BusinessHABDental Business Success Tips: As an independent dental practitioner, it is often hard to look at your dental clinic as a business as opposed to looking at it as a service-oriented concern.
While your main concern is your patient’s well-being and satisfaction.
You must give enough attention to your office as well.
After all, the best way to bring about patient satisfaction is to ensure all procedures and services from your end are fully optimized for them!
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Dental Business Success Tips
Let’s face it: going to any doctor can be a daunting task.
But no one has seen the true face of fear like a dentist about to perform a root canal.
As a business owner, you must ensure that your customers have a positive experience in order to be successful in the current marketplace.
A comfortable, happy, returning patient is your number one priority.
At the same time, health costs are rising and there’s a lack of adequate insurance options among the plethora of choices.
If you are not appealing to your patients in all the right ways, your dental practice may be less viable than you originally thought.
Below are a few tips to make your practice more profitable.
1. IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIALTY
Being known as the best of something can be beneficial in more ways than one.
First, it enhances your profitability, as you are able to reach a niche audience that is looking for special services.
Second, it gives you marketing advantage by creating brand awareness.
If you are the best at crowns and implants, let everyone know.
Tailor all marketing materials to highlight your specialty.
This will increase new clientele and word of mouth will spread from your existing satisfied customers.
2. MANAGE TIME EXPECTATIONS
We live in a society where instant gratification is demanded and entitlement is at an all-time high.
Just as you would like your patients to not waste your time.
They don’t want their time wasted either.
They want to get in and out of their appointment quickly and be on with their busy lives.
The typical hygienist appointment should run no longer than an hour.
Make sure your team is performing within this time frame.
Have your office managers schedule patients appropriate to the amount of hygienists you have on staff and stagger them so that you never have a chair empty.
By doing so, you will be able to maximize daily patient numbers and revenue while reducing waiting times.
3. SET THE TONE FOR THE OFFICE WITH A WELCOMING FRONT DESK
Earlier I spoke about the fear that some have of the dentist.
One way to alleviate these fears is a friendly smile and welcoming words from the front desk staff.
Their smile and expression of concern can easily settle the nerves of a patient.
This staff also sets your appointments and handles business over the phone.
Make sure they are trained and well versed in the language and empathy that you would like them to convey.
Don’t forget that you are in the business of smiles.
Make sure everyone at your office has a smile and makes every patient feel welcome.
4. WORK YOUR DENTAL HYGIENISTS TO THEIR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL
Your dental hygienists spend the most time with your patients.
They are there for the day in and day out grind and understand the gears that set your practice in motion.
Having a happy, unified hygiene staff will enable you meet the demanding needs of your patients while creating an inviting office atmosphere.
Hygienists are able to interact with your patients and build a relationship.
This relationship will enable them to recommend procedures, suggestively sell services.
And teach patients preventative measures to guarantee their dental health.
As patients trust the hygienists, they are more likely to feel safe and satisfied and become repeat patients.
5. ALWAYS PRE-SCHEDULE FUTURE APPOINTMENTS
One of the biggest obstacles is getting patients back into the office for routine procedures and follow-up appointments.
Why not address this concern at their current appointment?
Having your front desk pre-schedule future appointments not only fills your books.
But also overcomes the challenge of a busy patient forgetting to schedule a follow up appointment.
It is also easier to counter objections and persuasively sell in person rather than over the phone.
6. ENFORCE A CANCELLATION POLICY
In conjunction with pre-scheduling appointments.
It’s necessary to make sure your books stay filled.
And you have ample time to fit new appointments into cancellations.
Make sure your front desk knows how you would like appointments and cancellations managed.
Print and display your cancellation policy and ensure that your patients are aware of the ramifications of a vacant slot.
Offer to call, text, or e-mail appointment reminders at each customer’s preference.
If there is a penalty for cancelling, they are more likely to give better notice or keep their appointment.
7. OFFER FINANCING OPTIONS
One of the most stressful things about visiting the dentist is that insurance companies tend to offer only partial or supplementary coverage.
Offering payment and financing options is a great way to appeal to those who need dental work.
But know their insurance coverage is inadequate.
Make your payment options known via a policy posted in the office and online.
Offer an incentive for early payments and a penalty for late ones.
If this is a feasible option for your client.
It enables you to eliminate the middleman and get paid faster than dealing with both the client and the insurance company.
8. SWAG BAG
Don’t forget the opportunity to reward your patients for their “good behavior.
And give them a little memento to remember you by.
As a child you probably received a toy or gift at the end of your dental visit.
This trick still works for adults.
Give every patient a brush, floss, or toothpaste at the end of the visit.
This shows your appreciation and furthers the conversation of preventative dental hygiene that was started at the beginning of the appointment.
This is also a great way to advertise; print your name, office, and number on these parting gifts.
And they will be a constant reminder of your practice whenever a patient goes to use them.
Throw in a pre-scheduled appointment card and everyone is good to go!
9. Expand your dental team
In order to provide a variety of services to your patients, you must consider expanding your team. This can include dentists with varied specialties, dental surgeons, dental hygienists denture specialists, etc.
For instance, simply partnering with a denture service will allow you to provide a one-stop solution to all your patients seeking implants – you can perform the extraction and the secondary service can take care of the rest!
10. Capitalize on your working hours
Sit down and think about your target customers.
For instance, ask yourself questions like, “are they also at work during my working hours?“
If that’s the case, then consider changing your working hours to accommodate your patients.
By simply changing your working hours from 10 am – 5 pm to a morning shift of 10 am – 1 pm.
And including an evening shift between 5pm to 7 pm, you don’t necessarily have to work longer hours, but merely smarter hours.
11. Adopt user-friendly scheduling solutions
Constant schedule changes, cancellations and new bookings are no secret to a dental office.
This is why it is worth investing in a digitalized scheduling system to help you manage your patients’ schedules easily and make the system as hassle-free as possible.
This way, your team members will always be able to update themselves with patient information easily, thereby optimizing the service offered to each patient individually.
By implementing scheduling software in your dental office, you will also allow your staff to be able to fit in as many appointments as possible.
By being able to view a comprehensive schedule, your teams can look for instances of cancellations or ‘no-shows’ and book additional appointments in such slots.
12. Keep a close check on your inventory
While most dentists overlook this aspect, inventory management is essential to ensure that you always have the right products and the right quantities on hand.
Monitor your inventory closely and look for patterns in terms of highly used products and vice versa to understand what exactly you need and how much of it is required.
This way, you avoid clogging up your cash flow by sitting on unwanted inventory while minimizing the risk of wrong orders or over-ordering.
Creating an inventory management system that works for your office is key.
Everything, from assigning inventory management to a single person to avoid confusion to storage details, must be thought of in order to optimize the process as far as possible.
13. Automate your billing desk
It’s no secret that patients at your dental office would rather not be there, and they don’t fail to send that message across.
Since people already associate dental offices with fear, pain, high bills, etc., why don’t you find a way to reduce the time spent on the negatives?
Automating your billing is a great way to streamline the entire process for your patient.
By installing simple software, the awful task that is billing can become exponentially easier, thereby optimizing the service time at your dental office.
14. Provide dental financing options
While we’re on the topic of billing, you already know that dentistry and related services are expensive.
And since most people who require dental services don’t usually have a comprehensive dental insurance (or insurance at all).
They tend to avoid going to the dentist. A great way to add more value to the services you offer is by creating a cost-effective financial policy for your patients and educating your patients about it.
Pro tip – Provide both long-term and short-term financing options for treatment plans.
By providing a short-term option, you will attract more patients, as the benefits will be immediate. This will prompt the patient to come back to your office again.
15. Patient referrals
When you are doing so much to ensure your practice is well-recognized and build a community, why don’t you also implement a patient referral system? Think about it!
Since people are so scared of dentists, they will almost never go to a completely unknown dentist, and will always ask for references.
So why not capitalize on such behavior by offering your existing patients a discount for referring you to someone else?
For instance, you can provide referral cards at the office.
Create a referral bonus program or simply incentive employees for every patient they bring; whatever the method, always follow-up and of course, follow through!
16. Branded merchandise
Who doesn’t love receiving something for free – especially after a huge ordeal that is the dental appointment?
In the earlier days, dentists would hand out candy to children who were well-behaved during the treatment to propagate such behavior.
Believe it or not, this trick still works! Simply offering basics like toothbrushes, dental floss or a particular type of toothpaste will not only trigger your patients’ rewards system.
But also further the conversation about dental hygieneIt’s a win-win!
Pro Tip – You can also make special merchandise with your practice’s name on it and distribute it among your patients every now and then to enhance recall!
Related: 12 Top Home Care Business in Nigeria
17. Marketing yourself
Dentistry is all about those “hard sells“ where the general public has pre-conceived negative impressions about the procedures dentists perform.
Talk to your patients; ask them about their past experiences with dentists and why they are scared of such procedures.
Then proceed to show them, both by example and through conversation.
How you and your practice are different and what you have done to avoid the “horror stories“ related to dental procedures.
Dental Business Success Tips
As you can see, there are many ways to increase and enhance your cash flow.
By leveraging dental technology, simple software solutions and leading industry practices.
You can optimize the services you offer.
All it takes is a little out-of-the-box thinking and some re-imagining.
Read also:How to Start Healthcare Insurance Business in Nigeria
18. Create an office culture
Once you’ve figured out what sets your dental practice apart.
It’s time to dive a little deeper and discover your office culture.
Even your office decor and physical environment play a role in your office culture.
Yes, discover. Your office culture already exists – you just need to find it.
It’s in your personality, your leadership style, your values.
Your systems, your behaviors, your expectations
Dental Business Success Tips
And the way staff members communicate with each other and with patients.
Essentially, it’s how you run your dental practice.
Even your office decor and physical environment play a role in your office culture.
When fined tuned, your unique way of doing things has the power to boost productivity, attract quality staff, and keep patients coming back for more.
Dental Business Success Tips
To develop and strengthen your office culture.
Gather all of your staff members and have an in-depth discussion about your dental office’s day-to-day operations.
As well as its long-term goals.
Have everyone write down what they believe to be the identifying factors, then work through them so each employee is on the same page.
When each employee is working towards the same objective.
They’ll be happier and more caring and your dental practice will thrive.
See also: 14 Steps to start Medical Equipment Sales Business in Nigeria
19. Expand your services
When it comes time to grow your patient base.
Think of ways you can expand your services to improve value.
Strengthen your competitive position, and pique the interest of prospective patients.
Maybe your production potential is limited by the size of your current dental office.
And you’re thinking of moving to a bigger space or including additional associates
Dental Business Success Tips
Maybe you’re interested in improving your clinic’s accessibility.
Or maybe you’re considering introducing new specialties to meet your community’s growing needs.
Whatever route you’re considering, make sure you don’t overextend your practice.
By striking the right balance of state-of-the–art technology and uncompromising quality.
You will become a successful dentist with a strong reputation, loyal clients, and maximized profits.
20. Flexible financial options
Every successful dentist provides patients with a wide range of payment options.
So they’ll be more inclined to accept treatment recommendations and return for ongoing dental care.
In addition to insurance coverage, convenient financial options include debit, credit, personal check and cash, plus special financing.
To ensure personal financial circumstances don’t interfere with dental health care decisions.
Read also: Top 61 Medical Practitioners Business Ideas in Nigeria
21. Remember to engage
For a dental practice, nothing matters more than being able to count on a set of loyal patients.
Who regularly visit and who would recommend the practice to their friends and family.
After all, retaining existing patients is substantially less expensive than having to put in the effort to acquire new ones.
But retaining existing patients requires more than just offering passable service, convenient hours, and an easy-to-access location.
It’s about engaging patients, reaching out to them on an emotional level, earning their trust, and creating relationships that last.
Dental Business Success Tips
Thanks to today’s digital age, there are countless opportunities for dentists to not only reach out to existing and prospective patients.
But to also connect with them on an ongoing basis.
Through cross-channel marketing, which includes a mix of direct mail, social media and email marketing.
It’s never been easier to remain at the forefront of patients’ minds.
Show them you truly care, and become the most successful dentist you can be.
Related: Top 60 Business for Medical Practitioners in Nigeria
22. Upgrade your scheduling system
A quality dental scheduling system does more than just allow you to book appointments.
It creates better patient flow, maximizes productivity.
Decreases stress for both patients and staff.
And ultimately contributes to the superior customer service that your patients expect.
That’s why you need to ensure your dental practice has the most flexible, efficient, and up-to-date scheduling software possible.
Dental Business Success Tips
23. Make sure your staff is trained
A patient’s experience begins with their first point of contact.
Which is most often a receptionist or another member of your front desk team.
In fact, your front desk team is your practice to new patient callers.
Their professionalism, attitude, and communication skills all leave a lasting impression on patients – an impression that can make or break your dental practice.
That said, professional training and continued education are essential elements of how to run a dental practice.
Make sure that each person who greets and works with your patients.
Either in person or over the phone, is trained to make the most of each patient interaction.
From advanced communication and customer service techniques to technical expertise and dental best practices.
A quality dental front desk training program will give your team the skills they need to book more appointments and improve patient satisfaction.
Patient News is a leading Dental Marketing firm dedicated to helping grow your practice.
Conclusion:
Remember that there will be some trial and error and no single solution will work for you.
You can determine the unique formula for your successful dental practice by continuously evolving.
And becoming more efficient in order to keep up with medical and patient demands.
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