A question for those who work in Dental Office....?

~ I am a client relations specialist,,,my job is to make sure our clients (Dentists) and their pts are satisfied with the quality and service our Dental Lab provides. I spend my day at work making many phone calls to the Drs. offices to follow up on case restorations we do for them. Most offices are sooo very nice and helpfull, but there are a handfull that really act like the Gate Keeper, they do not let me talk to Dr, or Assistant or Office Manager. They wont even take a message they just say call back. What can I do to let the office know that I am not a "sales person" I am truley calling to make sure Dr is getting everything from our lab that he/she expects. The Dr and Pt are my first priority,,,but getting past the receptionist is almost impossible some times. Even when I ask them when is the best time to call, I dont want to intrupt Dr when he is with a Pt. And still I get " try calling back some other time" and they just hang up...


Any helpful hints ????

A question for those who work in Dental Office....?
I agree... someone else should be answering the phones..





The front desk staff should know which Dental Lab the office uses, so if a call comes in, it should be relayed to the dentist or an assistant. What if the call was in reference to a particular case?





You may want to include a form relating to the case that the dentist/assistant can fill out and return....and for those offices that have a 'piranha' at the front desk, let the doctor know you've been trying to call repeatedly, and left messages, with no response...





Business is business, so unless the front desk staff is paying the lab bills, they shouldn't decide which lab calls are important and which are not.........
Reply:sounds like those offices need someone else answering there phone....Try leaving a meesage with the receptionist to give to the Dr. Maybe try a mailing to the docs at those few offices letting them know you will be calling from time to time and you would like to talk with them breifly when it is good for them. Good luck
Reply:That's lame, they should care enough to establish a great professional relationship. The labs are a big part of the success/failure of a case. In order to provide the best outcome they should communicate often. There are alot of bitchy receptionists. They feel empowered by restricting people or telling them what they should do. Its mainly due to lack of intelligence, education,tact, and the fact that they are insigificant everywhere else in their life. I always fire/never hire these type of employees. Request an appt with the dr. let him know about the hang ups and ask him/her if they would want patients treated this way. They shouldn't emply people like this its tacky. They are not too important to speak with you. Maybe you could also e-mail a letter