus, asking about family members by name shows that you care and adds a personal touch.

Interested in other ways you can improve communication in your practice? Check out some of our other blog posts: