Many dental offices believe that the way to get more patients is to ramp up marketing, whether that’s through dental SEO, Google Ads, social media, or flyers. While marketing is essential, it isn’t always the most effective or affordable way to increase patient flow. In reality, most dental practices could double their new patient numbers by focusing on one simple thing: how they handle patient interactions.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. The real issue for many dental practices lies in the way staff handle patient interactions, particularly when it comes to answering the phone. While marketing strategies can help generate leads, it’s the quality of your team’s interactions with potential patients that often makes or breaks an appointment.

Think of it like baseball: marketing is like throwing balls toward your dental practice. Your staff’s job is to hit them out of the park and score. You could get just a few balls, but if your team is great at hitting them, you’ll score big. On the other hand, you could be getting a ton of balls thrown your way, but if your staff struggles to hit them, you’re missing out on a lot of potential runs. The key is not just getting more “balls” (pouring more money into marketing), but having a team that’s skilled at making sure each one counts.

Many dental practices focus on building better websites, running more ads, or investing in dental SEO, thinking that these tactics will lead to a massive influx of new patients. However, the real bottleneck often lies within the office itself—specifically, in the sales skills of the staff, particularly receptionists.

Most dental receptionists and office staff are not trained in sales. They may be friendly and courteous, but without proper training in handling patient inquiries, they might miss opportunities to convert a lead into a booked appointment. The issue is not that the staff are unkind or incapable; it’s that many don’t fully understand the sales techniques required to leave a lasting, positive first impression.

Patients calling for a dental appointment are not just looking for information, they want to feel confident and comfortable with the practice they choose. When your staff lacks the skills to engage effectively with callers, it’s easy for patients to move on to another practice where they feel more heard, appreciated, and valued.

When dental offices approach us for help in driving more patients, we always start by asking one simple question: “If you were to get 10 new patient calls this week, how many of those do you think your staff would book for an appointment?”

The answer we often get? “Oh, my staff is amazing! They would book at least 8 or 9 out of 10 leads.” Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch: most offices don’t track their call-to-booking conversion rates at all. They have no idea how many calls were actually answered, how many were converted into appointments, or what went wrong with the calls that didn’t result in a booking.

When we probe deeper, asking how they know their staff is doing such a great job, we often hear, “Well, I’ve worked with these people for years. They’re fantastic!” But the truth is, without any data to back it up, it’s difficult to know for sure how well your staff is performing.

We specialize in analyzing patient call data for dental practices, and what we’ve found is eye-opening. On average, practices that we work with are booking only 30-35% of their new patient calls, meaning that for every 10 calls they receive, only 3 or 4 lead to an appointment. When we show this data to dentists, they’re often shocked. Many assume their staff is doing a much better job than they really are.

If you’re wondering why your staff isn’t converting as many calls as you’d like, you might be tempted to blame the patients. You may think the callers were “just price shopping,” or “not serious enough.” It’s easy to assume the patient wasn’t a good fit, especially when they don’t immediately schedule an appointment. After all, if a patient isn’t willing to book an appointment right away, they may not be truly interested, right?

Well, that’s not always the case.

Patients often make emotional decisions when choosing a dental practice. They’re not necessarily calling around comparing prices (since most dental practices charge similar rates). What they are doing is evaluating the experience. They want to feel like their dental care matters. They want to speak with someone who is friendly, helpful, and genuinely interested in addressing their concerns. If they don’t get that sense from your office, they’ll likely look elsewhere, even if the price is the same.

Many patients decide to go with a different practice simply because they felt more comfortable, more welcomed, or more understood by another office. So, when a patient doesn’t book with you, it’s not always because of a lack of funds or price comparison, it’s often because they didn’t feel emotionally connected to your practice.

The first impression your staff creates during the phone call is critical. If your receptionist comes across as rushed, uninterested, or unhelpful, the patient is likely to hang up and call another practice. But if your team makes the patient feel like a priority, listens actively to their needs, and engages with empathy, they’re much more likely to book an appointment.

Here’s the good news: these first impressions can be trained. By investing in your staff’s phone-handling skills, you can drastically improve your booking rate.

If you’re looking for how to get more dental patients, improving how your staff handles new patient calls can transform patient flow. Here are a few simple but effective strategies to consider:

Ask Open-Ended Questions
Encourage your team to ask open-ended questions that invite patients to share more about their needs. Questions like, “What brings you in today?” or “How can we make your visit as comfortable as possible?” show patients that your practice truly cares. These questions also give your team useful information to make a connection and respond personally.

Take Charge of the Conversation
Receptionists should feel confident guiding the conversation. This means helping patients get the answers they need while keeping the call organized and positive. For example, after answering questions, a receptionist might say, “We’d love to help you get started, let’s schedule a consultation.” Simple steps like this make the call flow smoothly and help patients feel comfortable booking.

End on a Positive Note
Before ending the call, leave the patient with a friendly closing remark, like, “We’re excited to take care of you!” or “We’re here if you have any other questions.” This final touch leaves a lasting impression, making patients more likely to book with you and look forward to their visit.

Alongside training, technology can play a big role in how to get more dental patients by tracking and following up on calls. Here’s how simple tools can help:

Track Your Calls
Call-tracking software can give you important insights into how calls are handled, including what works well and what doesn’t. It records calls and you can track how many result in booked appointments, which helps you see patterns and find areas to improve. With data from call-tracking software, you can coach your team to answer common questions more confidently, avoid missed chances to book appointments, and have more effective patient conversations. One of our clients even listens to calls in his spare time and finds them incredibly helpful!

Automate Follow-Ups
Not every patient books an appointment right away, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity is lost. Automated follow-up systems can remind patients of their inquiries and show that you care about them even after the first call. This kind of follow-up can turn a “maybe” into a “yes,” helping your practice increase patient numbers without needing more advertising.

Encourage Patient Reviews and Referrals
Your happy patients can be some of your best marketers. Encouraging satisfied patients to leave online reviews or refer friends and family can help build trust with new patients before they even pick up the phone. Positive online reviews help your practice stand out to people searching for a new dentist, and referrals from family and friends are often the most trusted recommendations.

Our clients have had great success with patient testimonial videos. A wall filled with happy patients sharing their positive experiences is a powerful trust-building factor for potential patients.

In this article, we discuss how to create effective patient video testimonials and make the most of them.

Through our work with hundreds of dental offices across North America, we’ve observed a clear difference between the way top-performing practices handle patient calls and how average offices approach these conversations.

Successful practices have staff members who are not only friendly but skilled at using sales strategies to book appointments. They know how to ask the right discovery questions, handle objections, and create an engaging conversation that leads to a positive outcome for both the patient and the practice.

At RevUp Dental, we’ve spent years studying the best practices in the industry. We’ve identified the key elements that make these offices successful at booking patients, and we’ve distilled them into a free guide that you can use to train your own staff. The goal isn’t to teach outdated sales tactics, but rather to focus on proven, modern techniques that work in today’s dental market.

The guide focuses on one of the most important areas of patient communication: asking effective discovery questions. These questions are crucial for building rapport with the patient and ensuring that you address their specific concerns and needs.

You’ll learn how top practices approach phone calls differently. You’ll discover how to take control of the conversation, engage patients with helpful questions, and ultimately create an unforgettable first impression. The end result? More patients booking appointments and fewer potential leads slipping through the cracks.

If you’re serious about getting more dental patients, don’t wait until you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on ads or redesigning your website. Start by improving the way your office handles phone calls. With the right training and strategies, you can dramatically increase your conversion rate, fill your schedule, and grow your practice without spending extra on marketing.

By investing in your staff’s skills, you’ll create better patient experiences, boost your conversion rates, and see a noticeable increase in the number of appointments booked.