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Making the Call by Amy Stafford

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Making the Call 

How to conduct “secret shopper” calls to ensure your practice offers five-star service

by Amy Stafford

In today’s competitive orthodontic market, delivering an exceptional patient experience is more critical than ever. First impressions are solidified during the initial phone call, making it essential for practices to ensure every interaction is positive, informative and engaging. One effective way to evaluate and improve these interactions is by conducting your own secret shopper calls. This article will guide you through the process, addressing specifically the new-patient call experience, while also highlighting the impact of missed calls and providing an audit outline to assess your practice’s performance.

The patient phone experience is a critical touchpoint in an orthodontic practice. For new patients, the initial phone call is often their first direct interaction with your office, setting the tone for their entire journey with your practice. For existing patients, the phone experience can reinforce trust and satisfaction or, conversely, lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. The quality of these interactions can significantly influence a patient’s decision to book an appointment, continue treatment or recommend your practice to others.


Conducting a secret shopper call
A secret shopper call is an anonymous evaluation of your practice’s phone experience, conducted by you or a trusted colleague. The goal is to assess how your team handles inquiries, provides information and represents your practice over the phone. Here’s how to conduct an effective secret shopper call.

1. Plan the call scenario
Have you ever dreamed of a starring role? Here’s your chance! Invent a realistic patient identity. Include a name, address, phone number, date of birth, email, dental concerns and referring dentist.

2. Make the call
Call and act as a prospective patient interested in starting orthodontic treatment. Evaluate how well the staff introduces the practice, provides information about treatment options, and handles questions about pricing, insurance and payment plans.
  • Timing: Conduct the call during peak hours to evaluate how the team performs under pressure. Alternatively, call during off-hours to assess if the level of service remains consistent.
  • Recording: If permissible, record the call for later review. This allows you to analyze the interaction in detail and share it with your team during training sessions.

3. Evaluate outgoing new-patient phone calls
To evaluate how your team replies to online consultation requests, start with #1 above and then submit a new-patient inquiry via your website. Save any automated email responses for later review.
  • Phone follow-up: Let the initial call go to voicemail. Assess the voicemail message quality. Note if a second call attempt is made within 48 hours.
  • Return the call: If no second call is received, call your practice back. Record the call using Vidyard, Zoom or a similar tool.
  • Book a consultation: Schedule a free consultation if available. Choose a date at least two weeks out.
  • Cancel the appointment: Don’t forget to cancel your fake consultation. Assess the cancellation process.

4. Evaluate for professionalism and for a personal touch
  • Greeting and tone: Was the call answered promptly and with a friendly, professional greeting? Did the staff member introduce themselves and the practice? Did they use the doctor’s name?
  • Knowledge and communication: Did the staff member provide clear and accurate information? Were they able to answer your questions confidently and without hesitation?
  • Personalization and engagement: Did the staff member take the time to personalize the interaction, such as using your name or asking about your specific needs? Did they express genuine interest in helping you?
  • Follow-up: Did the staff member offer to schedule an appointment or provide additional information? Was there a clear and professional closing to the call?

The impact of missed calls
Missed calls represent lost opportunities. In an orthodontic practice, each missed call could mean a potential new patient choosing a competitor or an existing patient feeling undervalued. Here’s how missed calls can affect your practice:
  • Lost revenue: Each missed call could be a missed opportunity to book a consultation or a follow-up appointment, directly affecting your revenue.
  • Patient dissatisfaction: Existing patients may feel neglected if their calls are not answered promptly, leading to dissatisfaction and potentially damaging word of mouth.
  • Negative online reviews: Frustrated patients or prospective patients who can’t get through may leave negative reviews online, harming your practice’s reputation.

Audit outline: Evaluating your call performance
To systematically assess your practice’s phone interactions, use the following audit outline.
Call response time:
  • How quickly are calls answered?
  • Are there excessive wait times during peak hours?
Greeting and introduction:
  • Is the staff member’s greeting professional and welcoming?
  • Do they introduce themselves and the practice?
Information and communication:
  • Is the staff knowledgeable about services, pricing and insurance?
  • Are they able to answer questions clearly and accurately?
Personalization:
  • Does the staff member personalize the interaction?
  • Are they engaging and empathetic?
Call closure and follow-up:
  • Does the call end with a clear plan of action (e.g., scheduling an appointment)?
  • Is there an offer for follow-up or additional assistance?
Missed calls:
  • How many calls are missed during peak and off-peak hours?
  • Are missed calls being returned promptly?

Reviewing and scoring: Elevating your lead journey
This exercise is about improving patient care and practice efficiency. Use the insights gained to enhance your new patient process and deliver truly exceptional service. Establishing a baseline is crucial for improvement.

Score card: Rate each element from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)
Inquiry section/form on website: Consider the user experience when finding the form, filling it in and pushing submit. Is there anything that you noticed that could have improved your experience in any way?

Email confirmation: The most powerful autoresponder you have! This is your chance to make a lasting impression on your potential patients, so make sure your automated email appointment confirmations stand out with:
  • A beautiful, on-brand design.
  • Real-life practice images. (No stock images.)
  • Your United States Postal Service easily communicated.
  • Added value.
Call-back voice messages: Submissions that happen during business hours should get a call back within 10 minutes; immediacy is an important factor in the consumer journey. If you can’t achieve 10 minutes, within two hours or at least before the end of the same day is a must if you want to convert your lead into a patient. (If you don’t, the orthodontist down the road will!)

If a call back is made, evaluate the quality of the voice message that is left. Consider the tone, language used, and overall experience.

Attempted call follow-up email: In addition to a call back, your lead should also receive an email follow-up, letting the potential patient know that a call-back attempt was made. Evaluate that email for overall tone, format and language used.

Consultation confirmation email: Review the information that was provided in the confirmation email. Did it add value or was it just another email? Was the new patient paperwork included in one email, or was it sent separately (or not at all)? How could the email be improved?

Cancellation confirmation email: Review the language used in the cancellation confirmation email. Was the email ever sent? Does the email add value that encourages or makes it easy to reschedule the consultation? How could the email be improved?

A cohesive brand experience across all touchpoints builds trust and reinforces your practice’s unique identity. This holistic review ensures that from the first click to the final follow-up, patients experience a consistent, authentic representation of your brand.

By regularly assessing your brand alignment and consistently evaluating your lead journey, you’ll create a powerful, unified patient experience that truly represents your practice’s values and stands out in the competitive orthodontic market. Share the results with your team.


Review, revise, reignite
Empower your team with clear insights to elevate your practice’s performance. Your potential patients deserve five-star treatment from their first interaction. Discuss the experience with the team, why it was conducted and the goals for conducting this exercise.
  • Discuss the strengths of the process as well as the opportunities. Provide screenshots for visual learners, along with key notes on what areas should be improved.
  • Provide the team with an overall experience rating on a scale of one to five to make it clear to the team where the current experience stands in terms of the overall expectations.
  • Share an action plan with steps and suggestions on what to do next, and how each of the stages in the new patient intake process can be improved.

Action plan
  • Immediately implement a plan for missed calls. Cover phones during lunch and breaks.
  • Identify the top three areas for improvement.
  • Develop strategies to address these areas.
  • Set a timeline for implementation and next review.

Conclusion
Conducting your own secret shopper calls is a powerful tool to gain insights into your practice’s phone experience. By regularly auditing your interactions, you can identify areas for improvement, train your staff more effectively and ultimately enhance the patient experience. Every call is an opportunity to build a positive relationship with your patients—don’t let it go unanswered. Your patients are your biggest marketing tool. By providing a five-star experience from the first interaction, you’re not just gaining patients, you’re creating advocates for your practice.
Author Bio
Amy Stafford Amy Stafford, North American director for The Invisible Orthodontist, has dedicated almost 30 years to the orthodontic profession, a journey that began as a part-time summer job and grew into a lifelong passion. Stafford’s career has spanned roles from traveling nationally as a software and team trainer to in-practice positions as a records assistant, clinical assistant, treatment coordinator, marketing director, and leadership positions in management and business development. She was named SureSmile Treatment Coordinator of the Year and earned Disney Customer Experience Certification.


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September 2025
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