Phones and IT support for dental practices for your practice

A missed call could be a new patient, someone changing an appointment or an existing patient who needs help.

Without reporting, the practice may not know how many calls went unanswered or whether they were returned.

ChromeX reports can help authorised staff review information such as unanswered calls, the time and date, the number or practice contacted, queue waiting times, call volumes and activity by staff member, group or department.

Available information will depend on the reporting setup.

A clear internal process is still important. Someone should know when to check missed calls, who returns them and how the follow-up is recorded.

Chrome can help you choose reports that support that process.

Call reports can show when the practice receives the most calls and when patients wait longest.

This can help practice managers ask practical questions: does reception need more cover at certain times, are calls reaching the correct team, are the opening hours set correctly, is the call menu helping patients, could another location help during busy periods, and are voicemail messages being returned?

The answer will not always be more staff.

A change to call routes, queues or opening-hours settings may help.

Your dental practice management software may already hold the information reception staff need during a call.

ChromeX can work with supported customer and patient management systems.

Depending on the software and available connection, staff may be able to see available caller information, open the matching patient record, click a telephone number to begin a call, add call information to a record, and access contact details through both systems.

Functions differ between platforms.

We’ll check the software your practice uses, whether that is dental patient management software from a well-known provider or something built in-house, and explain what is supported before recommending anything.

Clear information can reduce uncertainty for patients and repeated work for reception.

Business text messages may help with appointment reminders, changes to opening hours, practice closures, service updates and other information agreed by the practice.

Your practice remains responsible for deciding what is suitable to send and how patient information is used.

Recorded greetings and on-hold messages can also share opening hours, other ways to contact the practice, short answers to common questions, information patients may need before an appointment, and details about relevant services.

Messages should be useful and easy to follow. They should not feel like a long sales message.

Reception staff may need to answer calls while completing other work.

ChromeX can be used through different devices and applications, including desk phones for staff who handle calls from a regular workstation, cordless phones for people who need to move around the practice while remaining reachable, wireless headsets that can help staff use a computer or make notes while speaking with a patient, desktop applications so staff can make calls, check voicemail and view recent call activity through their computer, and mobile applications so authorised staff can answer business calls away from their usual desk.

Coverage should be checked before cordless equipment is chosen.

The practice number can be shown instead of a staff member’s personal mobile number.

You’ll get equipment recommended around each role rather than everyone getting the same setup.

A dental group should not need to manage every location as a separate phone system.

ChromeX can bring users, numbers and call routes together across several practices.

Depending on the setup, teams may be able to transfer calls between locations, share busy queues, use the same internal extension plan, manage opening hours through one portal, view reporting across chosen practices and keep greetings and menus consistent.

One location may also be able to help answer calls when another becomes busy.

We’ll agree how this should work before setting up shared queues or overflow routes.

Call recording may help when there is a clear reason to listen again.

A practice might use recordings to review a complaint, check what was discussed, support staff training, understand a difficult or abusive call, or review whether an agreed process was followed.

Call recording brings data protection and employment responsibilities.

Your practice should decide why calls are recorded, who can listen and how long recordings should be kept.

Chrome can explain the technical options. Legal or compliance advice may also be needed, alongside anything expected under GDC standards or CQC requirements that apply to your practice.