How to Plan a Week of Referring Office Visits
Plan referring office visits once a week, on Monday, by pulling four lists from your referral numbers: offices trending up, offices trending down or gone quiet, new offices and dentists nearby, and follow ups you already promised. Then group those stops by the message you're bringing, route each day so you aren't crossing town twice, and log a one line note after every stop so Friday's recap takes five minutes.
Why plan the week instead of the day?
Daily planning turns into driving to whoever is closest or whoever you saw last. A weekly plan makes sure the offices that need you most get a slot before the week fills up with lunches and drop offs.
It also matches what dentists say they value. In an AAO Foundation funded survey of general dentists, Lee and Jacox found that patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes mattered most in the working relationship, and that improved communication was the best way to boost referrals. Steady visits are part of that communication.
What should go on Monday's list?
Pull your referral report for last month and the same window before it, then sort offices into four buckets.
| Bucket | Who belongs here | Why they get a visit |
|---|---|---|
| Trending up | Offices that sent more than usual | Say thank you while it's fresh |
| Trending down or quiet | Offices that slowed or sent nothing in a few months | Check in early, before a dip becomes a habit |
| New nearby | A new dental office, or a new dentist at an office you know | Introduce yourself before another orthodontist does |
| Follow ups due | Anything you promised: a dropped off pad, a lunch date, an answer to a question | Keep your word |
The quiet bucket deserves the most care. A drop doesn't always mean a dentist is unhappy. Sometimes a new associate started, a front desk person left, or patients from that office ended up somewhere closer. If you want a checklist for those visits, see why a dentist stops referring.
How do you group stops so the day flows?
Group by message first, then by geography. A rep who spends Tuesday only on thank yous and Wednesday only on check ins keeps the same tone all day, brings the same things, and doesn't switch gears in the parking lot.
A simple week might look like this:
- Monday: Build the list and book anything that needs a reservation, like a lunch.
- Tuesday, thank you day: Offices trending up. Bring something small and say exactly what you're thanking them for, without patient details.
- Wednesday, check in day: Offices trending down or quiet. Bring the same small treat you'd bring anyone, and keep the focus on listening. Ask how things are going and whether anything changed on their side.
- Thursday, welcome day: New offices and new dentists at offices you know. Bring a referral pad, a card with a direct number, and a short introduction.
- Friday morning: Follow ups and anything that slipped, then the recap.
Within each day, cluster stops by area so more of your time goes to conversations and less to driving.
How do you build the route without retyping addresses?
Start from how much time you have, not how many stops you want. If you have three hours, a realistic plan counts drive time between stops plus the time you actually spend inside each office. Pick the stops your list ranks highest until the time runs out, put them in driving order, and open the whole route in your phone's maps app so you aren't typing addresses at red lights. Save each office's address in your maps app once, then build the day's route from those saved places.
Occlu's Route Planner fills a route from the time you have and opens it in your phone's maps app.
What should you bring, and what should you log?
Bring what fits the day's message: a treat on thank you day, referral pads and a direct contact on welcome day. Keep anything you leave behind free of patient information.
After each stop, before you start the car, write one line:
- Who you saw (a name, not just "front desk")
- What they said, in their words if it stuck with you
- One next step with a date, such as "send the CE flyer by the 20th"
That note is what turns a drop off into a relationship. It also shapes the thank you text the doctor sends afterward; see thank you texts for referring dentists.
What goes in the Friday recap?
Keep it to a short message the doctor can read in a minute:
- Who you visited, grouped by bucket
- Anything a doctor should follow up on personally, like a call or text to a dentist who asked a clinical question
- New offices or dentists you met, and whether they seem open to referring
- Next week's top three priorities
Over a few months, those recaps show which visits moved the numbers and which offices need a different approach. That's when you can move time from the visit types that don't change anything to the ones that do.
Common questions
How many referring offices should a rep visit in a week?
There is no standard number. It depends on how many hours the role has and how spread out your offices are. Plan around the time you actually have, fill it with the offices your numbers point to first, and keep the rest for next week.
How often should we visit our top referring offices?
A simple starting rotation is to visit your closest partners about monthly and the rest every other month or so, then move any office up the list the week its referrals drop or a new dentist joins.
We can set up your Monday list for you
If you'd like this routine set up for your practice from the reports you already export, email us about becoming a founding practice.
Or email us at info@getocclu.com