What should we say when a caller only asks what LASIK costs?
By the Margin Media team · Updated
When a caller only asks what LASIK costs, a practice should answer honestly in whatever way its own policy allows, then ask a question back and offer a consultation. Price is the question people ask when they do not know what else to ask. Treating the caller as a time-waster ends a call that might have become a patient.
Why do callers lead with price?
They lead with price because it is the only question a newcomer can put into words. They do not yet know what to ask about suitability, the surgeon or the consultation. So they ask the one thing that sounds sensible. The practice hears a price shopper. The caller was simply starting a conversation.
What should the front desk do on that call?
The front desk should follow a written policy, so every caller gets the same honest answer whoever picks up. Decide the policy as a practice, then keep the call moving.
- Give the answer your practice has agreed, whether that is a figure, a range or an explanation of why it depends.
- Ask one question back, such as what prompted them to look into it now.
- Explain what the consultation is and what they will know after it.
- Offer two specific consultation times instead of asking them to call back.
- Take a name and number before the call ends, and ask if you may follow up.
What should you avoid?
Avoid dodging and avoid guessing. A flat refusal to discuss price sounds like something is being hidden. A number given without knowing anything about the patient may be wrong for them. Say what you can say truthfully, and be clear that the consultation is where a figure for them comes from.
How does Margin handle price questions for a LASIK practice?
What callers are told about price and financing is gone through for your practice on the audit, before anything is built: what you want said, and what should wait for the consultation. Mia, Margin's AI receptionist, does not guess. Anything she should not answer goes to your team as a short list of people to call back, with the conversation attached.
What she can do on every call is offer a consultation time and book it onto the portal calendar. Callers who do not book are followed up by text once carriers approve your number.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Mia, the AI receptionist, on every call
- Booking onto your calendar
- Follow-up until they book or say no
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
How Margin works for cosmetic and elective medical practicesSee the portal with a sample businessThe Surgery Accelerator, for plastic surgeons
Related questions
Should a LASIK practice give prices over the phone?
That is the practice's own decision, and either choice can work if it is applied the same way every time. What matters for a LASIK practice is that the call does not end at the price: offer the consultation before hanging up.
Are price shoppers worth a LASIK practice's time?
You cannot tell on the first call. A caller asking a LASIK practice about cost may be comparing three clinics or may simply not know what else to ask. A short, friendly answer and a consultation offer takes a minute either way.
How do I stop my front desk giving different answers about LASIK pricing?
Write the answer down. A LASIK practice should agree one short script for the price question, including what to say about financing and what the consultation covers, and make sure whoever answers the phone uses it.