To run a successful dental office, there are tons of factors that need to align. From the finance options you provide for patients to the appearance of your waiting room, everything needs to be right from top to bottom. If it isn’t, you’ll be putting you and your team at a major disadvantage.
Stock up on the consumables you need
Generally, most dentists have a high patient turnover rate. Throughout the day, you might be seeing anywhere from 10 to 100 patients, which is a lot to deal with. This is why it is essential that you’re well stocked up on all the must use dental consumables, especially during your busiest periods of the year – whether that’s winter or summer.
Face masks and single-use disposable gloves are paramount. In addition to this, here are some other consumables you should stock up on:
- Saliva ejectors
- Bibs
- Cups (for mouthwash)
- Hand towels
- Antibacterial surface wipes
The batch numbers you order should take into account existing patient numbers and future forecasts. This way, you’ll never experience the nightmare situation of being low on stock.
Focus on digital marketing
To run a successful dental practice, it’s not always about what happens on the inside of your office – it’s what happens on the outside. Specifically, it’s what happens with your marketing.
These days, lots of individuals and families are seeking dental plants that suit their personal needs. Therefore, it’s important that you and your team focus on digital marketing so that you can attract new patients to your dental office. After all, the days of word-of-mouth are coming to an end. Now, everything is digital.
Primarily, your digital marketing should be done through your website, social media pages, and sponsored ads. Your website and social media pages are particularly important, as you can use them to post interesting and fun content that projects the warmth of your office. You can also use these platforms to post your latest news as well as pricing options and client reviews.
Provide follow-up appointments
Next up in this guide: follow-up appointments.
Follow-up appointments (either for free or at a reduced cost) are a great way to make patients feel cared for and part of your office family. In today’s modern age, you can even provide follow-up appointments through quick and efficient video calls – like most doctors are now doing. Naturally, you are limited in how you can examine your patients due to them not being with you in person, but video calls are perfect for patient cases that are not urgent.
Open for one Saturday each month
The majority of dental offices close over the weekend. However, due to the nature of modern life, a lot of people don’t have time for dentist appointments during the week. This is why it’s a good idea to open your practice for at least one Saturday a month (with rotating staff), so as to ensure that more people have the opportunity to come and visit you.
Lastly, make patients comfortable
As every dental office knows, a large amount of people fear going to the dentist. This is why it’s important to make your patients comfortable from the second they walk into your office. From friendly greetings to plenty of listening, putting your patients at ease will increase their loyalty and really help to boost your practice moving forward.
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