Phone scripts: How to communicate with phone shoppers
Use these scripts to turn phone shoppers into clients.
Every veterinary receptionist has dealt with them: The dreaded phone shoppers. Some of them may never enter your veterinary clinic, but others could become loyal clients. Once you understand how to communicate with phone shoppers, you can begin educating them on how your practice operates and why they should rely on your team for veterinary services.
Many phone shoppers are looking for a spay/neuter estimate. Here’s how to communicate with those callers:
If the caller is a current client, you probably will pass the request to a technician to create an itemized estimate. Get the client’s preferred contact info (phone, fax, mailing address). Enter the request in the message center, then leave for a technician.
If the caller is not a client, the receptionist should explain the practice’s procedures, which may include a presurgical exam (to establish the pet as a patient) and blood work (to check body chemistries for abnormalities and to make sure the patient’s liver and kidney function is OK for anesthesia). Explain that surgical fees vary and are dependent on the pet’s individual needs at the time of surgery. If callers would like to give their name or contact information, a technician can get gather an itemized estimate, which would be valid for 30 days. If the caller just wants a dollar amount, quote the exam fee, bloodwoork fee, and surgical fee. Reiterate that fees are based on the individual needs of the pet, so that quote may vary.
All pet owners should be made aware of what fees cover, which may include IV, fluids, mechanical surgical monitoring (including monitoring by a licensed technician), sevoflurane gas anesthesia, and mandatory pain control.
Click here for a phone script you can use when communicating with current clients (.DOC file).
Click here for a phone script you can use when communicating with non-clients (.DOC file).
Phone scripts courtesy Jennifer Graham, client services team member at Bradford Hills Veterinary Hospital in Wexford, Pa.
