Dentaltown February 2022 - 14

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It's time to consider a future that includes fewer
team members. The world is fi xated on working from
home, but dentistry is a service business that offers only
limited options for remote work.
The pandemic has been especially difficult for
service businesses because they rely on people to
deliver that service. By now, you've likely seen how
staff shortages affect restaurants, stores and coffee
shops in your community. Because necessity is the
mother of invention, many businesses are adapting to
deal with these challenges: Stores and restaurants alike
have begun allowing customers to order and pay online
before picking up their purchases, and some restaurants
are taking orders through kiosks instead of cashiers.
What can we do in dentistry to adapt? Our fi rst line
of defense is to keep patients informed: They've seen
similar messages at local businesses, asking for patience
as the team does its best with fewer members. This is a
short-term solution, but you might be pleasantly surprised
at how understanding patients can be in these times.
The next level of response involves embracing various
tech solutions to transition your offi ce to a point where it
can handle the usual workload with fewer human hands
in the mix. This doesn't mean your level of service has
to suffer-you just need to implement these things in
the spirit of removing repetitive tasks and freeing team
members to inject personality into their work.
Luckily, many solutions can help make your offi ce
more effi cient with fewer human hours:
* Appointment reminder software. This falls
under the category of technology that everyone
should be using, and there are many options to
choose from. At minimum, the software should
provide appointment reminders
via email and text, with options
for patients to confi rm without
an unnecessary call to the offi ce.
Bonus points if you can send
messages to patients to fi ll vacant
appointments and make automated
phone calls to confi rm patients
without an email address or phone
number on fi le.
by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director
14 FEBRUARY 2022 // dentaltown.com
* Digital statements. Most practice management
software can send digital statements to patients
and provide them with a link to pay their bills
online. Stop printing and mailing statements that
require manual processing when the payments
are returned.
* Online scheduling. This is technology that has
fi nally reached the mainstream: You've had
patients asking for this feature-or at the very
least, looking for it on your website. Not all
dental appointments can be scheduled this way,
but you might have new patients surfi ng your
website at night who are ready and willing to
schedule. This leads me to my next item. ...
* Chat feature on your website. My practice
website uses Simplifeye's live chat tool. I was
admittedly skeptical at fi rst, but I'm continually
amazed at how many new and existing patients
regularly use this feature. This type of interaction
allows data to be collected so your team can
respond when they have time, rather than having
a lengthy phone call.
* Electronic payments (EFT, ERA and EOB).
Insurance payments have had digital options for
some time now. The time saved with payment
processing, bank deposits and data entry in your
practice management software is incredible. If
you haven't incorporated this into your practice,
the time to start is now.
The last item for consideration is the menu of
services in your practice. Look for procedures that can
be done in fewer visits-clear aligners, in-offi ce milling
and digital dentures. I recently started using Philips
Zoom Delivered, a teeth-whitening option that allows
you to scan your patient in the offi ce and have the trays
and bleaching gel delivered to their home. This saves
the staff the time of fabricating trays and eliminates a
second appointment.
Do you have a change to share that's made your
offi ce more effi cient? Please share in the comments
under this article online. I can also be reached via email
at tom@dentaltown.com. ■
http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown February 2022

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