It may not be the oldest profession in the world, but dentistry is up there
among the least liked profession. As a result, we dentists have to
compensate by wearing a wide smile and greeting our patients with
enthusiasm. But you’ll need more than just a friendly demeanour to run a
successful dental practice.
The day-to-day operations of your practice are just as important as the
patient experience. The operations
dental professionals at Orthosynetics
believe leaving a lasting impression on your patients considerably improves
your retention rate. It is also important that your business is organised,
uses best practices puts the patient at the centre of its practice.
Here are 6 steps to help develop a startup dental practice:
Create a unique practice
Your dental clinic is an oral health care provider, but in order to be
bigger, you must look at it as more than that. No doubt, it is a business
establishment (unless it is set up for charity), and to grow successfully,
you must identify, promote and protect your unique competitive points.
Whether it is a new technological process or a specialty skill, this unique
characteristic can set you apart from other practices in your location.
Promote these features of your business consistently across various
channels. Don’t depend on traditional advertising media alone, instead use
e-newsletters, dental postcards, ebrochures and social media marketing.
Practice professionalism
What type of image does your practice convey to its customers?
Professionalism encompasses mannerisms, typical conventions and type of
politeness a business should practise and project to its stakeholders. In
the dental setting, being unprofessional constitutes lack of discretion
among staff, improper front-desk etiquette, failing to send follow-up
messages to customers, and thanking them for patient referrals.
Be careful of exposing your ‘weaknesses’ in office management to your
patients because they are likely to remember it. Imbibe professionalism
into your practice and let your customers feel it every time they come
around.
People management
Building your new practice
successfully involves teamwork
. A standard practice has dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, facility
managers and receptionist(s). It is important that everyone is trained
sufficiently to be able to perform effectively as team members in their
duties. Organising monthly staff meetings helps to keep every member
updated on important office issues.
Recognition and celebration of excellent staff work must be practiced. This
goes a long way to keep your team members motivated and build a self-worth
from their jobs.
Expand your services
Business growth occurs when you diversify aspects of your practice to
accommodate the growing needs of patients. Identify new ways you can add
value to your service. This not only strengthens your competitive
advantage, but raises interest of potential customers. Whether you are
thinking of partnering with a specialist or acquiring a new dental
equipment, ensure the additions are relevant and capable of meeting you
community’s growing demands.
However, beware of overextending your practice. Learn to establish a
balance between cutting-edge technology and unwavering service excellence.
With this, your practice will grow to become a trustworthy one in its
niche.
Use flexible payment systems
Every successful practice affords its patients with multiple methods of
payment options. This simple approach makes them more willing to accept
treatment referrals and remain loyal customers for extended periods of
time. Besides an insurance policy, other simplified payment options include
debit, credit, personal cheque, and of course cash.
It may also be smart to prepare an exclusive payment structure for
customers with various personal financial circumstances. This makes payment
more flexible and endears them more towards your practice.
Improve your patient referrals
Growing your customer base is very important. And one reliable way to do
this is word-of-mouth (WOM) referral. In a
recent survey by Nielsen
, it was revealed that people trust recommendations from family and friends
about 92% of the time, over other marketing methods. It is therefore
imperative to incorporate a referral component in your dental practice.
Patients are often busy with activities in their own lives, so in order
encourage them to refer your practice, you must be proactive in your
approach. Hand out referral cards, include it in your newsletters, give
referral bonuses or incentivise your staff to speak more about your
practice.
Growing a dental practice from scratch isn’t an easy job, but with the
right steps in place, yours could become the go-to place for oral
healthcare and treatment in your community.