It is 11:40 on a Tuesday. The phone rings. Your CA is checking out one patient, rescheduling another, and answering with the phone wedged against her shoulder. The caller asks, "How much is an adjustment?" She quotes the price. The caller says, "Okay, thanks, I'll call back." He never does. That call cost you real money to generate — through ads, SEO, referrals, or a sign out front — and it ended in about forty seconds with nothing on the schedule.
We listen to a lot of front desk calls at Brand Chiro, and this exact sequence is the most common way practices lose new patients. Not bad ads. Not a weak website. A phone call that treated a nervous person like a price-check. This post gives you the script that fixes it, the reasoning behind each line, and a way to know whether it is actually being used.
What the call is actually for
The person calling has already decided to consider chiropractic care. They found you, picked up the phone, and dialed. The marketing worked. The only job left is to convert intent into a booked time — and every call that ends without one quietly inflates your acquisition cost, a problem we broke down in what a new patient actually costs.
So the call has one goal: book the appointment. Not educate the caller on techniques. Not read the fee schedule. Not answer every question fully before asking for a time. Book the appointment, on this call, with kindness and without pressure. Everything in the script serves that goal.
The five jobs of a new patient call
Before the word-for-word version, here is what the call has to accomplish, in order. If your CA hits all five, the exact wording matters less.
- Answer well. Practice name, CA's name, and a question that hands the caller the floor.
- Get their name and use it. It changes the tone of the whole call.
- Ask why they called. One open question about what is going on, and thirty seconds of actual listening.
- Connect their problem to the visit. "That is exactly what the doctor looks at on a first visit" — not a diagnosis, not a promise of results.
- Offer two times, not a yes/no. "I have Thursday at 3:40 or Friday at 9:20 — which works better?" beats "Would you like to schedule?" every time.
The script, word for word
Hand this to your front desk today. The wording is deliberately plain. It should sound like a helpful human, not a call center.
Thank you for calling Smith Family Chiropractic, this is Dana. How can I help you today?— The greeting
I can absolutely help with that. Can I get your name first? ... Thanks, Mark. And have you been to a chiropractor before, or would this be your first visit?— Name and context
So I can point you in the right direction — what's going on that made you call today? ... How long has that been bothering you?— The open question
I'm glad you called. That's exactly the kind of thing Dr. Smith looks at on a first visit. The first appointment is a consultation and exam, it takes about 45 minutes, and you'll leave knowing what's going on and what your options are. I have Thursday at 3:40 or Friday morning at 9:20 — which one works better for you?— The bridge and the two-option close
Perfect, you're set for Thursday at 3:40. I'm texting you a confirmation and a short intake form right now — filling it out ahead of time saves you about ten minutes in the office. If anything changes, just reply to that text. We'll see you Thursday, Mark.— The lock-in
Notice what is missing. No fee schedule recited unprompted. No lecture on subluxation. No "the doctor's schedule is pretty full," which reads as either arrogance or a lie. And no medical claims — the CA promises an exam and answers, which the visit can actually deliver, not relief, which nobody can promise on the phone.
How to answer the price question
"How much is an adjustment?" is the question that sinks most calls. The caller asks it because it is the only question they know to ask. Answering with a bare number invites a comparison-shopping hang-up; dodging it entirely feels evasive and burns trust. The move is to answer honestly, briefly, and then return to their situation.
Great question. A first visit — the consultation and exam — is $65. What happens after that depends on what the doctor finds, and he'll go over any costs with you before you commit to anything. Can I ask what's going on, so I can make sure we get you the right amount of time?— The price answer
One honest number, one reassurance that there are no surprise costs, one pivot back to them. If you run a time-of-service cash practice, say so plainly — callers respect clarity. If you take insurance, offer a benefits check as a reason to collect their details: "If you give me your date of birth and insurance info, we'll verify your coverage before you come in, so there are no surprises." Now a price call has become a booked appointment with completed paperwork.
The objections you will hear every week
Most "objections" are not refusals. They are a nervous person asking for one more reason to say yes. Here are the four your desk will hear weekly, what each one usually means, and a response that keeps the call moving.
| What they say | What it usually means | What to say |
|---|---|---|
| "I need to check my schedule and call back." | They are hesitant, not busy. | "Of course. Let's pencil in Thursday at 3:40 — if it doesn't work, reply to the confirmation text and we'll move it. That way you don't lose the slot." |
| "I need to talk to my spouse first." | Usually about money. | "That makes sense. The first visit is $65 and you're not committing to anything beyond it. Want me to hold Friday at 9:20 while you check?" |
| "Do you take my insurance?" | Fear of a surprise bill. | "Let me verify that for you before your visit so you know exactly where you stand. Can I grab your date of birth and the info on your card?" |
| "I'm not sure a chiropractor can help me." | They want reassurance without a sales pitch. | "That's exactly what the first visit answers. The doctor examines you, and if this isn't something we treat, he'll tell you and point you to the right provider." |
That last line matters. Telling callers the doctor will refer out when appropriate is honest, it is compliant, and it books more appointments than any promise ever will, because it removes the caller's fear of being sold to.
Speed matters as much as the script
A perfect script does nothing for the calls that go to voicemail, and the pattern we see in client work is blunt: web leads and missed calls go cold within the first hour, and callers who reach voicemail simply dial the next practice on the map. We covered why in the 5-minute rule. The fix is partly staffing — protect the phone during lunch rushes — and partly systems: missed-call text-back, online booking for after-hours callers, and fast follow-up on form fills. This is one of the jobs ChiroOS was built for, so a Tuesday lunch rush doesn't decide your conversion rate.
Train it, then measure it
A script in a drawer is decoration. Two things make it real. First, role-play it: ten minutes at your weekly team meeting, with the doctor playing the difficult caller. It is awkward for exactly two sessions, and then it is normal. Second, track it. You cannot manage a booking rate you never see, so add two numbers to the front desk metrics you review weekly: new patient calls received, and new patient calls that ended with an appointment. Expect the honest baseline to be lower than everyone guesses. That is not a reason to blame your CA — answering phones while running a front desk is a hard job. It is a reason to give her a script, protected phone coverage, and praise when the number moves.
Give it six weeks before judging results. Habits on the phone change slower than wording on a page.
What to do this week
- Print the script above, edit the names and the first-visit fee, and put it next to every phone by Friday.
- Agree on one answer to the price question and have your compliance advisor sanity-check any advertised offer attached to it.
- Start counting: new patient calls in, appointments booked, every week.
- Role-play the price question and the "I'll call back" objection at your next team meeting.
- Close the leaks around the script — voicemail, lunch hours, after-hours web leads — with text-back and online booking.
None of this requires new ad spend. It makes the marketing you already pay for stop leaking at the last step. If you want help wiring up the systems around the script — call tracking, missed-call text-back, and follow-up that doesn't depend on a heroic front desk — book a free strategy call and we'll walk through your numbers together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I answer "how much is an adjustment?" without losing the caller?
Give one honest number for the first visit, reassure them that all costs are explained before they commit to anything, and then ask what is going on with them. Callers hang up on evasion and on bare price quotes; they book with people who answer plainly and then show interest in their problem.
Should the front desk quote care plan prices over the phone?
No. Quote the first visit only, because that is the only thing the caller can actually buy today. Care plan costs depend on the exam findings, and quoting ranges over the phone anchors the caller to a number before anyone knows what they need. Say that the doctor reviews all costs before any commitment.
What booking rate should a chiropractic front desk aim for on new patient calls?
There is no universal benchmark worth trusting, and anyone quoting one is guessing. What matters is measuring your own: count new patient calls and booked appointments weekly, establish your baseline, and work the script and role-play until the ratio climbs. Most practices are surprised by how low the starting number is.
Is it legal to record front desk calls for training?
It depends on your state. Some states require only one party's consent, others require every party on the call to consent, which in practice means a disclosure at the start of the call. Because callers often share health information, treat recordings as protected data under HIPAA and confirm your setup with your compliance advisor before you hit record.