5 tips to help your business grow

By Jana Berghoff, RDH

Dental practices of all sizes are looking for ways to save money and grow their businesses. Small practices may have small budgets and few resources, and therefore should be sure to make efficiency and business building top priorities. From my experience working with both large and small dental practices, I have found that it is important for small practices to take specific measures in order to ensure they are successful. The following are five simple tactics for increasing your practice’s efficiency and marketing efforts.

1. Streamline your front desk. Evaluating tasks performed on a daily basis is a great place to start when searching for places to increase practice efficiency. Practice management software such as Eaglesoft from Patterson Dental (www.eaglesoft.net) can help your practice be more efficient. Here are some of the ways practice management software can simplify daily tasks:
• Line item accounting allows for answering account questions quickly.
• Electronic services such as eStatements, eClaims, and eReminders are big timesavers.
• Patient notes and treatment plans entered into the computer software allow for informed conversations with patients without taking time to pull paper charts.
• Computerized scheduling allows for easy tracking of appointments and easy access to short call lists to keep schedules full.
• Computerized insurance estimation and explanation of benefit recording are more accurate and reduce “on hold” time with insurance companies.

2. Get involved in social media. With Google’s announcement of new social search functions, this has never been more important. Now, when patients or potential patients search for your practice, results from various social media platforms will appear, along with suggestions based on what others are searching. Along with increasing your Search Engine Optimization, social media can help you:
• Showcase your practice.
• Engage in conversations with patients.
• Listen to what others are saying about your practice.
• Stay up-to-date on industry news and trends from manufacturers and publications.
• Share your industry knowledge.
• Drive visitors to your website.

3. Use patient testimonials. Your patients should be one of your practice’s greatest assets. Create a patient referral program to encourage word of mouth marketing, a proven business builder. Here are some easy steps to take when starting a referral program:
• Ask patients to refer others after they have had an exceptional appointment/procedure.
• Educate your staff on the importance of referrals.
• Post your patient testimonials on your website, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Send regular e-mails (i.e., monthly or quarterly) with updates and new information about your practice.

4. Take a second look at your inventory. Revisit how your inventory is organized and modify your ordering to reduce waste:
• Look at the last three years and make modifications to your ordering. Are you stockpiling office supplies? Are you throwing away expired products? A close look at your inventory can eliminate these issues.
• Consider using multi-functional dental materials to reduce inventory.
• Reorganize your instruments and materials to increase efficiency.
• Develop a solid working relationship with your dental supplier to hear about specials and new products on the market.

5. Increase patient education. Thorough patient education leads to higher acceptance of treatment plans and increased revenue opportunities. Increasing your patient education efforts can be as simple as:
• Educating staff on the importance of patient education.
• Including time in each appointment to explain to the patient the purpose of the treatment or procedure. Consider chairside video presentations such as those offered by CAESY Patient Education Systems (www.caesy.com).
• Educating patients on other services offered, e.g., cosmetic procedures. Consider reception area programming such as CAESY Smile Channel to educate and entertain patients in the waiting room.

Jana Berghoff, RDH, is a Patterson Technology representative with more than 30 years of experience in the dental profession. Initially trained as a dental hygienist at Northwestern University School of Dentistry in Chicago, she spent time in the clinical setting learning the ropes of patient care. She soon found herself moving into office/staff management positions. As an office administrator, she worked with and was trained on several different dental software programs and found she liked working with computers. She refocused her career and started working with Patterson Dental.