A missed call is a missed opportunity. It’s that simple.

Here’s a scenario that might get you thinking about how important every call can be. A new person calls you from finding your website, or seeing your business, or possibly a casual referral. You don’t answer. What happens next? They leave a message (if your voicemail isn’t full) and don’t hear from you for several hours or maybe even a day. At this point they may have called elsewhere and you have missed the opportunity to treat that patient.

That opportunity could have provided you with a loyal client that comes weekly for 6-10 weeks or more. So in essence you may have missed the opportunity to make $500 or more from that one missed call. So let’s say that happens to you 10 times per year. Well you just lost at least $5000 in potential income.

If that client turns into a referring client then that income may double or even triple from you acquiring that one client from that one phone call. Now we are talking about missing out on $15,000 or more. That’s a really big deal when you stop to think about it. It’s not only a missed call…. it’s a missed opportunity to capitalize on your services.

In our clinic we get so many calls coming in from the website, referrals, and insurance networks. If we hadn’t had staff to pick up those calls we’d have lost thousands of dollars in service fees. When you are first starting out it’s easy to say “I can’t afford reception help” at this point or “I just can’t justify paying someone to answer my phones when I can do it myself”. But the truth is that if you are treating clients, you can’t answer your phone and make the necessary call backs in a timely manner and this can cause you to loose business. A basic rule is that you should have some help with your phones if you are treating at least 18 clients per week or running two rooms per hour. If you get that new referring client from at least one phone call that you may have missed, it will pay for itself.

If you are thinking you can’t afford to hire someone to answer your calls, you should be reminding yourself that you can’t afford to miss those opportunities.

Read about how we can help you by offering affordable virtual reception services for your acupuncture practice. This option can save you up to 75% on your reception fees. Read more articles that can inspire your business. Consider using online booking so that clients can book without making a call. Check out our resources for programs and coaches that can help you streamline your practice.