How to Use a New Patient Call Scorecard to Strengthen Your Front Office (and Grow with Confidence)

When a potential new patient calls your practice, you have a small window to create trust, connection, and clarity.

And here’s the reality: many people call multiple dental offices before they decide where to schedule. That means your phones are not only an operational tool — they’re a marketing and relationship-building tool, too.

In a recent mini training, Susan Leckowicz (CEO of Dental Coaches) shares a practical way to evaluate how your team is doing with new patient phone calls: a New Patient Call Scorecard.

This scorecard is designed to help you coach for growth, not point fingers — because the goal is always a stronger team and a better patient experience.

Why a New Patient Call Scorecard Matters

If you’re investing in marketing (or building word-of-mouth momentum), your phones are where those opportunities either turn into scheduled patients… or quietly disappear.

Our goal for the scorecard is simple: help you feel confident that when someone calls your practice, they will:

• Schedule an appointment

• Show up

• Arrive genuinely looking forward to meeting you and your team

That kind of confidence does not happen by chance. It comes from a consistent, coachable call experience.

The Four Key Areas the Scorecard Evaluates

The New Patient Call Scorecard focuses on four key areas your team can “hit” during every new patient call.

Here’s what Susan recommends listening for:

1) The Greeting: The First Impression

• How is the patient being greeted?

• Does the opening sound warm, confident, and welcoming?

A strong greeting sets the tone for the entire relationship.

2) Connection: Building Trust Fast

• How are we connecting with that patient?

• What motivated them to call today? 

• How do we show the patient we care about them?

Connection is what separates a practice that “takes calls” from a practice that earns loyalty. Did we convey confidence that we can help them? Did we build value for the doctor's experience? 

3) Collaboration: Guiding Them Toward Scheduling

• Creating steps to scheduling that patient

• Collaborating with them to explain how the process of becoming a new patient works in the office

This is about clarity. People feel more comfortable scheduling when they understand what will happen next.

4) Confidence + Close: “Wrapping the Call with a Bow”

• How to convince the patient that they called the right place

• What to expect when they come in and how much they’re going to enjoy being there

• How to really wrap up that call with a bow

The close is where you reinforce certainty and help them feel excited — not nervous — about coming in. 

The Scorecard Is for Coaching — Not Blame

This is not about catching people doing something wrong.
This is about evaluation, coaching, and growth.

When your team knows you’re listening to calls to support them (not criticize them), you create a culture where improvement feels safe — and progress accelerates.

How to Use This Mini Training in Your Practice (This Week)

Here’s a simple way to put the scorecard to work right away:

1. Download the scorecard

2. Log into your phone system and choose a few new patient calls

3. Listen with the scorecard in front of you

4. Meet with your team and talk through:

   • What’s working well

   • What could be stronger

   • What one change you want to practice next

Even one focused improvement can change your conversion, your show rate, and your new patient experience.

Want the new Patient Call Scorecard and help implementing it with your team? 

Click here to schedule a call.

Then, download the scorecard, listen to a few calls, and if you want guidance on how to coach it in a way that builds alignment and confidence, Dental Coaches is here to support you.