“SAMPLE SCRIPTS” FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Karen Davis, RDH; BSDH
Have you ever listened to what someone else says or how they say
something and thought, “If only I could communicate like that!” or,
“Wow, I wish I had a recorder to play back what they just said, and memorize
it!” The reality is, however, that
the most effective communicators have simply mastered the art of speaking with
confidence and sincerity. Fortunately,
those are skills that can be developed!
Effective communication combines active listening, practicing the art
of being clear and concise, and often requires the use of visuals for
clarity. Verbal skills and semantics,
while important, are not nearly as important as your own body language and
tone of voice. That communicates your level of sincerity and confidence.
Communication is simply a way of connecting. If we wish to genuinely connect with our patients we need let go
of our own agenda, and replace being “right” with being in relationship. That, very often requires being willing to
set instruments aside, get the patient in an upright position, and really
listen. The benefit of doing so,
adds to the patient’s perception they have been understood, which by the
way, when absent, is one of the leading reasons why patients leave and go
somewhere else!
The following “sample scripts”, if memorized, will sound artificial,
insincere, and canned! If, however, the
concepts or ideas are internalized they can assist you toward a goal of
effectively communicating clear and concise messages with your patients. Notice the use of many open-ended
questions. This is an art that has to
be practiced, and often role-played among team members in order to feel natural,
but it is the MOST effective way to really discover your patient’s values,
desires, and concerns.
INSURANCE AND FEES
“I only want to do this if
insurance pays for it. How much of this
is covered by my insurance?”
“Well, that is a good question. I really don’t know exactly what your insurance will assist with for this
type of procedure…The amount of assistance actually depends upon the contract
between the employer and the insurance company. I can tell you that many of our patients have experienced around
40 – 50% assistance for this type of treatment. (Or whatever percentage
is appropriate for the procedure.) I
can certainly understand that you may wish to call and get a better estimate of
your own insurance benefits so you will have an idea of what to anticipate,
HOWEVER, what I am really interested in John, is whether or not this is the type of treatment you want for
yourself right now?
“Well, I don’t know. Your fees are so high I don’t know if I can afford all of this,
or if I really even need it!”
“Yes, John you probably have noticed our fees are higher
that “average” dental care. Our
commitment to our patients is to offer only what we would recommend for
ourselves, or any of our family members.
At the same time, I can appreciate your concern about the significant
investment! We base our fees on the expertise of the doctor and team, the
state-of-the-art technology and materials we use, and our on-going commitment
to stay abreast of current research. We really do want to provide the best care
possible to all our patients.”
“Does
your office file the insurance so that I only have to pay you the balance?”
“What we have found is when the patient, who owns the
insurance benefit, manages their own insurance as opposed to us becoming the
third party, the insurance benefit is reimbursed directly to the patient much
faster. We will give you ALL of the necessary information to drop the claim in
the mail. We ask that you pay us at the
time of treatment, and manage your own insurance claims for your reimbursement.
That way our primary focus really is on your dental health, and not on
processing insurance claims.”
SECOND OPINIONS
“Gee, I think I am going to want a second
opinion. Last time I was here no one
said anything about needing all this treatment, and besides, NOTHING is
bothering me!”
“You know John, you may wish to seek and second opinion
and we would certainly respect that. My
only concern is that you carefully select a practice that is equally committed
to staying abreast of the latest technology and information available as Dr.
Wonderful. Perhaps the reason this may
sound so abrupt to you is because since the last time you were here our office
has participated in numerous continuing education hours specific to this
treatment, and what we now know is that it is
in your best interest for us to provide this treatment BEFORE there are
any symptoms, and the possible need for more extensive OR costly treatment…Too
often in the past, we let symptoms be the guide as to when to proceed, but
clearly early detection and early treatment is how we can expect to
achieve the best results for optimal dental health long-term!”
Pre-Scheduling
“John, the doctor has diagnosed a 3 month interval for
your supportive periodontal care. In
order to see you at that time, I would like to reserve an appointment for
you. I have either Thursday, November
11th at 10:00 a.m., or Monday, November 15th at 1:00
p.m. Which time would work best for
you?”
“Well, I
don’t know what my schedule is. Just send me a card!”
“John, I can appreciate that, however, we have found if
our patients wait to call us until after they receive a postcard, our schedules
are completely full! Then, you risk having to wait until it is beyond the
diagnosed interval for your next preventive treatment! Especially if you prefer a specific time of
day, I’d like to go ahead and reserve an appointment. Two weeks prior to your
appointment, we will verify your time with a post-card. If, for any reason, you
cannot make it at the time we reserve today, call us when you receive your
postcard and we will put you on our priority
list for the first opportunity available in the schedule.”
Cancellations
“Oh John, I am so sorry to hear you have a conflict
during the appointment time reserved for you…
The next available time I have to offer you is…two months from now, and
I know that is way beyond the interval diagnosed for you! (Pause, wait
for response) Is there ANY way
you could re-arrange your schedule, or anything I could do to assist you in
keeping this appointment?” (Pause)
“No not
really. Gosh, I can’t believe you don’t
have anything open before that!”
“I’m sorry John.
What I CAN do, is go ahead and schedule you with my next available
appointment on… (A minimum of at least 6 weeks out.)Wed. March 3rd
at 9:00 a.m. In addition, I can put you on my priority
list to call if there is a change in the schedule between now and then.”
(Refrain from
offering the “first opening” in the schedule upon a cancellation! Use it as an opportunity to build value
regarding the appointments and “re-train” short-notice cancellers. Even if you have to call the patient back
within the hour to fill tomorrow’s openings, that double work with the “Good
news! A change in the schedule!” is
necessary in order to end the “easy-to-schedule-easy-to-RE-SCHEDULE-cycle” that
plagues so many dental hygiene departments.)
AESTHETIC/RESTORATIVE INTEREST
“I’ve
been coming here a long time. Why does the doctor want me to come back for a
comprehensive exam?”
“That is a good question.
You know if you were a new patient in our practice today, we would share
with you all of the exiting options we now have available to whiten smiles,
change the shape and appearance of a smile, and even restore teeth with
materials that blend into the natural color of the tooth and actually add
strength! What Dr. Wonderful wants to
do is simply set aside time to thoroughly re-examine your mouth and discuss any
possibilities you might be interested in to either enhance your smile, or
improve the function of your teeth for optimal dental health. How does that sound?”
“I really don’t have time to come back for a
comprehensive exam with the doctor.”
“I can certainly appreciate how busy your schedule
is! Interestingly, that is one of the
very reasons you should have a comprehensive exam! By doing so, together you and the doctor can evaluate how to best
prevent untimely broken teeth, or unexpected toothaches from your teeth that
have worn restorations and are showing significant break down.”
“John, many of our patients are asking us about ways to
enhance or whiten their smiles. I’m
interested in how you feel about your own smile…If there were anything you
could change about your smile, what would that be?”
“How do you feel about the possibility of restoring your
teeth with materials that are the same color of your teeth that actually ADD
strength to tooth structure as opposed to filling up voids the way old filling
materials did?”
“How do you feel about the possibility of making your
smile look 10 years younger? What about
20?” J
“What have you considered about the treatment the doctor
diagnosed for you at your last appointment? Do you recall WHY the diagnosis was
made?
“How do you feel about the possibility of loosing any
teeth?”
“How inconvenient was it for you when your tooth broke
while you were out of town?”
“Why do you think your teeth have required so many
restorations? Would you be interested
in learning more about how to prevent on-going repairs to your teeth?”
PERIODONTAL HEALTH
“My
gums never bleed at home…only when I come here and you poke around with those
sharp instruments.”
“I can understand how it might seem to you like what we
are doing is actually causing the bleeding!
In reality though, healthy tissue doesn’t bleed with brushing, flossing
or while we measure pockets. Bleeding
is the earliest possible warning sign that infection is developing as a result
of more bacteria and toxins beneath the surface than your own immune system can
handle. The problem is that since floss
only reaches 2 or 3 millimeters beneath the surface, often, early stages of the
disease go undetected UNLESS you have a screening that can detect bleeding
tendency and accompanying disease beneath the surface. Does that make sense?”
“How
come everyone I know in suddenly needing this therapy for their gums?”
“Research has dramatically changed in the last few years
related to periodontal health. We are now aware that periodontal infection in
the mouth can adversely affect other parts of the body. Harmful bacteria in the
mouth do not just stay in the mouth!
Have you read anything in the last year about the correlation between
periodontal infection in the mouth and a two times greater risk for heart
disease and stroke? Or, a seven times
greater risk for pre-mature births? Or,
the correlation with diabetes and respiratory disease? Are you aware that the majority of adults
have periodontal disease? We are more
committed than ever before in early detection, and offering early treatment for
anyone with signs of active disease.”
“I
just want my teeth cleaned. I’ll wait
and see how everything looks in 6 months.”
“If you had infection anywhere else in your body, would
you want to wait to have it treated, knowing it could permanently destroy
supporting bone…without ANY symptoms?”
“We now know, the way we used to treat early signs of
infection with more emphasis on better brushing and more flossing doesn’t
really treat the source of infection.
The toxins, embedded in the pockets, require total debridement and
therapeutic treatment in order to shift the bacterial environment to one that
is conducive to health.”
“For
10 years I’ve been coming in every 6 months. Why the sudden change to 3 months,
especially after all that therapy for my gums?”
“We now know stress and the immune system have much to do
with a person’s susceptibility to disease. It can directly affect how quickly
or slowly one person versus another responds to therapy, as well as the
interval necessary following therapy to prevent disease from reoccurring. Once we have the infection under control the
goal is to prevent additional infection and bone destruction. For most
individuals it is necessary to disrupt disease-causing toxins every 3 months in
order to prevent bleeding and disease activity in pockets. Numerous studies have shown 3 month
intervals to be effective in preventing bone loss and preventing decay. There is no scientific evidence supporting 6
month intervals to control disease.”
CREATING VALUE
“Please tell me about what goals you have for your own
dental health.”
“How can we best assist you in achieving your goals?”
“I’m interested to know about your parents dental
health…who are you most like?”
“What is most important to you in your dental
appointments? Being seen on time? Comfort?
Cost? Being understood? All of these?”
“Our practice is strongly committed to staying abreast of
the latest advances, research and technology in order for us to provide out
patients the very best dentistry has to offer!”
MANAGING OBJECTIONS
“What concerns do you have about proceeding with this
treatment?”
“What time line do you have in mind for your next phase of
treatment?”
“What exactly do I need to clarify?”
“If we were able to offer you financial arrangements that
were comfortable, is this the type of treatment you want for yourself?”
“Tell me what type of financial arrangements you have in
mind.”
FEEDBACK AND REQUESTING REFERRALS
“It is important to us to make your visits as pleasant as
possible! How could we improve in
making your visits more comfortable?
More enjoyable?”
“On a scale of 1 to 10, how are we doing as a team to meet
your expectations?”
“Who do you know that would also appreciate the type of
dental care we provide?”
“Congratulations on completing your treatment! Now John, we have a favor to ask of
you! We are asking you to “replace
yourself” with someone you know that could also benefit from the services we
provide. Can we count of you for
referrals?”
“We would love to meet your family members, friends and
co-workers. Please share one of our
cards with your friends and neighbors and invite them to come visit us!”
Karen Davis is a
private-practice hygienist, consultant for JP Consultants Institute, and a
nationally known speaker. She may be
reached at Cutting Edge Concepts® 646 Goodwin Drive, Richardson, TX
75081, or contacted by phone: 972-669-1555,
fax: 972-470-0353,
e-mail, or web site @ www.karendavis.net.
© This document may not be reproduced without the written consent of
Karen Davis
