Don’t worry; this is not a blog about guns or the NRA or a citizen’s right to bear arms. The triggers in this article are the indicators that clients give your team members when they talk to them on the telephone. The telephone is the most powerful piece of ammunition you have in your practice. Handled correctly it can hit the mark but handled incorrectly can result in a casualty. Nowhere is this more applicable then when your client service team member takes a call from what they would label a “phone shopper”. Ok, give me a moment to get on my horse and go on a bit of a tangent here. Yes, you HAVE and in the future WILL get a call from a true phone shopper aka price shopper. You will be able to identify them right away. They will flat out tell you that they don’t want to hear your spiel (likely what they will call it). They will tell you that they want to know the price and only the price! They will even tell you that they aren’t going to do something before you even mention it. That caller is probably a tried and true phone/price shopper. They don’t want to be educated and really are just looking for the price. They will also choose their veterinarian based on who gives them the lowest price. Now let me tell you that most callers calling your practice are not phone shoppers, they are potential clients. Did you hear that? They are potentially your next “A” client and we all know the value of our “A” clients. "A" clients want to hear our recommendations. “A” clients are compliant to what we recommend. “A” clients pay their bills willingly. We all want and need “A” clients and if you don’t recognize the triggers and make that first phone call memorable and bonding you may lose that potential “A” client to your competition down the street. Let me jump down off my horse and we will get back to discussing triggers.
Triggers are things that your client service team should think of based on the information given to them by the caller. Triggers allow the call to be bonding, educational, complete and memorable. Again, I don’t think that most people are phone shoppers. Sure we all care about the price but that doesn’t make us “D” clients or price shoppers; it makes us educated consumers who want the most value for our hard earned dollar. I love a client who wants to be educated and so that is how I approach every phone call…a potential “A” client calling me, the veterinary professional, for information and education about their beloved 4-legged family member. Simply having that thought process makes me more likely to bond with the caller than the receptionist who answers the phone with a sigh, thinking “Oh no, another phone shopper!” Next come the triggers. Let’s say the client service specialist answers the phone and after the greeting hears this from the caller, “I just got a new puppy and was wondering how much it will cost to get it fixed.” The practice that views this caller as a price/phone shopper will answer that by saying, “$250” and the call will be over. If that is how you answer that question your practice will be compared to others based on what you charge. Why? Because the caller has nothing else to compare it to. All you gave them was the price. So how do you build on this call to make it all about value? How do you educate the caller and bond them to your practice? Identify the triggers! Here is the client’s sentence again with the triggers underlined. Below are just some of the triggers and what they should trigger from your client service specialist.
I just got a new puppy and was wondering how much it would cost to get it fixed.
1. First start with the client.
a. What is the caller’s name? (Donna). Now use the name. Certainly Donna I would be happy to get that information for you. First let me ask you a few questions that will help me get you all the information you requested. Have you been to our practice before? If so then you have some of their information in your system and if not then you thank them for calling and use the same phrase as above.
2. New - Any time a caller says they got a new pet your staff’s immediate response should be CONGRATULATIONS followed by:
a. What breed? Follow up their answer with a complimentary statement. “Oh Dachshunds are so cute.”
b. What is your new puppy’s name? After they tell you, use the name during the remainder of the conversation.
3. Puppy –
a. Ask the age so you can determine what it might need based on its age.
i. Where in its vaccination series should it be?
ii. Is it old enough to be spayed/neutered?
iii. Is it old enough to receive a rabies vaccination?
b. Discuss any training classes or behavior classes that your practice offers.
c. Discuss vaccines and what they cover – you should be answering this question for the client, “Why does my puppy need this vaccine? What is the value?”
d. Explain the vaccination series. Clients need to know how many times their puppy should come to see you between such and such an age.
e. Discuss the heartworm/flea/tick preventatives your practice recommends.
f. Educate the caller on how often you recommend their puppy take the monthly prevention and why. If you recommend year round then tell the caller that they will give their puppy this pill every month for life.
4. It –
a. It means you have to ask the sex of the puppy. I have gone through countless mystery calls where I use the words “it” and “fixed” and I am given information on a male or a female but the client service specialist never asked me if I had a boy or a girl! Pay attention – don’t call a boy a girl or vice versa! We all know how clients love that.
5. Fixed –
a. By now you should know if it is a male or female and thus you can use the term spay or neuter or castration and ovariohysterectomy.
6. How much? Never, ever, ever give price before value. When you are giving your estimate for the spay or neuter you need to tell the caller about the value before the dollar figure. How do you tell them about value? Easy! Tell them everything that you include with your spay/neuter plans and more importantly tell them why. WHY=VALUE!
a. Surgical package – Do your plans include any of these things?
b. Admit with the surgical technician to review the estimate and the treatment plan for the day as well as the chance to have any questions answered.
c. Physical examination by the doctor prior to the anesthetic procedure.
d. Pre-anesthetic lab testing to test the function of the vital organs before anesthesia to ensure they are healthy enough to undergo the procedure and to be able to filter the anesthesia through the body after the surgery is complete. To identify any underlying disease and give a baseline for the future.
e. IV Catheter and fluid therapy to keep the pet hydrated during the procedure and to flush the anesthesia out of the system during recovery.
f. Do you monitor surgical patients with any special equipment? If so tell the caller about it and tell them why.
g. Do you offer pain management?
h. Do you offer a medical progress exam or suture removal appointment?
i. Do you offer a comfort call after the procedure is done?
j. What else might you offer? Whatever it is share it to add value.
7. Now comes the price. Now the caller just heard all the amazing things you offer to care for their pet and that makes the value stand out more than the price.
8. End the call by offering to schedule an appointment using 2 yes choices. Remember, it is the goal of the client service specialist to convert clients from the telephone to the front door.
9. Offer to send a practice brochure. The more they know about you and your practice the better.
10. Advise the caller of your web site. Callers can learn so much from your web site and it takes you no time at all to give them your www…
This is just the tip of the iceberg of triggers and making the next potential “A” client call a memorable one but it is the perfect place to start!
Happy Easter! Donna
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