Key Takeaways

• Missed or delayed phone calls are one of the fastest ways dental practices lose new patients.
• Separating front desk duties from phone coverage can significantly improve both patient experience and staff focus.
• Virtual receptionists and AI-supported phone systems can extend availability without increasing in-office staffing pressure.
• Modern AI tools are designed to support, not replace, human staff, routing complex or urgent calls to real people.
• Improving phone responsiveness can boost patient retention, online reviews, referrals, and front desk staff retention.

In a recent episode of Beyond Bitewings, Ash sat down with Nathan Strum of Abby Connect to discuss how dental practices are rethinking the patient experience, starting with one of the most overlooked touchpoints: the phone. With more competition, higher patient expectations, and ongoing staffing challenges, the way calls are handled can directly impact new patient acquisition, retention, and even team burnout. As Nathan shared, dentists are excellent clinicians, but practice success increasingly depends on running the office with the same customer-service mindset found in other service-driven businesses.

A key theme of the conversation was the distinction between front desk responsibilities and phone coverage. In many practices, the same person is expected to greet patients in person, manage paperwork, handle scheduling, and answer every incoming call. That setup often leads to rushed interactions, missed calls, or patients being placed on hold, especially during busy times or outside normal hours. From a patient’s perspective, unanswered calls or long wait times are more than an inconvenience; they’re often a reason to call the next practice on Google or Yelp. In competitive markets, the practice that answers first frequently wins the new patient.

Nathan also emphasized how technology, particularly virtual receptionists and AI-supported phone systems, can help practices stay responsive without overloading in-office staff. Modern AI tools can now handle common questions, appointment scheduling, and after-hours calls with surprisingly natural tone and flow, while still routing more complex or urgent situations to a human. The goal isn’t replacing people but supporting them, ensuring patients get quick answers while allowing front desk teams to focus on the patients physically in the office. For dentists, this can mean fewer missed opportunities, smoother scheduling, and a more consistent patient experience from the very first interaction.

Beyond patient experience, phone coverage plays a significant role in staff retention. Constant phone interruptions add stress to front desk roles that already experience high turnover across the industry. Offloading some of that volume, at a cost that often compares favorably to hiring additional staff, can reduce burnout and improve morale. Nathan pointed out that practices that improve phone responsiveness often see benefits ripple outward: better reviews, stronger word-of-mouth referrals on platforms like Google, Nextdoor, and local Facebook groups, and a more positive internal culture.

The takeaway for dentists is clear: technology decisions around phones and scheduling aren’t just operational details, they’re growth decisions. Whether through virtual receptionists, AI-assisted scheduling, or a hybrid approach, practices that invest in being accessible, responsive, and patient-friendly from the first call are better positioned to stand out. As the episode reinforced, the patient experience doesn’t start in the chair; it starts the moment someone picks up the phone.