Phone Trends And Conversions 2-17 2010

Elective Surgery Phone Trends and Tips
On How to
Improve Conversions

Bill Mercier- President, CEO OptiCall, Inc
Special Guest Speakers:
Mike Malley- President CRM
Michael Dobkowski- President Glacial Multimedia

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Who Is OptiCall
•OptiCall Elective Call Handling
•OptiCall ACEtm- Actual Consumer Experience

•OptiCall- RefracTraktm- Web based contact
management and phone scripting program

•OptiCall “Boomerang” patient recall services
•Mystery Shopping


What We’ll Cover

• Timeline- from the seat of our pants
• 2009...what happened and why
• Call volume trends
• Current challenges


What We’ll Cover
• Marketing-what’s working and what’s not!

• Positioning your practice for success

• How are your phones handled?-poll

• Handling the price question- listen to real calls

• Tracking your patients-poll

• Following up

• Growing your services organically


What we experienced
from the seat of our pants

• Post 9/11, call volume showed a slow, but steady call volume increase

• Call volume peaked in Q1 2007

• Substantial changes in consumer confidence started to have a major affect on call
volume

• Q1 2008 call volume was off the previous year by 13%

• Economic conditions continued to worsen throughout 2008 and into 2009

• Weak consumer confidence and tighter credit contributed to the lowest volume
call volume in years.

• 7 consecutive quarters of double-digit declines had finally hit rock bottom!


What we experienced
on a happy note :-)

• Mid 2009, early signs of improved economic times sparked rejuvenated
patient interest

• Summer 2009 stayed level with the previous quarter, and in some ofﬁces,
increased!

• Q4 2009 had stronger call volume that Q1 2009!

• Practices that were actively advertising were getting the patient calls.

• Oct 2009 was the strongest month for call volume in all of 2009

• Jan 2010 calls increased by 29% over Jan 2009

• Feb 2010 is tracking 10% over call volume in Jan 2010 MTD


Overall Call Volume
<9:'%

9;('% 9;<;%
998(%

:;88%

!"#$%&''(%
)"*%&''(%
+,-.%&''(%
/0.%&''(%
88''%
8'79% 123%&''(%
4,0%&''(%
!56%&'7'%

!"#$%&''(% )"*%&''(% +,-.%&''(% /0.%&''(% 123%&''(% 4,0%&''(% !56%&'7'%


Over 40,000 calls tracked

Volume Per Day
5563'
5787'

779:'

745;'

6:47' !"#$%&'
()#$%&'
*"+,$%&'
-+$#+,$%&'
*."/,$%&'
0/1$%&'
!%2"/$%&'
4<9<'

343'

!"#$%&' ()#$%&' *"+,$%&' -+$#+,$%&' *."/,$%&' 0/1$%&' !%2"/$%&'


Volume Per Hour

012$
345$
678$
95:$
;4<:$
%=>$
?=@A$

!"##$%&$ '"##$%&$ (#"##$%&$ (("##$%&$ ()"##$*&$ ("##$*&$ )"##$*&$ +"##$*&$ ,"##$*&$ -"##$*&$ ."##$*&$ /"##$*&$ !"##$*&$


Fish While The Fish Are
Biting!


Current Referral
Source Trends


July 09
!"#$%&'% )*+,$*-$.*/01$
!#$
"#$ !#$ "#$ 23,4*$

&&#$ !"#$ 56$

7809+890$

&&#$ :4;;<*3+,$

=*>0*+$+9-9++3;$

%#$ ?@4AB8C$D3B980$
'#$ &(#$
&'#$ =4+9>0$E34;$

F9;;*G$H3C9A$

78A/+38>9$

H+480$


Aug 09
!"#"$%&'(& +,-.$,/$0,123$
!#$ )#$
%#$ *#$ 45.6,$
"#$ !"#$
78$

(#$ 9:2;-:;2$

<6==>,5-.$
%'#$ ?,@2,-$-;/;--5=$
%&#$
AB6CD:E$F5D;:2$
%!#$
&#$ ?6-;@2$G56=$

H;==,I$J5E;C$

9:C1-5:@;$

J-6:2$


Sept 09
!"#$"%&"'()*(
&#$ !#$ *+,-$+.$/+012$
!#$ '#$
!"#$ 34-5+$
)#$
67$
(#$
891:,9:1$

&"#$ ;5<<=+4,-$

!!#$ >+?1+,$,:.:,,4<$
@A5BC9D$E4C:91$
&'#$ >5,:?1$F45<$
%#$
G:<<+H$I4D:B$
89B0,49?:$
I,591$


Oct 09
)*+,$*-$.*/01$
!"#$%&'()*(
"#$ 23,4*$
!#$ !#$ (#$
!"#$ 56$
(#$
7809+890$
%#$
:4;;<*3+,$
(#$ =*>0*+$+9-9++3;$
!"#$
?@4AB8C$D3B980$
&'#$
=4+9>0$E34;$
%#$
F9;;*G$H3C9A$

78A/+38>9$

H+480$


Nov 09
!"#$%&$'()*( ,-./$-0$1-234$
!#$ +#$ 56/7-$
!#$ "#$
!"#$ 89$
*#$
:;3<.;<3$
)#$
=7>>?-6./$
(#$ @-A3-.$.<0<..6>$
!%#$
BC7DE;F$G6E<;3$
&'#$
"#$ @7.<A3$H67>$

I<>>-J$K6F<D$

:;D2.6;A<$

K.7;3$


Dec 09
!"#"$%"&'()' ,-./$-0$1-234$
!#$
!#$ "#$ 56/7-$
+#$
!"#$
*#$ 89$

)#$ :;3<.;<3$

=7>>?-6./$
&#$
@-A3-.$.<0<..6>$
"(#$
BC7DE;F$G6E<;3$
%&#$
'#$ @7.<A3$H67>$

I<>>-J$K6F<D$

:;D2.6;A<$

K.7;3$


Jan 2010
!"#$"%&'()' *+,-$+.$/+012$

'#$ '#$ !#$ 34-5+$
%#$
)#$ !"#$ 67$
(#$
"#$ 891:,9:1$

;5<<=+4,-$
'"#$
>+?1+,$,:.:,,4<$

@A5BC9D$E4C:91$
&#$ "%#$
>5,:?1$F45<$

G:<<+H$I4D:B$

89B0,49?:$

I,591$


It’s about the multi-faceted approach to marketing. Marketing initiatives should be
supportive of each other.

Special Guest Speaker
Mike Malley
President/CEO
Centre for Refractive Marketing (CRM)
713-839-0202
mike@refractivemarketing.com
www.refractivemarketing.com


Special Guest Speaker
Michael Dobkowski
Business Director
Glacial Multimedia
207-854-9340
michael@glacial.com
www.glacial.com


Positioning Your
Practice For Success!

The phones are ringing.
Are you ready???


“The Slight Edge”

Doing those little things correctly
today that have a huge impact down
the road

Book by Jeff Olson


Saving a dollar analogy
Going to the gym analogy

Today’s Business Mentality

• Bean counters are looking for instant results
• Cutting expenses- marketing, sales promotions
• Lack of attention to customer service
• Trying to do more with less


Immediate results on the bottom line will not have lasting positive results in procedure
volume and customer service.

If you don’t take care of
your patients, someone
else will!


Investments in sales promotion is not enough. In today’s business climate, it is imperative
that you invest in the customer service support to maximize your results.

Is Customer Service Working
For You Or Against You?

• 45% of all prospective patients DON’T have a
procedure at the ﬁrst place they call due to poor
customer service!
• An astounding 30% of all new leads are let off the
phone with NO action or way to follow up on the
lead
• In over 1000 mystery shop calls placed with the
primary focus of the call as price, we were let off the
phone in 90 seconds or less 80% of the time!

Examples

9 Phone Tips
To Better Conversions!
1.
Capture every lead routinely

2.
Ensure that calls follow a format that maximizes the potential of gaining new business

3.
Assign informed and well educated counselor’s to handle your refractive/elective calls

4.
Script your calls in advance so you can dependably predict the outcome

5.
Ensure that your staff is kind and correct on every call.

6.
Call your own office as a patient to experience and improve upon your own front office

7.
Research your competition and improve upon their style

8.
Allow your staff to answer your refractive/elective calls uninterrupted

9.
Prepare to make mistakes and accept that they will be made. The key is to learn from them
while maintaining morale which ultimately reflects on your call quality.


CEASE CRAP

Poll

Who handles your elective
surgery calls for your practice?


Let’s Listen To Some
Calls!


3 calls

The Anatomy Of A Call

• The Introduction
• Exploration- learn about the caller and
their needs
• Education- what to do next
• Closing- What is the end result of the call?


Each call should
accomplish 1 of 2 goals:
• Book an appointment
• Capture the lead if the patient does not
book
• Have a follow up plan for mining captured
leads


Poll

How do you track your patients?


Following up

• All leads need a follow up plan
• Categorize in “buckets”
• Existing patients/clients should have routine
communications regarding new services
and promotions


Don’t Fumble
At The 1 Yard Line!


Summary
• Call volume and patient interest is up for those
willing to go after it!

• Keys to success:

• Focus on creating superb customer service

• Make sure your team is capturing ALL leads
whether they book or not

• Create a follow up plan that maximizes your
investment in promotions and customer service


Thank you!
Bill Mercier
Pres/CEO OptiCall, Inc
941-893-2400
bmercier@opticall.com
www.opticall.com


Phone Trends And Conversions 2-17 2010

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