Dentists across the country are struggling to find qualified employees. A May poll from the ADA Health Policy Institute found that more than 70% of owner dentists say recruiting administrative staff was extremely or very challenging right now, and the difficulty is even greater for hiring hygienists and dental assistants.
Many people say they are leaving their jobs because of burnout, stress, and anxiety. Unfortunately, the resignations are making it harder for the employees left behind. It becomes a vicious cycle where the remaining employees are left feeling overworked and overwhelmed, and then they may consider a career change, too.
Fortunately, modern technology can ease the burden on the team, streamline operations, and increase practice profitability.
Implementing technology into current workflows
The key is to identify the technology that will save your team time and can be easily implemented into the practice’s current workflows.
Most dental practices have already made the switch to digital radiography and many are easing into electronic patient charting and AI-assisted diagnostic software.
There are also digital solutions to help the front desk team improve efficiency and create a seamless patient experience. From simplifying the scheduling and billing processes to using text messaging and other technology to re-engage and reactivate patients, there are simple, cost-effective ways to streamline operations.
Today’s patients want convenient solutions
The pandemic accelerated technology adoption across all ages and demographics. Amazon’s profits increased almost 200% during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic as more people than ever shopped online.
Just think about how Amazon has changed consumer behavior. The idea of store hours disappeared; people like being able to go online any time of the day or night to browse and purchase. They love being able to enter their credit card or bank information once, and then having it on file so they can pay with the click of a single button instead of having to manually type it every time.
Amazon also introduced monthly payment plans, which allows consumers to buy now and pay later. The service is gaining widespread adoption with both companies and consumers. The “buy now, pay later” solution often leads to orders that are 18% larger than orders placed with other payment models, according to an Adobe analysis.
The pandemic changed other consumer behaviors as well. People learned how to schedule health appointments online, especially if they needed a COVID test or vaccination. And there’s another trend that’s been happening. Fewer people than ever want to pick up the phone and make calls. Instead, they prefer instant communication methods like website chats and texting.
Easy ways to streamline front desk operations
The good news is that dental practices can easily incorporate these digital technologies into their existing workflows, which not only streamlines operations and reduces the need to hire more employees, but also meets the changing needs and preferences of patients.
Here are four ways to use technology to overcome staffing shortages, increase patient satisfaction, and increase revenue.
Online scheduling
Even before the pandemic, people were used to going online to self-schedule everything from restaurant reservations to hotel rooms to airline tickets. Now they want the same convenience to apply to their health-care appointments.
Look for an online scheduling solution that integrates directly into your practice management system, can read/write directly to the schedule, and allows you to customize which services, times, and providers you want to make visible online.
The best online scheduling solutions allow you to customize how much time you want to allot for each procedure, will not duplicate patient records, and will gather all the relevant data including insurance coverage.
It only takes a few minutes to add the Schedule Now button to your website, Google My Business listing, Yelp, Facebook, and even into your emails and text messages to your patients. This feature will streamline your appointment process and reduce the amount of time your team spends on the phone.
24/7 live chat
Adding a live chat feature to your dental website is an easy way to engage potential patients at the exact moment they’re researching your practice and deciding whether to contact you.
Look for a service like Simplifeye that responds to your website visitors 24/7—including nights, weekends, and holidays. Simplifeye’s team responds within seconds and is fluent in multiple languages. The chatters answer questions according to each practice’s specifications and can either schedule patients directly into the practice management system or collect the patient’s contact information, insurance details, and reason for the visit to share with the practice. The practice’s front desk team can then personally confirm the appointment date and time.
Many practices add a message to their voicemail directing callers to the live chat on their website if they need immediate assistance, plus they add it to their Facebook auto-response messages. Adding a live chat service is an easy way to extend your customer service online without adding any extra work for your in-office team.
AI-powered recall and reactivation targeting
A third way to streamline front office operations and reduce the burden on your team is to make it easier to contact patients with unscheduled treatment.
The average practice has over $1 million in planned treatment that has not been scheduled, according to Jarvis Analytics.
These patients you’ve already diagnosed; they just need to be reminded to come in to complete the recommended procedures.
New technology uses artificial intelligence to quickly sort through all the patient records and identify the top priorities for your practice. Look for a system that allows you to segment by revenue opportunity, insurance coverage, length of time since the last visit, and other parameters.
Then choose a system that lets you quickly and easily send out a text message and/or email targeting just those patients that meet your criteria. The message can direct them to call your practice to schedule or include a self-scheduling link.
Some practices use this technology to fill unexpected gaps in their schedule. Other practices set up recurring campaigns that proactively reach out to patients who meet the desired criteria and match them to open chairtime.
Automated payments and text-to-pay invoices
If you’re still sending out paper invoices or expecting patients to pay by check, it’s time to consider moving to automated billing. People are used to setting up automated payments for their utilities, mortgage, and other expenses. Dental practices should make it just as easy for them to set up payments for their procedures.
Practices can use payment technology to increase case acceptance and streamline collections. By making it easier for patients to afford treatment through monthly payment plans and easier to pay you through text-to-pay messages and online payment portals, you can increase revenue easily.
Look for a vendor that offers:
- Customized payment plans with 0% merchant fees
- Built-in soft-pull credit checks
- Tokenized credit card and bank information
- Text-to-pay and email reminders
- Automated past-due reminders
- An easy-to-use dashboard
- A secure patient payment portal
- A portable card processor so your patients no longer have to walk up front
Revenue cycle management can be time-consuming. Fortunately, automation can make it a lot easier.
Embrace the future
During the pandemic, dental practices adapted quickly to create new protocols for safety. Now they’re adapting again to meet the changing needs and expectations of both their patients and team members.
Retail stores, restaurants, and medical practices are already incorporating technology to improve their customer experience and speed of service. Private dental practices and groups are doing the same. Take a look at your competitors’ websites and you’ll often see options to chat, schedule, and pay online.
Now is the time to consider how you will incorporate the tools and technology patients want to see. By creating an efficient and modern patient experience, you will have a competitive advantage, not only with patient acquisition but also with recruiting team members. People want to work in a modern practice and appreciate having technology in place that automates time-consuming tasks and allows them to focus on patient care.
With the right technology in place, you’ll be able to increase your team’s productivity, streamline the patient experience, and increase practice profitability.
Ryan Hungate, DDS, MS, is a practicing orthodontist and the founder and CEO of Simplifeye, a company that focuses on creating digital solutions for healthcare practices to increase new patients, reduce overhead, and reduce bad debt. More than 8,000 dentists and healthcare providers use Simplifeye’s 24/7 live chat on their websites, plus the company offers solutions for self-scheduling, patient recare and reactivation, modern payment infrastructure, and telehealth. Visit simplifeye.com for details.
