Phone Etiquette - Veterinary Assistant Flashcards
Learn phone etiquette in the veterinary industry
Why is phone etiquette important in the veterinary industry?
-First point of contact with potential clients
-Our professionalism/knowledge will leave a lasting impression
-A first impression can make or a break a client’s decision
-First opportunity to start a bond with clients
Four points of vocal delivery
-Rate: Important to speak slow and clear
-Volume: Steady and Consistent
-Tone/Pitch: Aim for a lower pitch
-Quality: Combo of clarity, volume, rate and tone
How should we reply when answering phones?
“Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening and thank you for calling the XYZ Veterinary Hospital! This is XYZ speaking how can I help you?”
What risks comes with turning clients away?
-Can damage a bond/relationship with a regular client
- Losing clients
-Even if an animals condition doesn’t sound serious, we could be liable if said animals condition worsens
Do’s of phone etiquette
- “I understand!”
- “Absolutely!”
- “I know how much you care”
-Asking for patients name, breed and sex/clients info - “That’s a great question let me find out!”
- “Are you able to hold for a minute?”
Don’ts of phone etiquette
- “Umm”
- “What?”
- “I don’t know”
- “Just a second”
- “Can you hold?”
- Giving medical suggestions/opinions over the pone
How many times should a phone ring before it’s answered?
A phone should not ring more than twice before being answered
What to do if you don’t know the answers over the phone?
Follow through and commit to finding an answer, show eagerness towards the client’s inquiry
What to do when putting a client on hold?
-Don’t tell a client you’ll be back in a few minutes if you don’t know your time frame
-Make sure the client is fine with being put on hold, they could be facing an emergency
-Thank them before and after for being on hold
What to do with a client call-back?
-If phone lines are busy ask the client if a call-back is an option
-Give them a rough time estimate of when to expect a call-back
-Always overestimate the time it’ll take for a call-back
Why are call centers important in the veterinary field?
-Veterinary hospitals are implementing call centers to take pressure off staff
-Located within central area of practice
-Allows the team to concentrate more on client care
-Decreases the need to put clients on hold and helps prevent missed charges
What are open-ended questions?
-Starts with “how”, “why” or “what”
-Requires a full, thorough answer and encourages discussion
-Allows us an opportunity to educate clients/build a rapport with clients
What are close-ended questions?
-“Yes” or “no” answered questions/fixed and set answers
-Not the best for getting a thorough/accurate medical report
-Close-ended questions are good for chatty clients who need a nudge to move it along for other clients
What’s it called when a client calls different veterinary hospitals for cheap prices?
A client who’s calling and price checking different veterinary hospitals is a ‘shopper’ or they’re ‘shopping’
How many calls should we be able to turn into appointments?
We should be able to turn 70% of our calls into appointments
