To make this transition as smooth as possible, here are a few steps to get your team on board with new dental practice technology.

As technology continues to advance, choosing to upgrade can help many teams work smarter and enhance patient experiences. Dental practice technology like practice management software, marketing automation software, and cloud-based communication systems can optimize workflows to better engage patients.

That said, this doesn’t make the process any easier. While you may realize that this change is the best option not only for in-house operations but for your patients as well, your team, very often, will still need some convincing.

Here are three strategic steps you can take to secure staff buy-in with your dental practice technology and make the shift as smooth and efficient as possible for the entire dental office.

1. Emphasize the Benefits

Buy-in strategies vary and may include getting input from staff. Before implementing any changes, make sure you have identified the reasons behind the move to new dental practice technology and the benefits they will bring—making it easier for the dental office staff to perform their daily tasks, helping your dental practice function more efficiently, and having a positive impact on your bottom line.

Dental practice owners and managers must meet to outline exactly how to introduce new changes to the dental office staff and team. There’s a compelling reason you have chosen to shift your dental practice to a new form of technology, which is probably due to some aspects within your operations that could be more efficient.

Specify what areas are not optimized in your workflow and run through how a dental practice technology upgrade will help, as follows:

• State the problem identified
• Explain why it needs to be addressed
• Present the solution to the problem
• Detail how the presented solution fixes the identified problem

It’s also crucial to speak with empathy and acknowledge that the transition may not be easy. Accept that when change is implemented, there will be bumps in the road. Let your dental office staff and team know that you have created room for trial and error throughout the transition and reassure your team that the trial and error period will be treated as a learning opportunity.

Allow time and space for any team feedback, no matter how small. Your dental office staff is uniquely positioned to provide you with more insights into daily workflows and how to optimize them, so ensure your rollout plan has room for flexibility.

With your dental office team aware that you’re all in this new journey together, they’ll embrace change and adapt more ready and willing.

2. Set a Clear Plan for Implementation

After you have made your decision to implement new dental practice technology and had initial discussions with your dental office staff and team, it is time to put together a clear implementation plan. There is a good chance that despite spelling out the benefits of the new technology, the staff will still be skeptical. It will all come down to careful and strategic planning.

Take all the team feedback and begin by outlining a transitional timeline to clearly lay out the weekly operations required leading up to your completion date.

Important factors to consider should include:

• How long will it take to phase out your old systems and transition to the new technology?
• How much extra time will need to be accounted for unanticipated delays?
• How many days are needed to schedule training?
• Which specific operations will fully transition to the new tool and when?
• When will meetings for feedback take place?

Be sure to highlight staff recommendations in this timeline so the dental office staff and team feels acknowledged and heard.

Once your timeline is complete, share it with your team for final feedback and get started.

3. Dental Practice Technology Training

A key component to the smooth transition to your new dental practice technology is proper training and onboarding.

While creating your own training is most certainly doable, do not forget the strong resources the software vendor can provide. You’ll save time and stress using their ready-made roll-out developed training and onboarding resources.

With high customer satisfaction, ease of use, efficient admin perks, and high-quality support—you can quickly and easily roll out an effective training program. The training your team needs is ready to go—simply plug it into your training plan and timeline, and you are ready to get started.

Overall, transitioning to new dental practice technology is a step that any practice will take once they are ready to make their in-office workflow more efficient and to make patient experiences better. Both of these are key to the success of your practice and will enable you to grow your dental practice faster.

Ensure Success For Your Dental Practice Technology with RevenueWell

Instead of collecting information and formatting all that into training sessions for your team, RevenueWell offers an accessible and optimized training plan. Choosing dental practice technology like RevenueWell ensures that you not only have the tools you need to optimize your workflow but that you’ll also have that additional support as you make this transition.

RevenueWell solutions are designed to help you succeed. They were developed in the absence of a seamless, all-in-one platform specifically customized to the needs of the dental industry. Instead of trying to make dental practices fit other options, we created an all-in-one patient communication and marketing platform designed to fit our unique industry.

With careful planning and dedicated support of RevenueWell, your dental office staff and team will be fully on board and ready to implement new, exciting, and efficient changes that will streamline your operations while raising patient satisfaction.

Schedule a RevenueWell demo today, and say hello to more engaged patients and productive workdays.

The post Dental Practice Technology: 3 Steps to Get Buy-In from Your Office Staff to Improve Efficiency appeared first on RevenueWell.

Dental PPC lets you attract patients using e-marketing on the web. RevenueWell has a track record managing dental-specific PPC campaigns for solo practices.

PPC advertising is a great option if you’re looking to drive traffic to your dental practice's website or social media handle. The biggest benefit of pay-per-click (PPC) for dental practices is that you only pay when people click your ads, meaning if nobody clicks on your ads, you don't pay a cent.

Search engine advertising is one of the most popular forms of PPC. Essentially, you buy visits to your website instead of relying on organic searches through Google or Bing. This type of advertising allows dental practices to bid for premium sponsored link placement within a search engine when someone searches for a keyword related to your practice. For example, paying bids on a keyword search as "tooth cleaning" will ensure that your website ad pops up on the Google search results for people who are looking for dentists, teeth cleaning, and so on.

Dental PPC Keyword Relevance

PPC keyword research is crucial since it determines the success of your ad campaign. A carefully selected keyword can drive high volumes of traffic to your website.

PPC keyword research means you rely on established tools and analytics to narrow down on keywords with the highest potential for generating ad clicks. To succeed at PPC keyword bidding, you'll need to keep the following in mind.

• Keyword research tools
• Keyword grouping and organization
• Negative keywords
• Keyword bid optimization

Keyword grouping and organization let you bring together related terms that are most likely to generate clicks. Some word combinations are superior to others when choosing keyword bids. In this regard, a dental-specific agency like PBHS, a RevenueWell subsidiary can guide you on the best way to select dental PPC keywords that’ll yield optimal results.

The use of negative keywords helps filter out unwanted clicks. It is a way of telling the search engine that you don't want your ads appearing for certain searches or websites. Keyword bid optimization refers to a prioritization category that ensures that most of your budget goes to the best-performing keywords. The idea is to maximize the value of your dollars by focusing on keyword bids most likely to generate ad clicks and conversions. With keywords being the foundation of dental PPC, you want to make sure that you know which groupings work best for your practice.

Branded keywords include company names such as Target and Amazon. They are restricted since they represent intellectual property. Generic keywords include phrases such as "extractions," "dental services," and "cleaning." These types of keywords are flexible for your dental practice needs. Transactional keywords are words with strong and weak purchase intents and depend on the services you're offering. Locational keywords are words or phrases related to a business or organization based in a specific area.

Quality of Landing Page Matters in Dental PPC

The landing page of your dental PPC campaign will determine the success of your campaign. And you’ll need a high-quality landing page to maximize the conversion of your ad clicks.

Some of the benefits of optimizing your landing page include:

• More conversions
• Better metrics
• Lower ad costs
• Easy targeting

Landing page optimization can be a valuable tool for analyzing your PPC's metrics.

Revenuewell's ad tool allows you to extract important statistics for further customizing your campaigns. A well-optimized landing page helps cut down your advertisement costs by maximizing the value of most clicks. It makes sense to push for a sale since you've already paid for the ad. With an optimized landing page, you can target highly-specialized keyword phrases. It is useful for practitioners since they offer unique services depending on specialization.

Creating an optimized landing page is not a difficult task. You only need to follow a few easy steps:

• Keep it simple
• Focus on the target market
• Use a conversion tracking code
• Make it relevant

And while it’s tempting to fulfill the needs of all potential visitors all at once, focusing your efforts on the specific needs of your target website visitors will produce better results. A conversion tracking code is your best bet for assessing the nature of traffic your ads are attracting. The conversion tracking code, for example, lets Google keep tabs on all converts generated on your landing page. A relevant landing page increases your quality score and lowers the bounce rate. The ad link should match the content on the landing page as closely as possible.

The easiest way to fail in dental PPC marketing is by complicating the process. Your goal as a dental practitioner should guide the optimization process. So, whether you looking to generate new patient appointments or increase sign-ups to your practice's newsletter, be clear on what it is you want to achieve.

Very often, people who need treatment don't know where or how to begin looking for a trusted, reputable dentist who can provide the care they require. In addition to bringing in new patients, integrated marketing strategies could just be the tool you need to court this patient segment effectively. This means partnering with a committed and experienced entity that cares about the dental sector as much as you do.

Effective Dental PPC Needs Unique and Creative Copy

High-quality PPC copy is vital for a successful dental practice that relies on online impressions. Revenuewell helps you create compelling ad copy so you can maximize campaign resources while driving traffic.

That said, engaging copy takes time, effort, and creativity. But considering its potential payoff, it’s a worthwhile investment. These tips will guide you in creating a copy that attracts new patients and keeps your existing patient base satisfied.

• Focus on keywords
• Highlight the benefits
• Call to action is critical

Apart from ensuring that your bids are appropriate for maximizing clicks, make sure that the keyword phrase appears at the beginning of every ad copy. Ensure your ad stands out and quickly points out the key benefits that patients will gain by linking up with your practice. Your keyword may be close to a user's search term but fail to generate a conversion if the call to action is missing. Remember, you won't get any clicks without asking.

Effectively Manage Your Dental Practice with Digital Marketing

With studies showing that over 80% of Americans searching for a dentist or researching dental services doing it online, the key to driving practice growth is optimizing your digital footprint. To get a piece of the pie, you need to implement the best dental marketing strategies that showcase the unique personality of your practice so you can boost profits.

RvenueWell can help you to craft an effective dental marketing strategy that will help you cut through the noise of the digital landscape and set your practice apart from competing practices. It’ll enable you to attract, convert, and engage with current and prospective patients, as well as build your reputation.

Revenuewell’s Digital Marketing services will streamline the process for you and eliminate the hurdles. Book a Revenuewell demo today and discover how we can help you enhance your dental marketing strategies to attract new patients and boost retention.

The post Dental PPC: Boost Your Dental Business with Paid Ads appeared first on RevenueWell.

A dental marketing blog is a fun, informative, and cost-effective tool for engaging and retaining patients while building your brand and online visibility.

Creating a dental marketing blog is one of the easiest and most cost-effective means of communicating with a wider online audience. Blogs are the perfect platform to demonstrate your expertise, establish your brand, and strengthen patient relationships.

They are an essential element in any comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

Blogs demonstrate the incredible power of content marketing, which has been shown to cost around 62% less than traditional marketing while generating up to three times as many leads! According to HubSpot, marketing plans that emphasize blogging are likely to yield 13 times the return on investment over firms that don’t blog—what’s not to like?

While an attention-grabbing blog is a vital part of dental marketing, it’s also important to have clarity about what your blog post is meant to achieve.

Questions to ask yourself might include:

• What type of blog content do you want to write?
• Who is your blog aimed at?
• Potential new patients or existing patients?
• Or is its main purpose to heighten general awareness about your dental practice?
• What tone and format do you want to use?
• Which social channels will you incorporate?

A blog is a platform for highlighting your knowledge and skills, the unique character of your dental practice, and the services and treatments offered. Sharing information on educational topics helps raise awareness about dental health in general—and your practice in particular—while improving credibility in the industry. For example, utilize a popular event such as National Children's Dental Health Month to feature insights about the value of oral hygiene routines for children.

Dental Marketing Blogs to Develop Unique Messaging

A successful dental marketing blog needs compelling messaging. But how do you determine what your unique messaging even is?

Start by asking yourself a few questions, such as:

• What makes your practice different?
• How does it stand out from other dental practices in terms of treatments and services, as well as the experience you’re able to offer patients?
• What are the three main attributes that define your practice’s vision and ethos?

Once you’ve established your messaging, use the blog to focus on educating, inspiring, and informing patients using online content. Blog content helps to forge emotional connections that might be lacking in traditional marketing campaigns. And when you make that connection, you also inspire others to advocate on your behalf and bring new patients into your practice.

Regular blogging of appropriate, high-quality material boosts your online profile, bringing more traffic to your website and social media accounts by enhancing your ranking on search engines. Specifically, it’s good for search engine optimization (SEO) because Google’s search algorithms assign rank according to factors such as relevant content, internal links, and the amount of time spent on the webpage.

Some 97% of people find out about local businesses online, so make sure you’re in a great position to be found. Boost your dental SEO with a high-ranking microsite on PatientConnect365 and increase your social media output with RevenueWell. Custom surveys encourage current patients to leave online reviews so everyone who finds your practice through online searches sees just how great (and unique) the dental practice is!

Blogging is also the ideal format for introducing specific, long-tail keywords that your prospective patients might be searching for, considering that half of all searches are for terms that are four words or longer. And the more trustworthy and authoritative the blog, the more likely external sites are to link back to you.

Dental Blog Posts About Frequently-Asked-Questions

A dental marketing blog focused on frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) can be an extremely effective form of content marketing, and a great opportunity to educate and inform patients as well as build a lucrative online reputation. Blogging also helps dentists and dental staff connect with patients prior to a scheduled visit. For example, FAQs about what to expect during a routine appointment, from filling out forms to the treatments and procedures offered.

Other benefits of FAQs blogs include:

• Minimizing the need for patients to phone the practice to have their questions answered
• Consolidating the most important aspects of your practice in one place
• Sharing important dental practice information while showcasing your unique brand
• Demonstrating expertise and building trust with patients
• Providing opportunities to use relevant keywords and improve SEO rankings

But why stop there? Blogs about FAQs can be so much more than your basic Q&A about dental procedures.

Consider these blog topics:

• Dentures and Implants—Everything You Need to Know About Tackling Tooth Loss
• Dental Insurance FAQs and Alternative Payment Options
• Orthodontics for Adults—Invisible Braces and Other Gamechangers

The blog topic possibilities are endless!

RevenueWell offers all-in-one dental marketing software to help grow your practice. We are also the only ADA Member Advantage Endorsed vendor for Website Design, Digital Marketing, Dental Marketing Software, and Dental Office Phone Systems.

Blogs Offering Dental Solutions

Blogs are a great way to build trust and relatability; especially important considering how anxious some people are about dental checkups! Give prospective patients simple tips to help them overcome their fears or information about what to expect during their visit. Consider a “meet the team” blog to introduce your dental staff and help patients feel more comfortable about their next appointment.

An educational dental blog offers important information and how-tos’ for optimal oral health. Solution-oriented blogs add value to your online presence, increase engagement with your website and social media pages, and help build better relationships with patients.

There are various types of educational blogs, including:

• How-to tutorials with step-by-step procedures and helpful videos
• Dental hygiene checklists
• Everyday dental health terminology and definitions
• Dental issues, how to treat them at home, and when to seek help
• Case studies concerning unusual or difficult procedures
• Preventative dentistry 101 (perhaps a weekly feature blog)
• New product or treatment reviews

When you blog about oral hygiene tips, common dental complaints like bad breath and tooth pain, or insights into the latest procedures in restorative and aesthetic dentistry, chances are you’re answering a question that has already been posted on Google search multiple times. And it’s this sort of useful information that makes explainer blogs so successful at driving traffic to your website and improving your SEO ranking too.

Make your dental blogs even more engaging by adding visual content. This might include a behind-the-scenes video of your practice, a patient’s smile before and after a cosmetic procedure, or a video message from the team wishing patients a happy holiday season. You could even include a fun meme or two about dentists!

RevenueWell helps you acquire more patients and keep them coming back with easy-to-use customizable email templates, direct mail, text messages, phone calls, and social media. Connect with patients to boost their health and the dental practice’s bottom line!

RevenueWell Solutions: Content Marketing, Blogs, and So Much More!

A dental marketing blog is an exceptionally valuable content marketing tool and an intrinsic part of any successful marketing strategy.

Reaching new patients shouldn’t be a headache. You’re already delivering great treatments and patient care, now you just need to get in front of the right people. And that’s where an industry partner can make all the difference. From communication to online reputation management to SEO services, RevenueWell has all the tools to help your practice stand out from the competition.

It’s often been said that it’s the small things that count. In the context of your dental practice, it’s the small gestures that keep patients coming back. The extra personal touch, an added convenience, the special care you deliver that’ll make every patient feel like family. RevenueWell offers you the high-tech tools to impress your patients by staying top of mind, educating them on oral health, extending the personal touch, and showing just how much you care about their well-being.

The post Dental Marketing Blog: Attract and Engage Patients Through Content Marketing appeared first on RevenueWell.

Marketing your practice doesn’t have to feel directionless. We explore five different areas that your practice can utilize to drive growth and profitability. Follow these suggestions to get more out of your current patients and boost your online presence to draw in new ones. 

Commit to a Newsletter

Implementing a monthly newsletter is a great way to interact with patients while they are between appointments.  

Newsletters offer patients the ability to stay informed with changes to staff, practice hours and new services or specials at your practice. Linking your practice blog or educational dentistry articles keeps them engaged and promotes continuous learning and care for their oral health. Avoid creating newsletters that come off as pushy, rather, the key is to bring added value to patients who take the time to read them. Regular newsletters are an added bonus that not every practice will offer, which help patients to stay informed and feel appreciated by this extra perk your office provides. 

Not only can a monthly newsletter increase patient knowledge and connection, but practice profits can improve too. Implement call-to-actions throughout your newsletter to drive engagement and increase revenue. Simple reminders in your newsletter to schedule an appointment can go a long way. In fact, one practice utilizing RevenueWell found that 40% of profits generated by RevenueWell came from their monthly newsletters.  

Customize Campaigns for Patients

Say you want to reactivate a patient who is not only overdue for a cleaning, but is in need of additional treatments as well. Building a text or email campaign that focuses on patient-specific needs is an effective way to grab their attention and draw them back to your practice. 

While sending different campaigns to each individual is unrealistic, it’s still possible to make your campaigns feel individualized. Tailor a campaign to a group of patients with similar treatment needs, and it comes across as a well thought out, personalized message. Rather than sending a generic email reminding all patients to schedule their appointments, customized messages speak directly to patients about their oral health, making it much more likely for these patients to take action. 

Check out this webinar to learn more about dental marketing techniques your practice can utilize. 

Know Your Patient’s Communication Preferences

No matter how great your messaging is, if you’re contacting patients at an old phone number or email address where they won’t read it, your hard work is going to waste.  Keeping up-to-date contact information on file for patients saves your practice time and money that otherwise may be spent on reaching out to patients to no avail. 

 The best way to prevent this is to ask your patients about their preferred contact method when they’re in for an appointment. Keep in mind, 80% of people don’t answer calls from unknown numbers, so if you’re calling a patient who prefers to be texted, it’s likely your efforts aren’t getting the results they should be. Ensure your practice allows for various contact methods, whether it’s by phone, text or email to ensure they’re receiving all of the information they need.

Manage Your Practice’s Online Reputation

It can be disappointing to see a bad review from a patient who was less than satisfied with their experience at your practice. While these reviews are bound to happen every once in a while, it’s important to take charge of your online presence. Negative reviews can have a very real impact on your practice’s bottom line and the ability to draw in prospective patients. 

Be proactive by sending patients an automated message after their appointment that asks them to leave a review.  Increasing the number of positive reviews your practice gathers online can not only help your business rank higher on local Google searches, but can increase profits as well. 

Use Automation to Your Advantage

As busy as dental practices can be, it’s common for staff to sometimes feel like they need more time than the day allows to finish their tasks. Relieve some of the stress and free up time to get more done by using automation to your advantage. 

Marketing tools like RevenueWell’s communications and marketing systems allow appointment confirmations and reminders to be automatically sent, so your team can spend more time with the patients in-office. If you’re onboarding a new patient, keeping a pre-made new patient package handy can save time on both ends. A simple welcome email can be automated to include appointment details, required paperwork, and practice expectations so new patients can be prepared for their first appointment before they walk through the door. 

Your practice can even use automation to further delight your patients, such as with a scheduled birthday message. Small gestures that remind your patients that your practice values them can make a significant impact on patient loyalty and retention. 

How Can RevenueWell Improve Marketing Efforts at Your Dental Practice?

Whether your team is experienced in dental marketing or it’s a new project your practice has taken on, marketing your practice can be a time– consuming process. 

RevenueWell’s all-in-one dental marketing software empowers dental practices to work more efficiently by automating a variety of patient communication needs. Easily automate prewritten campaigns, or customize them to send groups of patients personalized messages in minutes.  

With RevenueWell’s automatic review collection and reputation monitoring features, your practice can easily keep track of your online review status, and staff don’t have to worry about reaching out to individual patients to rate their experience. 

Schedule a demo to learn more about how RevenueWell can assist in your practice’s marketing efforts to start seeing real results. 

The post 5 Dental Marketing Tips to Save Time and Increase Revenue appeared first on RevenueWell.

When a patient is diagnosed with a need for a certain treatment or procedure, it’s not uncommon that they don’t follow through. In fact, a survey found that the average case acceptance rate for existing patients is just 50%. For new patients, that percentage falls even lower. That means just half of the patients that walk through your practice door are taking action on proposed treatment. 

Many practices believe that proper education about the procedure is the key to achieving higher case acceptance, but unfortunately, a survey shows that this is not enough. Between proper diagnosis and education, it may leave staff wondering why patients don’t always follow through with a prescribed procedure.  

Just as proper treatment and excellent service are a part of the dental process, selling patients on their dental needs is key to increasing case acceptance across your group practice or DSO locations. This doesn’t mean pushing your patients into a procedure they don’t want or need, but rather communicating with them effectively about their diagnoses and the treatment that can help.  

With all the responsibilities that come along with running a practice, selling isn’t always thought of as a task for dental staff to take on. The idea of selling can even make some feel apprehensive, however, it’s an essential part of each practice team’s responsibilities. Selling dentistry will improve your patients’ oral health and your group practice or DSO’s bottom line. Here are some steps you can take to begin implementing selling across your DSO or multi-location practice. 

Mindset is Key

The initial thought of selling your patients on their needed treatments can come as a surprise. Many may feel they aren’t cut out for selling, or that their personality simply does not align with that of a successful salesperson. While we may all have a different perception of sales, the first step is to shift your mindset to a positive one. Selling doesn’t have to feel ingenuine or uncomfortable, in fact, it is more so about connection. 

Focus on creating solid relationships with your patients. This helps them to feel seen while they are in for an appointment and builds rapport. When you establish trust between yourself and a patient, they’re more likely to feel comfortable during their appointment, and listen to your recommendations. This can lead to happier patients who feel they have received attentive care and can be a major factor in increasing case acceptance. 

When you stay focused on connections, selling patients on the treatment that is best for their health won’t feel forced and the conversation can come more naturally. Rather than overwhelming them with knowledge, it is best to ask open-ended questions to patients. This allows dental staff to get a better understanding of how patients feel about the treatments and if they have any concerns or hesitations, so that they can resolve them promptly. 

Check out the webinar for more tips on how to sell dentistry at your group practice to improve case acceptance.

Master Consistency

For patients, knowing what to expect from each of your practice locations can help to put them at ease when they come in for their appointment. From the moment a patient enters one of your practices, it’s important to create an inviting atmosphere. A warm greeting shows that they are valued, while a consistent and positive attitude from all team members helps to set the tone for their experience. 

Paying attention to smaller details can make all the difference as well. As people, we all have different personalities. Matching the energy of your patient, whether they are more outgoing or reserved, can make their experience more enjoyable, and allows them to open up with any questions they may have. 

Consider handoffs as another example. When a staff member is leaving a patient with another professional, it’s important to communicate who they are and what they will take care of during the appointment, whether it’s a cleaning or the checkout process. Even if patients have interacted with this staff member before, a friendly introduction helps to break the ice and get the conversation started without any uncertainty. When all team members participate in patient interaction this way, it creates a group practice communication style that is cohesive and professional. 

These minute changes can make all the difference in the patient experience. Train the front office leaders at each practice to share the communication goals with the rest of the team. Encourage them to reinforce those goals in their huddles or regular staff meetings. Patients who are at ease are likely to be more interested in keeping up a conversation, which allows your team the opportunity to get a better understanding of how they view their oral health. When patients and staff can see eye-to-eye, you can make sure patient needs are met, and they’re more likely to follow through with case acceptance, too. 

Set Up Your Group Practice For Successful Selling

Once your group practice has established measures to ensure effective communication between staff and patients, it’s important to integrate these practices into your core values. This can help current and future staff understand expectations that they can then carry along with them day to day. Making connecting with patients a core value can help to deepen relationships and patient understanding, which can in turn increase case acceptance. 

While it’s crucial to communicate recommendations to patients based on their needs, it’s best to do it in a digestible way. Breaking their treatment plan down into urgent, preventative, and cosmetic needs helps patients prepare for what lies ahead without overwhelming them with the notion of multiple procedures at once. In addition, it gives them time to consider the financial aspect of their plan and move forward accordingly. Allowing patients to take control of their treatment timeline is an empowering way to lead patients towards case acceptance. 

Besides necessary procedures, keep your patients informed about cosmetic procedures and new services that your group practice provides as well. A patient may not want to invest in their aesthetics immediately, but it opens the door to future conversations and ensures they are aware of all that your practice has to offer. 

How Can RevenueWell Help with Selling Dentistry and Increasing Case Acceptance?

With so much focus on bonding with patients while they’re in for an appointment, it’s easy to lose touch with them, and even feel a bit disconnected once they walk out the door. The office moves on to serving the next patient, and you may not hear from them again for months.  

RevenueWell’s marketing and communications solutions help to keep your group practice or DSO at the patient’s front of mind, even after leaving the office. RevenueWell’s solutions are integrated with ADA codes, helping office staff to send specific and detailed follow-ups to patients on a new diagnosis or upcoming procedure in a matter of minutes. Keep in touch with patients by scheduling automated campaigns between appointments, tailored to your practice and patient needs. With RevenueWell, your team can focus on the patients in your office and continue an engaging conversation about their oral health after the appointment. 

Schedule a demo today to learn more about how RevenueWell can help to build connections with patients and make your practice more profitable. 

The post How to Optimize Selling at Your Group Practice to Increase Case Acceptance appeared first on RevenueWell.

Dental practice managers need these 5 skills to promote office efficiency and productivity. These skills can help boost overall growth for the practice and the manager’s career.

Just as any other business, a strong, high-performing team can help you achieve dental practice success.

As a dental practice manager, you will need to ensure clear communication, smart organization, and effective delegation so you know what your team is doing when they are doing it, and how.

This is why dental practice managers need to continuously sharpen their skills in areas apart from dentistry and general healthcare. These include managing expectations, establishing connections with both staff and patients, and encouraging a sense of community.

In this article, we unpack five essential skills every dental practice manager should be familiar with. Arming yourself with these skills will help empower you and your team to run a successful dental practice office.

1. Proficiency in Technical Skills for Smooth Dental Management Processes and Procedures

This is the end result of years spent learning about specific tasks inherent in dental practices. It familiarizes you with the technologies, products, processes, and protocols that sustain the industry. It also includes successful practices that make them more productive and efficient.

Think of technical skills as the absolute minimum requirement needed to effectively work in a dental practice. Industry familiarity allows you to speak the language of the dentist, dental technicians, orthodontists, and other dental specialists. Besides clinical skills, dental practice managers need good technical skills. Being able to learn, adapt to and operate different instruments is essential for growth in the dental industry.

Dental practice managers will also need to be tech-savvy and know how to use different solutions, like a dental marketing solution and a patient management solution to help them manage dental patient communications and relationships. In today’s digital-first environment, it’s essential that dental practice managers are comfortable and willing to embrace technology so that they can effectively do their jobs and deliver excellent patient experiences.

An inexperienced or ill-prepared staff member may heighten patient anxiety if they cannot answer questions or provide patient data. Being familiar with certain technical skills (dentistry and dental technology solutions) can streamline the entire communication process between patients and dental staff, including dental practice managers.

2. Integrating Conceptual Skills to Boost Dental Office Activities and Goals

Developing and using soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and time management is important at all levels of a dental practice. Conceptual thinking can significantly improve dental practice managers’ understanding of their role within the practice and their own performance.

Thinking conceptually is about connecting abstract ideas to create new ones, reviewing past decisions, and deepening understanding. And this ability to reflect on past decisions to develop innovative ideas can lead to better future outcomes.

Conceptual thinkers are capable of finding and implementing creative and innovative solutions to practice challenges because they are able to link abstract ideas. And very often, dental practice managers as conceptual thinkers, find deeper satisfaction and commitment to their jobs because they understand the value that the specific work they do brings to the dental practice and the patient.

Marketing skills involve conceptual thinking, and they play a key role in patient acquisition, retention, and keeping your patients engaged and informed. You can use your conceptual skills in campaign creation, dental social media, content marketing—any activities that involve building your practice’s brand and online presence.

Tap into your creative side by watching this webinar on dental practice marketing. You’ll gain some easy tips and techniques to effectively market your practice and stay engaged with your patients.

3. Polishing Interpersonal and Communication Skills to Effectively Convey and Receive Ideas

Communication is a highly valued skill that complements both technical know-how and conceptual skills. Both patients and co-workers often respond positively to managers with strong interpersonal skills. They tend to listen better and communicate more openly when dealing with an empathetic person.

Interpersonal communication skills reflect our ability to interact and communicate with others in constructive ways. In face-to-face scenarios, the basis of interpersonal communication is the ability to listen, assist, and interact. These skills play a very important role in the day-to-day success and growth of a dental practice. Speaking slowly and politely asking questions to get clarity is important. Active listening is just as important.

They also need to have the ability to explain to patients and their relatives the treatments and procedures available for their specific cases.

Strong interpersonal communication allows dental practice managers to interact and work with others in-person and over the phone, so they can build meaningful work relationships, motivate actions, and influence productivity. It is also an effective way for developing and maintaining relationships with patients. Whether you are engaged in dialogue in-person or over the phone, giving feedback, cooperating as a team member, solving problems, contributing to meetings, or resolving conflict—dental practice managers rely heavily on interpersonal communication skills and phone skills to drive dental practice operations (and careers).

RevenueWell Phone—the all-in-one communication hub designed for dental practices—has 100+ powerful features to move your conversations forward, eliminate communication roadblocks, and help you build a better connection with patients. PMS integration drives dynamic features like Screen Pop, which delivers instant on-screen access to relevant data whenever a patient calls and allows your staff to provide fast answers, quality service, and a more personal touch.

4. Honing Decision-Making Skills to Achieve Dental Management Goals

Effective decision-making is a valuable skill in any workplace setting. As a dental practice manager, you’ll face many decisions and options throughout the workday, so your decisions need to be timely and in perspective. Dental practice managers with the ability to make well-informed decisions (through the assessment of information) will save time and money, as well as use the dental practice resources more efficiently.

Making effective decisions is a leadership trait that portrays your ability to think objectively and relates concepts to the goals of your dental practice. Your capacity to make thoughtful, timely decisions can also help establish a strong bond with your team that strengthens company culture.

At the same time, patients will also appreciate communicating with decisive managers. If nothing else, they will get to hear a decision regardless of whether it’s favorable or not. Receiving a thoughtful response can project a sense of urgency that patients will value.

For most dental practice managers, there’s at least one pesky task or project that causes stress because there isn’t an easy way to do it. For the front office team, this task is usually dental scheduling.

Scheduling dental appointments is a critical but time-consuming task. RevenueWell’s Dental Office App allows you to quickly view your schedule, check balances, text patients for reviews, and make sure patient info is all up to date.

5. Sharpening Diagnostic and Analytical Skills for Better Management Response

Diagnostic and analytical skills are some of the most valued skills that dental practice managers should possess. With these, you’ll be able to assess problems of all types, no matter how simple or complex they are. You will need to tap into other skill sets including critical thinking, decision-making, researching technology for the front office team such as RevenueWell’s marketing software, and researching to analyze a problem and present a solution.

Assessing a situation correctly can help avoid the fallout from hasty decisions that lacked research. Dental practice managers who show exceptional diagnostic and analytical skills prove their ability to handle the day-to-day operations of a dental practice. It bolsters the belief that big or small problems have the competent leadership required to solve them. It also provides the dental practice with management that can implement programs that can increase productivity.

Earn Respect, Take Control, and Manage Better as Dental Practice Managers

Ensuring that your dental practice managers develop these five skills can help grow both the practice as well as their individual careers. Patients will always appreciate a professionally-managed dental practice that anticipates and caters to their needs. And that appreciation and satisfaction can lead to potential referrals.

In addition, dentists and staff will similarly enjoy working with well-organized and competent managers. Working with dental practice managers who are decisive, encourage active communication, and are well-versed in technical and conceptual skills will make the overall practice run smoothly. It will also foster a sense of community among the staff.

Wherever you are on your career journey, let the team see that you are committed to both the team and the practice. Surround yourself with team members who share your determination to succeed. Make your number one goal to nurture the strengths of those around you so your practice can acquire and retain more patients, increase productivity, and drive more profitability.

Schedule a consultation with RevenueWell to see how our solutions can help you feel empowered at work and drive patient production. 

The post Dental Practice Managers: 5 Skills Guaranteed to Boost Your Career Growth appeared first on RevenueWell.

Investing in the proper technology to increase the value of your dental practice is key to a dental practice transition, such as an acquisition.

Upgrading your dental communication platform and software tools keeps you relevant and increases the value of your practice. It assures patients of the best treatment possible and ensures your front desk operates effectively. Installing the latest updates also provides enhanced data security and protection.

Upgrading technology adds real value to your practice, and that’s key if your long-term goal is to align with a dental support organization (DSO) and access the quality services and business support that their affiliates enjoy.

Here we’ll discuss three upgrades you can incorporate into your dental practice guaranteed to add value to your practice that will best prepare you for your dental practice transition for acquisition.

Upgrade Dental Phone Systems to Build Better Patient Relationships

If you’re serious about managing a dental practice transition that boosts your credentials, streamlined communication is where you’ll want to start.

Traditional on-site dental phone systems require a substantial outlay and routine maintenance. The hardware is bulky, servers take up too much space, and before you know it, they’re out of date.

An updated phone system provides tools to help increase patient satisfaction and improve staff communication skills. Enjoy the benefits of added features that make it easier to run a more organized front office, allowing you to spend less time returning phone calls and more time connecting with patients.

RevenueWell’s VoIP phone system is handled on a single cloud-based platform, so you’re always up to date. And the hosted VoIP servers are virtual, so there’s no need to worry about upkeep or storage. Access the cloud remotely to update practice hours, add users, customize music, or set auto-attendants from anywhere.

Stepping away from the office is simpler than ever with the option to automatically redirect dental practice calls to your smartphone. Use your mobile device to text or phone patients, update settings, and manage voicemail too.

RevenueWell’s communications hub gives you the scope and flexibility to plan for the future. Relationship-management highlights include ScreenPop that automatically displays patient information when someone calls in, including their treatment history, appointments, insurance details, and payment status.

And upgrading to a cloud-based system is easier and more cost-effective than you might think.

RevenueWell’s phone system integrates seamlessly with your practice management software and simplifies workflows by centralizing voice, text, email, and video conferencing. Thanks to a user-friendly interface and industry-leading customer support, it can be up and running in no time—and at much lower costs than a traditional office phone system.

Update Your Patient Relationship Management System

Is your patient relationship management system doing all it can for you?

Does it have the range and adaptability you need to attract new patients, keep current patients happy, optimize dental practice transitions, and ensure your practice runs smoothly? Are you concerned about dealing with multiple systems and logins? Do your costs all add up to more than they should?

An all-inclusive, responsive, and user-friendly dental management system can give you the competitive edge. It’s what lies at the heart of any successful operation, and it’s essential to your dental practice transition process. The right software tools will end up saving you money by giving you back control and keeping you in touch with what’s happening, even via your mobile device.

What about inventory, or patient and staff records? With a single system, practice administration has never been easier. Expect increased accuracy and time-savings when it comes to keeping a record of orders and items in stock, as well as updating databases and managing documentation. You’ll also have instant access to a virtual marketplace, and all the convenience and cost-efficiency that come with it.

Embrace the digital world for a more patient-friendly experience with RevenueWell, and leverage the power of customized communication by reaching patients via their preferred channels. Manage your practice’s social media profile and online reputation through review and feedback collection.

Automation lets you send out timely appointment reminders, post-op instructions, treatment follow-up plans, targeted e-newsletters, surveys, and campaigns via text or email. Real-time text messaging, via a computer or smartphone, makes it easy to stay in touch with patients, as well as reduces no-shows. Instant messaging and video calling platforms facilitate e-consultations and case collaboration, while RevenueWell’s Dental Office App offers easy access to essential data, so you’re able to manage your practice from any location.

Going Paperless by Using Dental Electronic Forms

Save time, money, and the environment by going paperless.

Paperwork is a time-waster for dental staff. Digital records are more efficient; they speed up the administrative processes, improve staff productivity, and minimize transcription errors. Paperless offices are cleaner and neater too, making your practice look more professional.

Going digital is extremely convenient for patients, who can fill out and upload necessary documentation like registration and consent forms at their leisure. Automatically integrating this information into your practice’s medical records systems helps to streamline check-in procedures, saving up to 15 minutes per patient!

RevenueWell’s electronic forms help you to integrate paperless practices into your office. Create your own customized forms; let patients fill them in online or via a dedicated in-office iPad, sync completed forms with your practice management system, sign electronic forms, scan IDs to capture information instantly, and automatically email intake forms to every new patient.

Use RevenueWell Tools to Increase Practice Value

Whether it’s upgrading to a cloud-based phone system or updating your practice management software, your dental practice needs to leverage the latest technology to streamline operations and provide patients with the best in-person, online, and phone-in experiences. Strong, integrated technology and improved processes are critical when you’re undergoing a dental practice transition. And during this transition, it’s even more important to ensure your patients aren’t impacted by these internal plans. Solid technology and satisfied patients are some of the qualities DSOs look at when acquiring practices.

RevenueWell can help get you ready for your next stage of practice growth with our suite of technology and services. Schedule a demo today.

The post Dental Practice Transition: 3 Tech Upgrades Guaranteed to Increase the Value of Your Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

A dental practice office manager plays a crucial role in overseeing the dental clinic. Here’s a list of the top skills you should look for when hiring one.

A dental practitioner with a steady flow of patients rarely has enough time to handle day-to-day admin tasks. Therefore, having a dental practice office manager with a well-rounded skillset can save you unnecessary headaches. An office manager helps you concentrate on your work without worrying about daily repetitive routines needed to facilitate patient care.

Important duties that dental practice office managers take care of include:

• Keeping files and databases
• Booking dental appointments and meetings
• Organizing events
• Ordering furniture and stationery
• Deal with queries, complaints, and correspondences
• Preparing reports and letters
• Managing the office budget
• Ensuring that the health and safety policies are up to date
• Handling marketing activities
• Using software packages that streamline patient communication

Looking at the list above, it’s clear that having an office manager can be a huge relief, especially for solo dentists. When business is booming and patients are streaming into the office for checkups, dentists simply do not have the time to spend on administrative tasks. An office manager can help organize and clear schedules to prioritize the patients making it easier for dentists to provide the best oral care.

Here are some of the essential skills you should look for when hiring a dental practice office manager.

Management and Conflict Resolution Skills

As a practitioner, you want the most qualified office managers working for you. They should have excellent dental practice management, communication, and administrative skills.

Office administration requires that all systems are maintained and records updated. Ideally, this means that file processing and record updating are handled while you attend to patients which keeps everything up to date and running smoothly. An office manager is also responsible for spending and budget management. You only need to provide targets for the dental practice office manager to hit and leave the rest to them.

That said, every successful office manager must possess several essential skills, including time management, multi-tasking, organization, and information processing. Luckily, software tools such as RevenueWell ensure that the manager can easily automate most information processing.

Additionally, a dental practice office manager needs excellent communication skills since most of the duties they will be performing require a verbal or written exchange of information with professionals, suppliers, patients, and the dentist. Inevitably, such interactions are likely to lead to disagreements or minor conflicts from time to time. Therefore, the office manager should be well-versed in conflict resolution skills.

Office managers can follow a few tips to ensure that their communication is effective. As a practitioner, you want to hire managers who possess such skills:

• Have a learning attitude
• Overcommunicates to eliminate doubt
• Asks for regular feedback
• Summarizes points routinely
• Adjusts their communication style to fit the audience

The above list shows that the office manager should also be quick to think on their feet, especially when problems arise in the office. For example, the dental practice office manager should be capable of developing solutions for any management issues.

Also, they should propose solutions that address patient relationships and team conflicts in situations where the facility has several teams. As a practitioner, you should remember that there are times when you won’t be in a position to address all patient concerns. You want a dental practice office manager that successfully deals with such issues.

While experience is vital, you should consider hiring a dental practice office manager with an associate degree in office management. Such individuals are likely to be well-versed in formal dental billing codes, information systems, bookkeeping, safety, and basic medical terminology.

Organizational Skills

Aside from management skills, you should look for a candidate that has excellent organizational skills when recruiting a dental practice office manager. Strong organizational skills help a company or facility run smoothly and efficiently. It boosts productivity and allows every participant to meet their goals.

Your candidate should possess the following organizational skills:

• Documentation skills for dental huddles
• Excellent paper, email, and digital filing
• Systematic record-keeping
• Orderliness in the office

A dental practice office manager should also be capable of handling basic social, organizational tasks. The following skills indicate great reasoning and organizational skills:

• Analytical skills for handling challenges
• Collaboration with others
• Communication with superiors and subordinates
• Office and schedule planning
• Time management by prioritizing patient care

Also, when hiring a dental practice office manager, ensure that they are familiar with the information management systems and billing codes used in dental practice. Part of the manager’s job will be entering dental billing codes quickly as patients check in and out of the office.

While software tools help managers with information management, you want an employee with some experience in the field. Candidates willing to learn should also be considered since RevenueWell is designed to be easy to use. A diligent user can easily pick up most of the skills required to utilize the tool in no time.

Financial and Technical Skill Requirements for a Dental Practice Office Manager

To complement the management and organizational skills, dental practice office managers should possess financial and technical prowess.

Financial skills help ensure the dental practice meets its budgetary obligations while remaining profitable. On the other hand, technical skills are necessary since they determine service quality for patients.

Technical office management duties require a large chunk of time and cannot be handled by the practitioner. They include the following competencies:

• Administrative skills to keep everything running
• Communication skills to liaise with the different parties
• Organizational skills to boost efficiency and reduce waste
• Problem-solving skills to deal with challenges and conflicts
• Self-assurance helps boost one’s confidence

The lack of managers with the above skills explains why most businesses don’t perform well. In addition, poor management of finances has been associated with the fall of many small and big businesses. As a dental practitioner, you want a dental practice office manager competent with finances since it can make or break your practice.

Some of the critical financial skills you should assess in your candidates include:

• Accounting and a strong comprehension of the associated regulations
• Analytical thinking to come up with insightful responses
• Technical skills to use modern solutions such as RevenueWell for office management

The technical and financial skills of your dental practice office manager will determine whether you have to review the records every few days or not. Naturally, you want a candidate whose work is professional so that you can focus on taking care of patients. An employee whose work needs no supervision will save you lots of headaches while maximizing productivity.

Once you’ve checked the qualifications of the prospective dental practice office manager, you’ll need to consider whether you have the right dental office management solutions for the office manager to use.

Digital Marketing Skills

Your dental practice office manager needs to have some basic digital marketing skills since patient acquisition and retention are part of their responsibilities. An important thing to remember is that your office manager doesn’t have to be a marketing expert. However, some fundamental skills will go a long way in increasing your office’s ability to attract and keep patients.

Some of the digital marketing skills an office manager should possess include:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Social media marketing and promotion
• Lead generation and audience building
• KPI, metrics, and data analysis
• Marketing software for automation and technology tools

Dental SEO is a key component in boosting your online presence to bring new patients to your practice. An optimized dental website with targeted keywords, relevant content, and user-friendly navigation will help you appear further up in the search pages.

Another digital marketing skill is social media management. The popularity of social media can be attributed to the world’s reliance on smartphone apps for communication, sharing news, and content consumption. Your dental office manager should embrace websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. They should learn all the tricks and tips that businesses use to grow on social media.

Audience building helps to attract ideal patients and keep their attention using digital tools such as social media and email. The dental office manager should learn how to understand your patient’s needs, create and publish appealing content, and engage the patients continuously on social media and via email marketing. The skills required to learn basic patient engagement can easily be picked up by watching YouTube tutorials.

Data analysis has become a critical part of digital marketing. Your dental practice office manager should learn how to analyze traffic to the business’s website and social media channels. They should have some basic skills in analyzing and reporting on Google Analytics. Some of the most important information that can be extracted from such analysis include interactions, lead generation, bounce, and conversion rates.

Leveraging marketing and communication technology is another piece of the digital marketing skillset. Whether your practice has an existing marketing solution or not, it’s important for your office manager to be open to utilizing one and learning how to get the most out of the technology. A willingness to learn is the center of having a digital marketing skillset. Your office manager doesn’t need to have all these skills in order to successfully market your practice. It starts with an open mind.

Depending on your practice size, goals, and budget, you can also outsource some of these digital marketing activities to an agency that serves as an extension of your team. You don’t have to do everything in-house and having an office manager who recognizes when it’s necessary to lean on outside help will benefit your practice.

The Right Tools for the Dental Practice Office Manager

Hiring the right dental practice office manager will determine whether your dentistry practice thrives or not. A competent office manager should be skilled in management, conflict resolution, organization, financial, and technical skills.

They should be ready to embrace and learn time-saving management tools.

Choosing the right office management software can offer great assistance for the dental practice office manager in their daily operations. It saves time, boosts efficiency, and allows managers to enjoy their work.

RevenueWell checks all the boxes of a helpful practice management tool, including simplifying communication, helping to create meaningful bonds with patients, empowering the staff, and keeping information safe and secure.

Schedule your demo today!

The post Dental Practice Office Manager: Top Skills To Look for When Interviewing Your Next Hire appeared first on RevenueWell.

Good dental practices rely on systems and processes to thrive. Learn how you can streamline your dental practice operations to see immediate profit gains.

Your workflows and processes impact your dental practice operations, your staff, and your patients. They might seem trivial when you think about all the tasks and projects you have to address on a daily basis, but they matter because they can directly impact your bottom line.

With processes in place, your staff will feel more efficient and increase their work quality because they’ll have a clearer picture of their daily responsibilities and the outcome expectations. Additionally, communication between staff will be enhanced, giving rise to greater levels of transparency.

All of these benefits can boost dental practice profitability, but what specific steps can you actually take to streamline your dental practice operations?

Here we’ll discuss the three areas of dental practice operations you need to focus on to achieve optimal results across your front office, mid-office, and back-office.

Front Office Dental Practice Operations: Streamline for Better Patient Engagement

Disorganization is the biggest trigger of stress in the front office of a dental practice, according to the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM), adding that it usually indicates outdated management systems.

If a patient walks into your dental practice, do they see scattered files, unattended phones ringing, and scrambling employees? Or do they see a front office that’s running smoothly and efficiently? A disorganized practice makes patients uncomfortable. They may even question a dentist’s ability to provide quality dental care if they can’t keep their front desk organized.

Streamlining your dental practice operations, especially the front office, can lead to better patient engagement, and implementing the right tools will make the task much easier. For instance, with RevenueWell Phone, your front desk staff can have more personalized patient conversations with features like ScreenPop where important information appears on your screen when you receive a call. Packed with 100+ powerful features, RevenueWell Phone routes your patients to the right person on the first attempt without bogging down or distracting your front office team. It’s particularly useful when your staff is pulling double duty—welcoming patients while also handling the phone on the opposite side of the office.

Disorganization affects everyone–patients, dentists, and front office staff. Patients become frustrated, which can result in unscheduled and rescheduled appointments, inadequate care, and an undesirable cocktail of mix-ups and misunderstandings. An unorganized front office makes team members uncomfortable too, and this discomfort ultimately results in poor efficiency as workers exhaust themselves trying to keep up. And when your front office team is overwhelmed, it can be hard for them to fully engage with patients.

When you streamline your front office operations, you are more likely to have happy and returning patients who will recommend your dental practice to family and friends. Issues, however, will inevitably arise, and to prevent such bottlenecks from occurring and help streamline your workflows, implementing the following tips can help:

• Assess the work environment. It is critical to keep distractions to a minimum so that each staff member can complete their tasks. For instance, administrators should work in a separate area, away from the front desk.
• Standardize. Create standard operating procedures suitable for your dental practice. With everyone following the same process, you’ll save time and effort but also have a template to use during employee training.
• Go digital. Automate wherever possible. For example, instead of contacting patients by phone, use an automated text message system to send them a reminder instead.

Middle Office Dental Practice Operations: Streamline to Improve Efficiency

Streamlining dental practice operations also impacts efficiency—reducing repetitive tasks, speeding up processes, improving quality of work, increasing employee satisfaction.

When you concentrate on improving your operations, you also help to outline roles and enforce accountability. This boosts staff morale and enhances the levels of employee engagement, ultimately leading to bigger profits.

A few of the steps you can take to start boosting your operations to maximize dental practice productivity:

• Huddle. Start the day with a quick team meeting and look at the daily schedule. Keeping a daily agenda helps you stay on track and lets your team members know each others’ areas of responsibility. You can also use the huddle to celebrate staff wins and identify opportunities to personalize a patient’s visit that day.
• Assign tasks. Consider your team’s abilities and interests while developing a work delegation plan. When you give your employees something they are generally good at or interested in, this keeps them happy and increases productivity.
• Leverage technology. Invest in an all-in-one dental phone system that plugs directly into your PMS to route patients to the right person on the first attempt, and keeps all communications in one place. The cloud-based VoIP system integrates phone, two-way text, fax, email, and even video conferencing, and ties it all back to the primary dental practice phone number!

Back Office Administration: Streamline Dental Practice Operations to Improve Work Process

While your front office is answering phones, greeting patients, and tackling their to-do list, your back office staff is processing and posting payments, managing staff conflicts as well as handling insurance-related questions.

Back office processes include accounting, bookkeeping, HR, and payroll system management. And even though most back-office dental practice operations happen behind the scenes, they’re critical to ensuring the more visible aspects of your practice continue to function. If your team is still using outdated performance systems and manual data processing, you are wasting time and money (not to mention compromising your data’s integrity). Back offices must cope with the challenge of ensuring their staff understands what to do and when to do it.

When you improve the efficiency of your back office, you not only set your practice up for success in terms of greater productivity and cost-effectiveness, but you also make it easier for the team to concentrate on delivering results instead of worrying about internal chaos.

Here’s how to do it:

• Examine your work practices. For example, consider the process around handling payments. Some of your patients may or may not have insurance. And those that do can have high-deductible health plans. Examine your work procedures to assess your patients’ unmet deductibles and either request payment at the time of service or reduce their collections cycle to guarantee prompt payment. Find ways to make it easier and accessible for them and efficient for you.
• Go completely paperless. Invest in dental electronic forms, such as the solution offered by RevenueWell. This solution expedites check-ins, simplifies operations, and makes life simpler for both patients and staff members in the dental office. 
• Make the most out of technology. Explore the many automated solutions available, and you’ll be better able to manage time and resources. One integrated solution eliminates the need for multiple-point systems and dramatically raises productivity levels as your staff doesn’t have to constantly switch back and forth between systems.

To learn more about the other benefits of electronic forms and how these can boost your profit, schedule a RevenueWell demo today. 

Efficiency Without Sacrificing Quality

There are tools available that simplify the process of running efficient dental practice operations without spending too much time (and money) trying to organize everything yourself. Find a solution that can help you optimize your existing processes and allow you to create new ones if needed. There are many solutions out there, so make sure you have a clear idea of what you need in a product and vendor. Any technology you invest in should be flexible as your practice evolves. Your processes will change as your practice does so it’s important your technology can adapt with you.

Leveraging technology to automate and simplify all your tasks will result in overall productivity gains, happier employees, better patient engagement, and ultimately increased profitability.

Use RevenueWell for Easy Streamlining

Naturally, streamlining all three areas simultaneously can be daunting. So to make the process easier to implement, leverage the dynamism of an end-to-end dental communication solution offered by RevenueWell.

Streamlining your dental practice operations through a single platform will make it easier to implement best practices and SOPs with less strain on your team members, and help you keep better track of patients’ needs. With this innovative software, dental teams can save time on tedious administrative tasks while making patients feel more engaged–leading to happier patients and increased revenue! Schedule a demo today to learn more about how RevenueWell can help you accomplish that.

The post 3 Dental Practice Operations to Streamline Today to See Immediate Profit Gains appeared first on RevenueWell.

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1. Drive new patients to your practice. 

With the digital world we live in, many of us “shop” for new services online before  heading out to a new store, or in this case, a dental practice. Your website is the first place that most prospective patients will go to learn more about your practice, and it is important to make a good first impression.

A 2020 survey found that nearly half of all respondents stated that they would choose a new dentist based on online reviews, while 18% choose based on the top-ranking practices that appear in their search results. 5% of individuals even stated they would choose their new dentist based on the one with the best-looking website.

When it comes to websites appearances matter, and how your practice is presented online can be the difference between acquiring a new patient or sending them searching elsewhere.

There are a few must-haves that can help improve the image of your dental practice online. A mobile-friendly website is essential as it helps users who prefer to search by phone to easily access your site. In addition, soliciting reviews from your current patients (and sharing them online) builds your practice’s rapport to potential patients.

For SEO purposes, investing in a Google My Business listing can make important information about your practice, such as location and hours, easier to find. A listing with photos produces 35% more clicks to your website than a listing with no photos.

Learn how RevenueWell Website and SEO can give you a competitive edge.

2. Investigate your competition. 

You may feel you are doing everything right with your practice, or you may feel a bit lost and unsure of how to improve upon your discoverability. An important way to gauge where your practice stands includes a bit of research.

Check in with other practices in your area by viewing their websites, online, and social media presence. Pay attention to what seems to be working for them, whether they have plenty of online reviews, or the type of content they are posting on social media is driving engagement and boosting their awareness. Industry trade shows are another outlet that can help you to learn about cutting edge operations that you can implement in your own office.

Try out the methods that resonate with you and your practice. If it’s working for others, it’s worth taking action to determine if it will help your practice draw in new patients, too.

If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, other approaches are certainly valid. Utilizing the skills and tools you have available between the staff at your practice is essential, but don’t be afraid to reach out for help when needed. Maybe your practice is struggling with developing an updated website, or ranking highly on search engines. Outsourcing these tasks can help your practice to reach a new audience while optimizing the abilities of the staff you have on board.

You can use this easy online tool to analyze your search rankings and compare them to your competitors.

3. Embrace and engage new patients.

Gaining new patients is exciting. It means they see the value in your practice and trust you to do an excellent job helping to care for their oral health.

But a great onboarding experience can seal the deal and start the practice-patient relationship off on the right foot. A smooth onboarding process saves time and unnecessary stress when the patient arrives for their first appointment.

Consider sending new patients a welcome email. This can include links to electronic forms to complete, a description of what patients can expect from your practice, even a short video tour of your office will help new patients to feel more at ease before they come in. Combined, these resources signal to new patients that your practice is aptly prepared, and excited, for their arrival.

Once the new patient walks in, their first interactions with office staff can set the tone for their experience throughout the remainder of the appointment. Greeting patients with a warm welcome when they walk through the door will ensure patients feel appreciated.

After the onboarding process, it’s important to keep in touch with patients in a way that works for them. Understanding their communication preferences, such as whether they prefer to be contacted by text or email, can be useful for setting reminders, keeping patients happy, and reducing the risk of no-shows, late arrivals, or missed pre-operative medication.

Further engagement can happen by encouraging patients to find your practice on social media platforms, or sending out email campaigns and special offers. Gauging the right balance of outbound communication will prevent you from overwhelming your patients and make what you do send out more meaningful.

4. Retain your current patients, reactivate your existing ones.

Retaining patients is a top priority for just about every practice. While some attrition is unavoidable, mastering the ability to reactivate patients will bring your practice back to the forefront of your patients’ minds while saving money.

Drawing patients back to your practice after some time away can be as simple as reaching out. Email campaigns that include special offers, texts or phone calls can get a patient’s attention if it has been a while since they’ve visited the office. Personalization of these messages can increase their effectiveness and prompt patients to get scheduled.

With RevenueWell Marketing Platform, it’s easy to target patients based on their re-care status and open treatment plans, then create automated campaigns to engage them. When Dr. Claudia Anderson of Family Dental in Park Ridge, Ill., began using RevenueWell Campaigns, her first campaign brought in eight new visits and $1,753 in incremental production. Their second, another eight visits and $1,134.

5. Delighting patients pays dividends.   

Timing is always an important factor to keep in mind while reaching out to patients. Bombarding a patient with messages or calls can leave them feeling buried by notifications from your practice.

Patients can often feel apprehensive about dental appointments, meaning part of your role is to set them at ease. Delighting your patients means going the extra mile. While birthday messages are thoughtful, you want to create an environment and relationship with your patients that stands out.

Small touches can make a significant difference in elevating your patients’ experiences from average to excellent. Consider your practice demographic and implement additions that will make a positive impact, whether it is at the individual level or for the community.

Practices who see large numbers of children may set up a kids’ corner, others may create a beverage station. Incorporating these features into your practice can make patient experiences more memorable. Genuine, thoughtful consideration for your patients is sure to be noticed.

6. RevenueWell aids practices in driving growth and maintaining patient retention.

Managing the front office of your dental practice can be challenging on its own. Additional efforts to attract new patients, as well as the hours spent going above and beyond to make an excellent first impression, retain current patients and reactivate previous patients can be exhausting.

RevenueWell solutions assist your front office in retaining current patients while staying on top of their social media and outreach game. With the patient communication and management system, staff can easily generate timely email campaigns promoting special offers, or social media posts to keep patients engaged and draw attention to your practice.

Automated systems take the pressure off staff and help to ensure patients have a positive experience with your practice that will keep them coming back.

Schedule a demo today to learn more about how RevenueWell can increase practice growth and retention with less effort.

The post How to Attract New Dental Patients and Maximize Patient Retention and Growth appeared first on RevenueWell.

Harness the power of VoIP phones when implementing a dental office communication system for your practice. Streamlining operations improves overall patient management.

Attracting and retaining satisfied patients relies heavily on attentive and responsive dental professionals. Implementing an effective dental office communication system is a key component to establishing an end-to-end solution to enhance patient management. Which will ultimately help set your dental practice apart from the competition.

Technology comes to the forefront with cloud-based phone systems such as Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP). The right dental office communication system can make it easier for both practice and patient without compromising efficiency. VoIP can make all the difference by streamlining front desk dental practice operations while providing a first-rate experience for patients, whether over the phone or face-to-face.

In contrast, trying to run a dental practice with an outdated phone system can be hugely frustrating, affecting all aspects of dental practice operations from staff productivity to patient satisfaction.

As opposed to traditional phone landlines, cloud-based VoIP systems use the internet to transmit phone calls which helps to ensure high-quality call clarity.

Using a VoIP System Improves Patient Experience

Smooth and seamless dental office communication is a key driver of positive patient experiences.

Promptly answered calls, excellent voice quality, instant access to dental patient details, and routing calls quickly and effectively are just a few of the crucial aspects of a modern VoIP phone system.

The way your front desk responds to calls from both prospective and existing patients creates an impression and sets the tone for all future interactions. A phone system plugged directly into your dental practice management software can be configured to trigger a pop-up screen upon each patient call, displaying relevant treatment records, appointment details, insurance, account data, as well as demographics.

In addition, you can respond to any missed calls with the system’s call history feature too. Other benefits include phone monitoring tools that record calls which can be useful in identifying patient needs while also offering an opportunity for team members to brush up on their communication skills.

Another benefit of the VoIP dental office communication system is two-way texting from a desktop or mobile which lets you automate and customize patient reminders and request forms, as well as continuing conversations via text message.

Reliable communication channels result in patients receiving the right information at the right time, adding to their overall patient experience.

Using a VoIP Increases Dental Staff Productivity

Integrating new technology into your practice doesn’t have to be a slog.

A good dental office communication VoIP phone system combines powerful and intuitive features with simplicity of use and practicality. And when dental office operations run smoothly productivity increases, and all stakeholders win.

With a VoIP phone system, dental office front desk distractions are considerably reduced. Choose when to answer calls or be rerouted by an automated attendant. No more wasting time trying to locate someone who’s not around as the system lets you see who’s available to take a call. Another impressive feature is automatic patient routing based on caller ID.

Traditional phone systems are tied to their physical infrastructure and equipment. There are no such limitations with cloud-based VoIP software, which interfaces with your mobile phone to facilitate complete freedom of movement. Imagine being able to update settings (including your dental practice phone greeting), make and receive calls, manage voicemail, send texts and emails, reroute emergency calls, and even join a video conference, no matter where you are.

Busy dental practice offices tend to rely too heavily on voicemail. The time spent retrieving and engaging with voice messages can be a massive time waste while also diminishing productivity. Some VoIP phone systems offer online voicemail, letting you listen to, delete, save, or forward fully transcribed voicemail messages directly from your email inbox or mobile device. This saves time and is really helpful when it comes to managing priorities too.

VoIP empowers you to stay connected, responsive, and productive; irrespective of your location.

VoIP System Flexibility for Future Dental Practice Growth

With enhanced flexibility comes the ability to integrate VoIP with your practice management software, allowing you to view a patient’s history, recommended treatments, outstanding balances, and more. It’s simple to add and delete users, identify staff functions and hierarchies, and customize who has access to specific features and functionalities.

There’s no point investing in a dental office communication system that may be redundant in a few years, or taking a budget option that has limited capacity. Take the time to find a dental office communication system with the ability to grow with your dental practice. VoIP has the advantage of extremely flexible technology along with scalability, so you’re always able to adapt to any changes in requirements.

Using a Cost-Effective VoIP System for Better Patient Management

Outdated dental office communication systems are expensive to maintain.

In addition, the costs of maintaining multiple phone systems across multiple locations can really add up not only affecting your bottom line but your overall patient satisfaction rates as well.

VoIP can help cut communication costs dramatically for small practices, saving up to 40% for local calls and 90% for international calls. Switching from on-premises to cloud-based telephony accounts for the biggest savings.

VoIP phone systems centralize dental office communications, with just one telephone number for patients to call. Information and data are stored in the cloud (an offsite secure data center) allowing for easy maintenance. Since VoIP’s core component is software, it can be integrated with a range of devices, and there’s less need for expensive new hardware. Furthermore, there are options to lease equipment on a month-to-month basis, which is great for smaller practices on tighter budgets.

When it comes to optimizing patient management, RevenueWell’s dental phone system ticks all the boxes. Its cutting-edge VoIP technology guarantees improved patient experience, increased staff productivity, and the flexibility needed for future dental practice growth.

Schedule a demo today and discover how RevenueWell Phone can help you make the most of every patient call.

The post VoIP Phone Systems for Dental Office Communication: Implement an End-to-End Solution for Better Patient Management appeared first on RevenueWell.

The post Dental Patient Communication: 6 Barriers to Effectiveness in Your Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

Get to the root cause of patient cancellations and decrease no-shows in your dental practice. Improving patient communication is a good first step.

Patient cancellations and no-shows cost your dental practice financially, disrupt schedules, and have a significant impact on the entire dental practice team.

Decreasing patient cancellations and no-shows is vital for your dental practice growth.

It takes a lot of time and effort for the entire dental practice team to prepare for one patient appointment. On any normal day, you might be attending a morning meeting with the dental staff, planning the whole day around scheduled appointments, getting ready for procedures, and prepping the treatment room.

Then the patient doesn’t show up for their scheduled appointment.

No-shows have an enormous effect on every team member; the dentist, dental assistant, hygienist, and even the dental technician. The more in-depth the treatment scheduled is, the more significant the disruption can be.

Consider the time taken to set up the exam room with the specific instruments and equipment needed for a particular patient, as well as wasted materials. What’s more, that opening could have gone to a patient who was in greater need, so a lost appointment hurts more than just the one no-show for the dental practice.

While the occasional no-show is unavoidable, there are also steps you can take to decrease patient cancellations and no-shows. The secret is to understand why patient cancellations happen in the first place and you can implement some front desk best practices.

Here are some common reasons for patient cancellations, along with the most useful strategies for preventing them.

Patients Don’t Understand the Treatment

Sometimes appointment reminders aren’t enough. Lack of awareness and proper understanding of dental treatments and procedures is one of the top causes of patient no-shows or missed appointments.

When you’re booking a patient for a procedure, it’s essential they understand what the treatment involves and its significance to their future dental health. Securing patient buy-in is crucial, be it for a simple filling, a root canal, or a crown.

Education is extremely important. It’s a good practice to share oral health information and images, or chat about a specific upcoming treatment, while your patient’s still in the dentist’s chair. Another tip is to include educational material with appointment reminder emails.

Bear in mind that some patients might find it more difficult than others to understand the information communicated by a dental professional. It may be helpful to explain the treatment using simple language aided by illustrations and diagrams. In certain cases, money might be an obstacle. This is another issue that’s best discussed beforehand, perhaps along with payment plan options.

Patients Experience Long Waiting Times

Reducing time spent in a waiting room plays a big role in increasing patient satisfaction, and helps to minimize patient cancellations too.

If patients frequently have to wait a long time before they’re seen, they’ll be less likely to make and keep their next appointment. In fact, it’s a sure-fire way to send them looking for a new dentist!

The 9th Annual Vitals Index found 84% of patients considered the amount of time spent in the waiting room either “somewhat important” or “very important” to their overall experience. Further, one in five patients decided to look for a new healthcare provider as a result of lengthy delays. The survey also established a correlation between time spent waiting and a doctor’s average rating, with the lowest-rated having the longest average waiting time.

Hardly surprising, since patients regard this wasted time as part of the total healthcare service, leading to a negative perception about the care they’ve received.

On the other hand, it’s been argued that prolonged delays are just a byproduct of practice management, scheduling, and organization problems. The net result is a dental practice that’s seen as unprofessional, disorganized, poorly managed, and simply not respectful of their patient’s time.

When a longer-than-usual wait can’t be avoided, there are a few dental office communication strategies that could help to alleviate patient frustration and boredom. Most importantly, let your patient know from the start approximately how long the wait will be, giving them updates at regular intervals. Have a TV in the waiting area and provide complimentary Wi-Fi.

That’s why it’s critical to optimize your dental practice operations with professional dental marketing software and online scheduling tools, such as those provided by RevenueWell.

No Policy in Place for Patient Cancellations

A dental practice with a transparent and well-defined cancellation policy is less likely to experience last-minute cancellations and at the same time decrease patient no-shows.

Communicate clearly with your patients and be upfront about policy parameters. For instance, you could specify that patients are permitted to cancel up to 48 hours before their appointment, after which a penalty fee for patient cancellations will apply.

Ensure that the policy for patient cancellations is relayed verbally and in writing. Highlight it on your dental website and in all correspondence, including appointment reminder emails and text messages. You could even ask patients to accept the terms of the policy for patient cancellations as part of completing the appointment booking process.

Some dentists aren’t in favor of a patient cancellations policy as they feel it may turn patients away for fear of the cancellation fee. On the contrary, a clear-cut policy is more liable to highlight how professional your practice is. And when people book an appointment, they’ll be fully aware they are making a firm commitment, and likewise more prepared to accept accountability if they do no-show or cancel after the pre-determined allotted time period.

A dental office might even ask for a deposit prior to booking an appointment, especially if it’s for a major dental treatment or procedure. This is a guaranteed way of discovering well in advance the patient’s level of commitment.

You might try appealing to their conscience. Remind them that a no-show is not only problematic for your dental practice operations, it also disadvantages other patients who might be on a waiting list for an urgent appointment.

Suggest patients download the RevenueWell dental office app so they’re able, amongst other things, to quickly view and be reminded of their appointments.

RevenueWell Offers Prime Solutions to Decrease Patient Cancellations

One of the root causes of patient cancellations or missed appointments is often simply a lack of effective communication.

RevenueWell’s all-in-one patient communication management system lets you send intelligent, automated appointment reminders and confirmations to the right person at the right time.

RevenueWell Messenger allows dental staff to send texts and respond in real-time right from their computer. It’s super easy to use and your dental office team and patients will love it. With 100+ powerful features, RevenueWell Phone can be customized to best suit the front desk team and daily dental practice operations. Your new cloud-based VoIP system integrates phone, two-way text, fax, email, and even video conferencing, and ties it all back to your existing dental practice number. Plus, the RevenueWell mobile app lets you manage your practice phone from anywhere.

Connections are seamless, communication channels optimized, and schedules fine-tuned. The result? Significant reductions in patient cancellations. Don’t let another no-show disrupt your day.

Schedule a demo today and discover how RevenueWell can take your practice management and patient communication systems to the next level.

The post Patient Cancellations: How to Decrease No-Shows in Your Dental Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

Excellent dental patient communication relies equally on skilled front desk staff and streamlined operations. All phone and in-person touchpoints matter!

Your dental practice front desk staff and operations are key components to ensuring excellence in dental patient communication. Whether over the phone or interacting with patients in the office or exam rooms—first impressions matter!

Your front desk team is the face of your dental practice, and one of the first touchpoints patients will experience.

It's important for the front desk team to be patient-focused and genuinely care about the well-being of past, present, or prospective patients. Projecting a friendly and professional image is essential for creating a positive patient experience from the first interaction.

Aside from welcoming patients, your front desk staff must also juggle a multitude of other crucial tasks. Appointments need to be booked, new patients registered, personal details recorded, insurance benefits verified, pre-authorizations and referrals checked, and dentists’ schedules managed.

The front desk is where relationships are built and the long-term growth of your dental practice assured. So let’s take a look at some front desk practices when handling patient communication over the phone or in-person for your dental practice.

Streamline In-Person Dental Patient Communication Experiences

Go Paperless for a Better Patient Intake Experience

Clipboards and loose paper copies are a thing of the past.

Today’s paperless dental office is revolutionizing and enhancing the patient intake experience. Why bother people with the added anxiety of filling out forms just before a consult? And when the documents are completed in a hurry, they may be illegible, making the data capturing process even more cumbersome and more time-consuming.

Electronic dental forms can be filled out at the patient’s leisure prior to their visit which is mutually convenient for the dental staff, saving time and stress all around. Patients don’t have to worry about collecting their previous dental records, IDs, or insurance cards to the dental office as everything can be uploaded digitally and submitted to the dental practice ahead of time.

Using the latest technology to integrate record systems makes it simpler to create a patient chart, quicker to add information, and to access it. It’s the best way of keeping information up to date, automating routine tasks, and ensuring your dental practice front desk runs efficiently. In the long term, it’s also more cost-effective, and environmentally more sustainable.

Digital tools can enhance almost any facet of dental practice management and dental patient communication. Cloud-based software lets you access patient records and other documents remotely, and it’s easy to upload scans and X-rays to patient charts.

Electronic databases are straightforward to back up and a lot safer than physical filing cabinets, which is a critical consideration for sensitive financial records with a credit card, insurance, and billing information. It’s easier to store and manage digital records than paperwork, and your practice will look a lot neater and more organized as well. In addition, there’s less chance of documents being misplaced or misfiled, and as many fields and forms are populated automatically, data errors are less likely.

Reduce Patient Waiting Time Through Efficient Scheduling

Even the friendliest dental receptionist could find it tricky dealing with a patient who’s been waiting longer than they should. Improving your patient communication and scheduling system will help reduce patient wait time and minimize conflicts from agitated patients.

Delay-free dental visits help smooth a patients’ overall experience. For a start, try keeping your treatment schedules realistic by working out precisely how long each procedure takes. Online scheduling tools can also be a great help in streamlining your schedule and keeping everyone happy.

No matter how well you plan, there will be times when patients may be waiting in the reception area longer than expected. Open communication is vital in these situations. Let patients know immediately if things are running a bit late, as well as roughly how long the extended wait could be. Keep them informed with regular status updates and never risk them feeling they’ve been forgotten or ignored.

Build Better Dental Patient Communication Relationships

Improve Patient Relationships Through Better Phone Communication

Competent communication skills and a professional yet friendly manner are the hallmarks of a great dental receptionist, particularly when it comes to telephone interactions with patients. Creating a good first impression with new patients while strengthening relationships with existing patients is a must.

There are a few best practices to keep in mind if you want to be pleasant, efficient, as well as encourage patient engagement and retention. Use your name and the name of the practice when answering the phone, ask how you can help, and express genuine interest and concern. Smiling while you’re talking actually allows a caller to hear the friendly tone in your voice, whereas repeating their name back to them helps to reinforce an interpersonal connection.

These best practices are even more important when dealing with new patients. Ask for the prospective patient’s name and their reason for contacting the dental practice. Helpful tools such as a call sheet for new patients could help you gather the relevant information needed and lay the groundwork for meeting their needs.

It could even be an existing patient phoning about a specific dental concern. If you see they’re also due a checkup, why not suggest they come in for both at the same time? Having a state-of-the-art phone system that includes features such as instant on-screen access to relevant data when a patient calls, allows you to provide immediate individualized and targeted feedback.

Prospective patients often phone to inquire about prices for services and products. Responding to questions regarding treatment costs for a particular procedure isn’t always straightforward. This might be a good time to offer a complimentary, obligation-free consultation to determine their exact needs. In a similar vein, a potential patient might be concerned about how to pay for treatment, so you’ll want to have predetermined payment options available.

Increase Dental Patient Retention with Continuous Communication

Regular and effective dental patient communication is one of the cornerstones of building a better dental patient-practice relationship. But improving retention and generating growth requires a bit more than simply reaching out once or twice a year with an email or text reminder.

It’s also not just about repeating the same message more often.

A recent study on the merits of relationship marketing in US dental practices, specifically the 7/12 patient touchpoint strategy, examined the effect of contacting patients seven times a year through online and printed materials focusing on oral health knowledge. The results were overwhelmingly positive and included an average increase of 86.91% inactive patients and 38.05% in first visits.

A post-appointment follow-up is another valuable opportunity to show patients you care and foster a closer relationship, especially in the case of new dental patients. And in the event a patient is experiencing discomfort after treatment, is a great opportunity to address problems at the core and deflect potential dissatisfied patient reviews online.

In addition, consider dental patient preferences. Do they prefer patient communication via text, phone, or email? This will help target the appropriate channels and not overcommunicate with patients. An automatic patient communication system can also help to reach more patients and in more creative ways.

Optimize Front Desk Dental Patient Communications with RevenueWell

A dental patient communication platform makes it so much easier for front desk staff and reception to streamline their operations and provide a world-class patient experience over the phone as well as in the dental office.

RevenueWell strives to make life easier for busy dental practices.

They provide powerful, easy-to-use marketing and communication tools needed to fill your schedule, reduce no-shows, and automate time-consuming tasks—allowing the dental front desk staff to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

Schedule a demo with RevenueWell today! And say hello to confirmed appointments, engaged patients, and productive days. See how easy it can be with RevenueWell’s all-in-one patient communication and marketing platform.

The post Dental Patient Communication: Front Desk Best Practices [Toggling Patient Calls with In-Person Experiences] appeared first on RevenueWell.

The post Dental Marketing: 5 Best Strategies for Growing Your Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

Dental social media best practices target a variety of platforms with relevant and tailored content to help retain current patients and attract new ones.

All dental marketing today begins or ends digitally and dental social media is at its core.

Social media is a powerful indispensable marketing tool for showcasing your dental practice. Word-of-mouth on social media matters more than you think. Social media could make or break any dental practice.

Billions of people including potential patients are active on social media platforms every day. Having little or no social media presence at all means you’re missing out on huge opportunities to engage with prospective patients and competing dental practices are likely already making their mark on the platforms.

Not convinced?

Some 62% of US healthcare marketers identified social media as the marketing channel with the most potential in 2020. And according to GWI’s 2021 Social Media Report, 95% of the online population use social websites or apps; 54% for researching products and services.

Social networks have indeed become an important resource for health-related information, and developing a solid social media footprint is essential to raise awareness about your dental practice, underline your expertise, and position yourself as an authority in the dental field.

In addition to strengthening engagement with current patients, social media is a sure-fire way to attract new ones.

Attract New Patients Through Popular Social Media Platforms

 

There’s been a massive increase in social media use since the end of 2019 at the start of the pandemic. The average American spent 2 hours and 8 minutes on social media every day during 2020.

What better way to reach thousands of people and attract new patients to your dental office!

A dynamic dental social media profile can also help to boost search engine rankings. And with younger people now using social media just as much as search engines to find information about brands, social media may well be the search engine of the future.

Registering more than 2.85 billion active users, Facebook is the world’s most popular social network, followed by YouTube (2.29 billion), WhatsApp (2 billion), Instagram (1.38 billion), Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion), and WeChat (1.2 billion).

Different social platforms appeal to different users. The trick is to identify just who your potential patients are and direct your content and marketing strategy accordingly.

Instagram

For instance, if we look at engagement by age group, Instagram is substantially ahead of Facebook, especially with Gen Z. Moreover, content that works on Instagram may not be ideal for Facebook or YouTube.

Instagram is highly visual, and a great channel for sharing a patient’s before and after photos, as well as advertising cosmetic dental services such as teeth whitening, publicizing competitions and events, or reposting a patient’s dentistry-related pictures.

And as more than two-thirds of all Instagram users are under the age of 35, it’s the best route for promoting your dental services to this age group on your dental social media account.

Facebook

As the go-to social media platform, Facebook is excellent for establishing online relationships and connecting with people in your community. Use it to update practice information, share reviews, answer questions, post links to local news articles and interesting blogs, and launch promotions. Be sure to include your practice’s physical address, phone numbers, and website link.

Facebook is also the place to invest in paid advertising about new products or procedures, as it lets you target prospective patients based on location, demographics, activities, and interests.

YouTube

YouTube is an ideal space to post videos; anything from dental tips, demonstrations, and educational content to patient testimonials and tours of your dental practice. And YouTube isn’t only about video sharing; it has the distinction of being the planet’s second-largest search engine. Optimize your content, use the right keywords, then sit back and reap the rewards of increased organic traffic!

Engage With Your Current Patients By Following Social Media Best Practices

 

Social media is all about reputation and brand, so even though you need to tailor content for different channels, it’s important to create a distinctive voice that runs through your messages.

Highlight Unique Offerings

Consider highlighting specific aspects of your dental practice; things that make it unique: for example, cosmetic dentistry services, oral and maxillofacial surgery-friendly, or pediatric dental services.

Build Trust

Trust is paramount. Patients need to feel reassured that they’re in good hands, literally, so use social media to demonstrate your expertise, authority, and proven track record.

Be Active and Engaged

The more active you are on social media the better—post pictures of your handiwork, share helpful infographics and articles, schedule Q&A sessions, and respond promptly to queries and comments. Positive online reviews and testimonials are rated as some of the top tools for patient engagement, and one of RevenueWell’s coolest features is how easy the system makes collecting and broadcasting patient reviews all over the web.

Build Connections

Use the opportunity to add a personal touch, connect with patients, and build relationships through friendly, relevant, and informative content. Educate patients, improve recall, promote sales of elective dentistry, and increase treatment acceptance.

According to a New York Times study, 49% of respondents will share informative content they believe will potentially change opinions or encourage actions. If people find what you post useful, they’ll be more likely to respond to it and share it with family and friends—which is great for patient engagement and growing your practice.

Streaming videos via channels such as Instagram Stories and Facebook Live is also a smart way to reach your patients and start new conversations. Platforms such as Instagram and YouTube are great for displaying the visual aspects of dentistry while demonstrating your professionalism and expertise yet still in a relaxed and friendly manner.

Utilize RevenueWell’s library of ready-made social media posts available to use at any time for accomplishing these goals.

Streamline Dental Social Media With RevenueWell

Now you know about social media best practices, what’s next?

Consider whether you really have the time and energy to juggle a full-tilt social media campaign on top of the day-to-day demands of running a dental practice. It goes beyond creating an ad-hoc strategy, it’s also about the time you’ll need to invest in managing a range of content across diverse channels—all against the backdrop of a constantly changing social media landscape.

Partner with the right social media agency, such as PBHS, and they’ll take care of everything; along with website design, dental reputation management, google advertising, SEO—the entire lot of your marketing! Contact the experts at PBHS today to find out how their customized solutions can improve your practice efficiency and drive growth.

Combine PBHS’s capabilities with RevenueWell’s all-in-one dental marketing software and platform, and you’ll have everything you need for a successful marketing strategy under one umbrella. Our cutting-edge solutions include an online practice portal, automatic appointment reminders, online scheduling, and patient forms, as well as the RevenueWell Phone system with 100+ powerful features that can be customized to best suit your front desk team and daily operations.

The big takeaway? RevenueWell has the experience, resources, insight, and professional know-how to help you reach your goals: happy and engaged patients, a streamlined front office, and a thriving dental practice.

Take it to the next level. Contact RevenueWell to schedule a demo, we’d love to show you around.

The post Dental Social Media: Retain Current Patients and Find New Ones Through Engaging Content appeared first on RevenueWell.

Invest in dental marketing software to attract new patients, nurture existing patients, and streamline multi-channel communication to improve your overall patient relationship management efforts.

With over 80% of Americans searching for a new dentist and researching dental services online, dental practices with a robust online presence are much more likely to capture a prospective patient’s attention. The key to accelerating practice growth is maximizing your digital presence, and dental marketing software is a vital element in augmenting your patient engagement and retention strategies.

Think we’re overstating our case? Consider the numbers:

• 73% of consumers use search engines seeking treatment information.
• 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if it has a mobile-friendly dental website design with patients in mind.
• 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
• Prioritizing a dental blog makes marketers 13 times more likely to see a positive return on investment (ROI).

The use of dental marketing software will not only help boost your search engine rankings with dental SEO best practices but will also improve the all-around efficiency of your practice’s operation—such as sending out consult reminders and confirming appointments online. In addition to minimizing paperwork and keeping work processes running smoothly, it saves you time and frees up your front office staff to focus on your number one priority—your patients.

Here we discuss the top reasons to invest in dental marketing software—attract new patients, nurture existing patients, and streamline multi-channel communication.

Attract New Dental Patients

There’s a direct correlation between maintaining an impeccable online presence and attracting new patients to your dental practice.

Digital marketing for dental practices provides a next-level, word-of-mouth strategy to reach out to new patients. And with dentistry projected to grow globally to over $60 billion by 2024, what you should be looking for are the best strategies to up your marketing game and grow your patient base.

Essential elements include local search engine optimization (SEO), relevant dental website design and content, a user-friendly online experience, and clever link-building. The aim is to improve your site’s ranking in local searches, making it quicker and easier for prospective patients to find you. A local online directory link is another trusted route to raise your visibility in geo-targeted searches.

Reputation Management

Online reviews constitute one of Google’s three most significant metrics in determining where your website ranks in local searches. The word is out – 79% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family, and the dental industry is no exception. Reviews are great lead generators and can also act as excellent patient service platforms. They establish trust, build highly desirable natural links to your dental website, and improve your local SEO.

But how should you handle criticism of your practice? Dental reputation management is key. Think of a less-than-stellar review as an opportunity in disguise. Firstly, find out what the issue is and contact the reviewer promptly. Then do what you can to resolve their grievance, aiming for a resolution that’s mutually beneficial. Remember to correct false information where necessary, and apologize if it’s warranted. Regardless of the final outcome, you’ll have demonstrated that you’re approachable, caring, and professional.

Social Media

Social media is where people go to get advice and recommendations. Channels such as Facebook and Instagram offer extremely responsive, interactive platforms for you to communicate with patients, boost your online reputation, and build relationships. Establish a dental social media profile to post updates on current industry developments, render your expertise, and offer insights into your dental practice’s services. Create an informative video clip, be proactive in responding to patient questions and concerns, and share enlightening articles by dental industry experts. The more compelling the content, the more likely it is to be shared by other social media users.

Nurture Relationships With Existing Dental Patients

Existing patients form the foundation of your dental practice, so keeping them happy should be your primary goal. Superior patient care leads to better patient retention and engagement. Patient relationships are superbly important and communication doesn’t need to be limited to those times a patient comes into the dental practice.

Remind patients that you’re not just their dentist twice a year; they’re part of your dental family!

Dental marketing software can help you keep the conversation going and stay in touch with patients through a variety of communication channels. This is central to patient retention and greater case acceptance. Electronic appointment reminders via text, email, or mobile apps, e-newsletters, post-appointment surveys, social media profiles, frequent blogging on your dental practice website are just some of the opportunities you could leverage to strengthen the patient-practitioner connection.

Personalizing your messages is very important. Address your patient by name and make them feel you’re speaking directly to them. Some 84% of consumers say being treated like a person, not a number, is crucial to winning their hearts and minds (and dollars). Leverage demographics to provide content that’s tailored for their specific treatment needs and ensure it’s delivered via the most appropriate platform.

With cutting-edge dental marketing software, you can segment your patient base according to different criteria. For instance, their age, whether they’re a new or established patient, the date of their last appointment, where they live, if they live alone or in a family group, their type of insurance coverage, etc.

With RevenueWell’s dental marketing platform, office managers can even target email campaigns based on ADA codes, thanks to the system’s integration dental practice management software.

Streamline Multi-Channel Communication Through Different Patient Touchpoints

Dental practices can leverage multi-channel communication to reach patients through a combination of routes. These include websites, social networks, emails, video calls, online chats, telephone conversations—depending on the patient’s particular preferences, of course. And the more options you provide, the happier (and more engaged) the patient is likely to be. Given the multitude of possible interactions across multiple channels, devices, and applications—it’s vital to streamline communication to ensure a consistent patient experience, particularly relevant for multi-practice management.

For a multi-channel approach to be effective, it must first analyze the ways in which a patient interacts with the practice, be it in-person, online, or over the phone. These patient touchpoints define the patient’s experience with the practice over time. You can track these communication touchpoints to create a patient journey map. This is a great tool for determining the optimal way to deliver information; where, when, and how your patient needs it. Software that supports the multi-channel approach brings together a range of communication channels and devices, creating the best-possible and most-harmonious user experience.

Optimizing Digital Marketing for Dental Practices

It’s the small touches that keep patients coming back. By offering patients a seamless yet personalized experience—extending the personal touch, adding a little convenience here and there, committed and compassionate care that makes every patient feel like family—you’ll be guaranteed to reap the rewards of increased patient engagement and retention.

Sending custom emails with post-treatment instructions, sending birthday and holiday greetings, or knowing a patient’s information before answering the phone. These are just some of the ways to nurture more meaningful engagements.

Today’s best dental marketing software can automate all of these tactics.

RevenueWell Dental Marketing Software Platform: Your Secret Advantage

Dental marketing software provides the high-tech tools needed to build sustainable patient relationships.

RevenueWell’s dental marketing software has the power to revolutionize the way you interact with your patients through a multi-channel communication approach—keeping patients engaged by communicating the way they want to communicate, making it easy for them to book and confirm appointments, pay bills, and complete paperless forms.

Schedule a demo today and discover why RevenueWell is the highest-rated marketing and patient relationship solution among dentists and dental office managers.

The post Dental Marketing Platform: How to Improve Patient Management Efforts appeared first on RevenueWell.

When it comes to your dental website—the virtual front door of your practice and the backbone of your marketing strategy—it has to be absolutely compelling so visitors won’t leave your site. It’s your first interaction with new patients and your first opportunity to establish trust, so it’s crucial to make the engagement count.

• Resource page for patient safety
• Frequently asked questions section
• Online scheduler and secure online forms
• Communicates how you do business
• Easy navigation

Priorities among dental consumers have changed drastically over the past few months in the aftermath of COVID-19, so your web content needs to be updated regularly to mirror the new normal. An important addition to incorporate is web pages dedicated to information about your patient safety measures including team member PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) requirements. This could possibly mean that the website you depend on to generate new patient leads is no longer effective and that it’s time for a rigorous review of the content on your dental practice website.

Here are some pointers to ensure your dental website design is set up to attract new patients and reflect our new normal.

1. Ensure Your Dental Website is Mobile-Ready and Responsive

2. Optimize Your Dental Website’s On-Page SEO

3. Create Unique and Compelling Online Content

4. Don’t Forget CTAs and a Contact Us Page

Calls To Action

Contact Us Page

Building a contact us page is another way to convert visitors into new patients. Encourage visitors to fill out a form on your website and collect their email addresses. Ultimately, you’ll attract more responses than a simple contact us button and begin creating a very effective email marketing list.

Your Grand Dental Website Design Just Got Better

Partnering with a specialist dental website design marketing company that fully understands SEO, mobile-responsive design, and the value of captivating content is an effective way to add value to your dental practice.

Offering dynamic modern designs, simple drag-and-drop features, and complimentary support, PBHS is an industry leader in creating dental website designs that meet the very specific needs of the dental care communities. PBHS provides the set of tools to increase your productivity and profitability so you can focus on your patients and your practice.

Is your website living up to its full potential? Start with a complimentary PBHS review of your current dental website design today and get immediate tips for improvement.

The post Improve Your Dental Website Design to Attract More Patients appeared first on RevenueWell.

The endorsement is the result of an extensive vetting process conducted by ADA Member Advantage on the effectiveness and value of RevenueWell’s solutions. PBHS, the RevenueWell division for Website Design and Digital Marketing Services, has been endorsed by ADA Member Advantage since 2013.

“We are enthusiastic about launching this new relationship with RevenueWell,” said John Maher, Chair of the ADA Member Advantage board of directors. “They have a deep understanding of dentistry and what happens in the front office of a dental practice. This has led them to create a highly customer-focused suite of services that will help ADA Members save time and improve efficiency within the many different aspects of patient communication. We did a thorough industry scan before extending this endorsement and are confident that this is a best-in-class company that has already established an impressively enthusiastic and loyal customer base within the dental field. We look forward to working together.”

“We are honored to be recognized with the ADA Member Advantage endorsement of RevenueWell’s marketing and integrated telephony products,” said Serge Longin, CEO of RevenueWell. “Our clients work incredibly hard to serve the community with quality health care. Providing quality products and caring support that makes the work of providers and their staff easier, more profitable, and more fun is our privilege.”

Singular focus on serving dental practices

Since its founding in 2010, RevenueWell has exclusively focused on developing solutions that help dental teams run more profitable practices with less effort at every stage of practice growth.

RevenueWell’s comprehensive suite of marketing and communication solutions empower dental teams to improve results at every stage of the practice-patient relationship while also streamlining and automating time- consuming tasks.

In February 2021, RevenueWell acquired PBHS, the ADA Member Advantage endorsed website-design and digital marketing agency. The marriage of the two companies gives dental practices of all sizes, whether single locations or DSOs, an expert partner and one-stop shop to accelerate new patient acquisition, enhance patient loyalty, and maximize production from existing patients.

“Our clients recognize that we speak dental and understand the needs of the community,” said Jay Levine, Vice President of RevenueWell. “Dentists have a lot of choices in how they market their practices, from websites and digital marketing to ongoing campaign engagement, and we know it can be overwhelming. Having one provider to fulfill all of our client’s marketing needs inevitably drives their economies and profitability, all with less effort.”

RevenueWell’s endorsement by ADA Member Advantage means ADA members can enjoy peace of mind knowing RevenueWell’s offerings have been thoroughly researched and endorsed.

Trusted solutions for every practice

RevenueWell’s solutions help dental practices in three main areas:

•Dental Digital Marketing services. Powered by PBHS. RevenueWell Dental Digital Marketing provides world-class website design, branding, search engine optimization (SEO), paid search marketing, social media management, and online review and dental reputation management to give dental practices the competitive edge they need to attract new patients.

•Dental Marketing and Patient Relationship Management Software. Centered on RevenueWell’s flagship Marketing Platform, RevenueWell provides a suite of integrated solutions that empower dental teams to easily create highly targeted, personalized, and effective patient campaigns and communications that engage patients and streamline workflows for office staff.

•RevenueWell Phone. Launched in March, 2021, RevenueWell Phone is the first VoIP telephone and messaging system designed specifically for the needs of busy dental teams. The system integrates with the practice database to immediately display key patient information on every caller so office staff can have more productive and efficient conversations.

Together, RevenueWell’s integrated services and solutions help today’s busy dental practices attract new patients and maximize production from existing patients, while also delighting patients and automating time-consuming marketing and communication tasks.

About RevenueWell

RevenueWell helps dentists run a more profitable practice with less effort. Founded in 2010 and exclusively focused on the dental profession, RevenueWell delivers best-in-class digital marketing services and a comprehensive suite of marketing and communication technology that empowers dental practices to accelerate and simplify patient acquisition, retention, and loyalty at every stage of practice growth. RevenueWell is known for delivering proven solutions, ease of use, and industry leading customer service, as validated by endorsements by ADA Member Advantage and its five consecutive G2 Leader designations based on user reviews on G2.com.

About the American Dental Association

Founded in 1859, the not-for-profit American Dental Association is the nation’s largest dental association, representing more than 160,000 dentist members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The ADA is committed to its members and to the improvement of oral health for the public. ADA Business Enterprises, Inc. operates ADA Member Advantage and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ADA. Companies endorsed by ADA Member Advantage provide products and services that help ADA member dentists manage the business-side of their practice, as well as their personal lives, more smoothly and efficiently. All companies recommended by the ADA Member Advantage program have been thoroughly researched and exclusively endorsed for Members of the American Dental Association.

Want to know more? Schedule a demo with RevenueWell today to learn how our integrated suite of solutions can help you operate a more profitable practice.

The post ADA Member Advantage Endorses RevenueWell for Dental Marketing Software, Dental Office Phone Systems appeared first on RevenueWell.

Is your dental practice website optimized to attract new patients? Are you utilizing dental SEO? You’re not alone if your answer to these questions was a resounding, I don’t know? But the answer, I don’t know, is just the beginning of your dental SEO journey.

Over half the US population currently uses internet search engines to find local businesses. And with over 200,00 dentists throughout the US, ensuring your dental practice stands out online is crucial in attracting new patients to grow your dental practice.

It isn’t enough anymore to simply optimize your website solely for a particular treatment keyword such as dental implants or periodontitis. Most patients are unaware of the specific names of the treatments they need, patients just know the problem they have. So it’s up to the dental practice website to find a way to connect with them by utilizing a strategy for optimizing the search engine algorithms, known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

SEO is an online marketing technique used to direct organic (non-paid) web traffic to your website by focusing on popular keyword phrases people are searching for in search engines online. The more relevant your keywords, the greater the chance of your website’s content appearing closer to the top of a search engine results page (SERP), making it easier for prospective patients to find you.

Including utilizing relevant keywords, here are our five top dental SEO tips for increasing your website traffic and attracting more patients to your dental practice website.

1. Start with Relevant Keywords

sing relevant key terms or phrases is the smartest way to unlock your website’s potential for attracting more patients.

Dental practices must be knowledgeable about the terminology patients are using when searching for dental services. Researching the specific words patients are using can help inform you as to which particular dental treatments and procedures people are searching for.

Discovering new and relevant dental-specific keywords can be done in several different ways. From simple to advanced, below are some of the most effective keyword research methods.

Google Autocomplete

Google Autocomplete is a feature within Google Search that automatically completes search queries when you start to type. As you enter words into the search box, Google will predict your search which can help steer you towards finding new variations.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) measures your website’s search traffic and performance. It shows how many times your site shows up for specific keywords, keyword ranking, and how often people click through to view the site. Integrate GSC with SEMRush, Keywordtool.io, Grepwords, or Ahrefs, for example, and you’ll be able to see all the stats in one place and gain better insights into what’s driving your competitors’ traffic.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool used for researching the popularity of searches and search topics over time. For dental practices, this means staying abreast with current dentistry-related keywords.

Trending search queries include those for dentists open on Saturdays or those offering 24-hour services, dentists accepting Medicaid, dentists for kids, teeth whitening procedures, and even DIY dental products for cash-strapped consumers.

Armed with your newly expanded repertoire of on-target keywords, dental SEO should be a breeze, right? Well, yes and no. Here are a few common pitfalls to be aware of when focusing on a keyword research strategy:

• Don’t cram your site with the same keyword in everything from the title and alt tags to the webpage text, meta description, and URL address.
• At the same time, try not to muddy the waters for Google by using too wide a range of keywords on one page (three should suffice).
• If you want to up your appeal to search engine algorithms, develop insightful content which uses semantically related keyword topics.
• Finally, get the balance right. Your keyword phrase needs to be broad enough to deliver a healthy search volume but sufficiently focused to capture traffic that’s appropriate for you.

2. Invest in Informative and Interesting Content

Content is the prime metric Google uses to rank your website and the primary factor that will elevate your dental practice above the competition. Content may include blogs, social media, reports and guides, newsletters, webinars, podcasts, videos, and more.

Your content must communicate your dental practice personality effectively and reinforce the key attributes of Expertise, Authority, and Trust (EAT). Engaging content, supported by effective keywords, will not only increase your website traffic but will in turn lengthen the amount of time visitors spend on your site, also referred to as dwell time SEO< or time-on-page SEO.

Think about how what you have to offer or your areas of expertise relate to what your present and prospective patients are searching for based on current search trends? This will help you to create tailor-made posts for the patients you’re targeting. A one-size-fits-all approach will not work, so carefully consider what you want to communicate as well as the platforms you want to deliver your message. Eye-catching infographics are very effective, as are informative newsletters, custom photos, and FAQs about your treatments and services.

Blogging is one of the most effective ways of sharing your dental practice’s messaging. Successful blogs are aimed at answering patient questions. Do this consistently and it will establish your website as an authoritative source of information. Sprucing up your posts with colorful visual content is very effective as well. A list of FAQs about your practice and what to expect from particular dental treatments is also a great way to enhance the relationship between patients and dental practices.

3. Get More Reviews From Existing Patients

Reviews are important for dental SEO because Google’s algorithm uses them to rank sites.

Perhaps more importantly, a review delivers social proof, which people tend to turn to when they are unsure of a course of action or decision. In marketing, it underlines the importance of personal recommendations in choosing dental treatments and services. In fact, 79% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as they do in taking advice directly from friends or family.

Attracting positive reviews for your dental practice is easy when you include a review request in your dental software platform. You can invite patients via text or your email marketing campaign to leave a review. Alternatively, try adding a review request at the end of your monthly newsletters. This could be a short questionnaire or a direct and easily clickable link to your website, or to a Google or Facebook link review page. Just asking is half the battle here. Satisfied patients will be more than happy to share their experiences.

Once your practice is listed on Google My Business, it will automatically pop up as part of a listing on Google maps when someone enters a search query for local dentists, displaying key information, along with those all-important patient reviews.

Having a Yelp profile is also a good idea to help increase traffic to your site. And if it’s social media kudos you’re after, a Facebook review is just the ticket. Patients just need to click on the review tab and write a recommendation. Include a few hand-picked reviews on your website or build a page dedicated to patient testimonials.

Get specialist advice on online review and dental reputation management.

4. Optimize Your Website for Better User Experience

Dental SEO does not revolve solely around keywords.

Website optimization also entails checking for gremlins such as slow load times, broken links, or spam or duplicate content. Any and all of which can dramatically reduce your rankings on the SERP. Google’s algorithm also favors websites that are updated regularly.

Each of these factors plays a significant role in where your website ranks on the SERPs.

• Is your information organized in a logical manner?
• Is it easy for visitors to find the information they’re seeking?
• Adding headings and subheadings to organize content helps improve your visitors’ experience, as well as optimizes it for the Google algorithm.
• The most dynamic websites ranking high on the SERPs contain multiple pages of interconnected content with over 1000 words per page.
• It’s also a good idea to embed a Google map with your dental practice’s address onto your contact page. With mobile devices accounting for more than half of web traffic worldwide, it’s critical that your site is optimized for mobile browsing.
• Backlinks from reputable websites are important too as they improve your search ranking. Examples include links from educational sites, being quoted in an online news source, or writing guest posts on highly rated websites. Make it a habit to double-check your backlinks.

5. Attract Patients Around Your Area With Local Dental SEO

Improving your website’s local dental SEO is all about fine-tuning your online presence, so create a Google My Business (GMB) listing that is accurate, complete, and verified. Include a detailed description of your practice with your treatments and services offered, with your dental practice name and contact details.

GMB allows you to choose your primary business category, as well as up to five secondary categories. The location of your practice should be distributed organically throughout your website and if you have dental practices in multiple locations, create a separate landing page for each. Reinforce your keyword list by including appropriate geolocation-targeted terms.

As a rule, listings for your dental practice should appear on relevant citation sites, online business directories, and dental associations. Regional sites are particularly important for raising your local SEO profile. If you’re already listed, make sure the information is accurate, and check it regularly for out-of-date information.

Grow Your Dental Practice With PBHS

If you’re looking to grow and retain your dental practice patient base and improve your website search rank, then consider starting with a SEO website evaluation. PBHS is a dental-specific marketing agency, and one of their services is SEO optimization. Schedule a PBHS SEO evaluation today, and start improving your website visibility.

The post Dental SEO: 5 Tips to Increase Traffic to Your Dentistry Website appeared first on RevenueWell.

Dental email marketing best practices help build better patient relationships—improving patient engagement and retention overall. A Patient Relationship Management (PRM) system is a key factor to success.

Dental email marketing is an important element for any modern dental practice’s marketing toolkit.

Email marketing alone has produced impressive results and revenue for businesses—yielding the highest return on investment (ROI) for the past 10 years, along with the highest conversion rates (66%).

In the absence of frequent face-to-face contact, dental email marketing facilitates a more personalized connection between a dental practice and its patients. It helps maintain existing patient relationships and builds trust, as well as also offers a measurable way to target new patients, develop your dental practice’s voice, establish authority, and grow your practice. And, of course, it remains an affordable yet effective channel for generating revenue–for every dollar spent on email marketing, you can estimate a $32 return on your investment (ROI). That’s a win-win!

Are you among the 37% of dentists who intend to roll out an email marketing campaign this year? You’ll need a marketing platform catered specifically to the dental industry to manage your dental-patient relationships. Transform your dental practice and optimize your patient-practitioner relationship with the right dental patient relationship management system that meets both your dental practice’s needs and your team’s needs.

Here are four dental email marketing best practices to enhance patient engagement, improve patient retention, increase efficiency, and enable profitability for your dental practice.

Personalize Emails

Personalization is a key dental email marketing best practice. A personal touch goes a long way in truly reaching your patients. Email marketing is no longer about pushing out generic email blasts to anyone and everyone on your email list.

Creating relevant content intended to match your patient’s interests with tailored messaging for individual patients is the most effective way to connect with them and forge a stronger relationship.

Research shows personalized emails get an average of 14% improvement in clickthrough rates and a 10% jump in conversions.

Personal connections increase your approachability and patients will be more likely to read your messages and feel compelled to act upon them. No one likes to feel like the anonymous target of an email campaign, so it’s crucial to speak to patients directly and sincerely as you would if you were face-to-face.

A good subject line will first draw your patient’s attention, and addressing them by name is a key component to personalizing the message. Most people are far more likely to open an email addressed specifically to them by name. The email trifecta is to then discuss treatments or services that speak directly to their needs. And bingo, they are all ears!

Behavior-Based Triggers for Dental Email Marketing

One simple strategy to heighten your personalization efforts is to set up your dental email marketing campaigns based on behavior-based triggers. For example, send welcome emails to every patient who signs up for your monthly newsletter. These types of behavior-based triggers are effective in making your patients feel the messaging is crafted specifically for them. It shows you care, are in touch, and are in tune with the dental industry standards, professionally and personally—which generates great dental practice office buzz!

Dental email marketing can also remind past patients of your engagement. Consistent communication can boost dental practice referrals and increase the chances of first-time patients coming in for a second visit.

Looking for more dental marketing know-how? Join a Mini-Masterclass on Dental Practice Marketing.

Segment Your Audience

All marketing starts with your target audience, and sending targeted emails based on further segmenting your target audience is just smart marketing.

If you want to maximize ROI, it’s crucial to reach the right person at the right time with the right message.

Segmenting your patient base is an excellent strategy to get the most out of your dental email marketing campaigns and accurately target your patients’ needs. Segmenting increases the relevance and impact of your messaging, and improves the likelihood of receiving a timely response.

The process of segmentation involves splitting your patient list into smaller sub-lists according to shared demographics, behaviors, and motivations.

Refine your dental email marketing segmenting strategy, by answering these questions:

• Who are your current patients—are they new, active, or inactive patients?
• Do they have an open treatment plan?
• What are their common denominators?
• What treatments or services would they most likely be interested in?
• What problem does my patient have, and how can we solve it?
• What treatments plans do we offer that the competition doesn’t?
• How do they book appointments–via phone, email, or online?

Knowing which specific patient segment to target will add focus to your dental email marketing campaigns. If you want to establish meaningful relationships with your patients—you should know what makes them happy, what troubles them, and what their specific pain points are.

For example, segmenting might look like: sending a message of appreciation to a group of loyal patients, sending welcome messages to new patients, or sending out promotional emails or special discounts to re-engage inactive patients with open treatment plans. You could also send thank you messages with a special reward attached to patients who offer referrals to your dental practice.

It’s important to evaluate your email marketing funnels to send appropriate content to your patients based on where they are in their dental care or treatment cycle. Send specific messages based on patient activities or for ADA (American Dental Association) treatment codes with email automation software programs.

The time is now to formulate routine marketing strategies for keeping track of your current patient base!

Focus on Existing Customers

There is a tremendous opportunity for email marketing in the dental sector, the largest being engaging and retaining existing patients.

An effective patient retention strategy must include encouraging inactive patients to return for dental care treatment. Special incentives or discounts, or even a gentle nudge through an email reminder can be a good starting point.

Shockingly, only 20% of North American dental practices engage in email marketing and 53% of dental practices that use email marketing have fewer than 500 subscribers. And average open rates (13%) are lower than most industries, as is the case with average clickthrough rates (29%).

Dental email marketing software can create an effective drip campaign—a marketing strategy consisting of multiple yet highly relevant automated emails sent out at specific times and dates. These are designed to engage existing patients, keep them informed, and make them feel like part of your dental practice family.

For example, a drip campaign might look like this: once a patient books an appointment, they receive a confirmation email, a reminder email 24 hours prior to the appointment, and after their treatment, they receive an invitation to share feedback about their experience or leave a review. This is also a smart way to easily attract new patients, as good reviews will raise your dental practice’s profile in the community and build social clout.

Not only does consistent follow-up improve the patient experience, but streamlined correspondence also makes the entire process more clear-cut and comfortable for them.

Stay Connected with a Monthly Newsletter

Sending out a monthly newsletter to your patients is an effective way to maintain a connection and ensure your dental practice remains top of mind for your patients.

This is the ideal opportunity to share any newsworthy information about your dental practice; latest trends, new service offerings and products such as dental implants and teeth whitening, handy hints for dental health, exciting upcoming events, as well as discounts and special promotions. Consider inviting them to visit your website to check out a new blog post, or engage socially in a specific area of interest. You could even offer existing patients an incentive—perhaps a discount for a treatment or service—if they write about their experiences.

Above all, make sure the content you share is relevant and timely while reinforcing the positive connection between your patients and your practice.

Putting Your Dental Email Marketing Strategy All Together

Dental email marketing is an effective strategy to enhance your reputation in the dental industry.

In addition to strengthening the patient-practitioner bond, sharing relevant dental health information with patients—oral hygiene guidelines, videos, or blogs about common dental questions—positions you as a credible expert, and patients will trust you and your dental practice more.

We’ve unpacked the most effective dental email marketing strategies for patient engagement and retention, from personalizing email messages to accurately targeting the varied segments of your patient base.

But how do you get started with dental email marketing?

Don’t waste your time on platforms that disconnect each part of the patient journey or on ones that don’t sync with a dental practice’s specific needs. You need an all-in-one solution!

Grow Your Dental Practice with RevenueWell

RevenueWell offers an all-inclusive, intuitive platform that both dental teams and their patients love. Over 7,500+ practices trust the RevenueWell team to help them get more patients through the door as well as to manage their existing patient base while running more productive, efficient, and patient-friendly dental practices.

RevenueWell is your complete solution for the entire patient journey: it seamlessly handles a host of patient relationship tasks, such as sending appointment reminders and confirmations, follow-up messages, newsletters, email, and social media messaging.

Want to know more? Schedule a demo with RevenueWell today to learn how our dental marketing platform can revolutionize and grow your dental practice.

The post Dental Email Marketing: Best Practices for Patient Engagement and Retention appeared first on RevenueWell.

We look forward to reconnecting with familiar faces, meeting new people, and learning more about current industry trends and the challenges dental office managers are facing.  

Here’s a peek of what to expect while we’re there.  

1. Level up your marketing strategy with our master class on marketing.  

As front office leaders, we understand that you’re typically juggling multiple roles.  

How often do marketing-centric tasks fall to the bottom of your to-do list? If they do, you’re probably not alone! However, it’s important not to neglect your practice marketing. 

Marketing is a critical part of attracting new patients and retaining existing ones, both of which bring revenue into your practice.  

If you’re looking for impactful ways to market your practice without feeling like it’s a burden, then this course is for you. We’ll be hosting a session titled Master Class: Patient Acquisition, Retention and Growth on Friday, September 10. 

RevenueWell’s Director of Content Marketing, Steve Diogo, will walk you through dental marketing strategies and techniques that you and your front office team can easily implement at your practice. These are actionable ways for you to keep your schedule full, build patient loyalty and trust, and ultimately, drive more profit to your practice. You don’t want to miss out on this session!  

2. Swing by our booth for a conversation.

Be sure to stop by our booth #221 to say hi! Plus, learn why we’re a trusted practice growth partner for dental practices and how our suite of solutions and services help you deliver a higher quality patient experience and elevate your team’s performance.  

Here are some of our solutions and services you find out more about. 

• Marketing Platform – Create and nurture lifelong patient relationships and develop revenue-generating campaigns with the Marketing Platform.  
• PBHS – Cut through the digital noise to attract new patients and stay connected to existing ones with our ADA-endorsed PHBS team and services. 
• Forms – Go digital with your patient intake process and ensure HIPAA compliance with RevenueWell Forms. 
• Phone  – Move every conversation toward action and deliver more personalized patient experiences with RevenueWell Phone & Messenger. 

If you’re a planner, you can schedule a 1:1 meeting with us at our booth. We can’t wait to connect with you to learn more about your practice goals and priorities.  

Additionally, we’ll be raffling a luxury handbag while we’re at the booth, so be sure to enter our giveaway when you stop by. The winner will be announced on the last day of the conference. Good luck! 

If you’re interested in connecting to learn more about how we partner with dental practices to elevate their team’s performance, drive more patient loyalty, and more then schedule time with us at AADOM.

The post Meet RevenueWell at the AADOM Conference appeared first on RevenueWell.

Let’s take a closer look at both.  

1.  Not choosing the right partner 

Arguably the most critical step before committing to any DSO practice acquisition is researching and vetting the potential doctor partner and his or her operation. Just as the right practice and doctor partner can be a boon to the DSO’s overarching reputation and success, the wrong one can effectively sabotage a key business venture. 

Ensure doctors are aligned to the DSO’s management philosophy. This is largely a question of whether the DSO takes a centralized or decentralized approach to marketing and operations management. In centralized management, doctor partners must be willing to onboard and utilize prescribed management and DSO marketing software, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and reporting processes. This may present a greater upfront lift for the practice, but doctors should bear in mind that centralized management can ultimately free them to fully focus on clinical endeavors without getting mired in administrative tactics. On the other hand, a decentralized approach that grants more autonomy to the doctor can still be effective, but the individual practice and its leaders must show they are receptive to DSO recommendations and compliance with any stated operational requirements.  

Conduct on-site research and in-person interviews. Real-time interactions and interviews present the greatest opportunity to evaluate team morale and overall operational efficiency. This is also an ideal time to fully explore how well aligned the practice leaders will be to the DSO’s management philosophies. Have the doctors and office managers historically demonstrated adaptability and willingness to evolve in the interest of practice health? Are current processes well documented and closely followed? Are individual roles clearly defined and well executed? Has there been high-volume turnover, whether recently or in the past? Building a complete and detailed picture of how the practice operates today will indicate how well it could operate as a new portfolio practice.

Accept that there will be some performance gaps. In any acquisition conversation, there is a reason—or list of reasons—why a doctor is interested in selling to or partnering with a DSO. With this in mind, accept that there will be some gaps in performance, and these will almost certainly make themselves known during the on-site interview process. Perhaps marketing is inconsistent; maybe patient outreach is an entirely manual (and therefore inefficient) process; or it could be that patient acquisition is low. Whatever the shortcoming, the DSO’s change management plan should account for how these processes will be improved (or it should help identify when a performance gap is a potential deal-breaker).

Know the financials inside and out. There is no way around this one. If a practice is grossly failing on the financial front, then it is unlikely to prove a worthy acquisition pursuit. While any number of performance gaps can be effectively addressed with procedures, tools and other resources, poor financials are generally indicative of multiple systemic issues.

2.  Not perfecting change management processes

A comprehensive and intentional change management plan, which includes a dedicated team to oversee it, is critical to successfully transitioning a practice into the DSO portfolio. Lacking such a plan is the second greatest pitfall that can impact an acquisition. From the start, DSO change leaders and practice doctors and staff must be in absolute lockstep, and they must remain that way throughout the transition (which doesn’t always happen quickly).

Remember that staff buy-in is ongoing. Buy-in is not a one and done agreement; it must be earned throughout the transition, and it is important that the DSO have it. Staff buy-in will contribute immeasurably to the seamless onboarding of platforms, softwares, SOPs, branding changes and more, so the DSO must be committed to a smooth and comfortable transition that will garner them this internal support. Even if the acquiring entity takes a staunchly centralized approach that will require staff turnover and extensive internal change, a definitive and transparent change management plan will mitigate friction along the way and help generate understanding for the “why” behind every change.

Deliver training on new technologies and processes. If there are any new technology platforms, office hardware, or operating procedures to be implemented (and there certainly will be), make sure there is a team available to deliver extensive training on their upkeep and use. This is another step that is unlikely to be one-and-done; be prepared to offer ongoing training to ensure maximum retention and full utilization. For front office staff in particular, changes in their daily tools and programs can be jarring, and a poorly considered transition can negatively impact their view of the DSO and even their practice.

Ensure all practice staff know who to contact with questions. The last thing any DSO wants when transitioning a practice is to leave staff feeling stuck. Part of fully supporting practice staff is letting them know who to contact for troubleshooting or general assistance, and this can extend beyond the DSO itself. If the DSO is implementing new technologies, make sure practice staff are connected to appropriate customer support and training teams so they can confidently and effectively manage the new tools put at their disposal.

Does your DSO have a reliable process in place when it comes to evaluating, acquiring and transitioning new portfolio practices? Consider that transparently setting expectations and providing reliable support throughout the transition process can go a long way.  

Looking for a strategic partner that can help define your transition process and drive your dental business success? Explore RevenueWell’s customizable suite of software and services that can transform your central operations and drive sustainable growth for your DSO. Learn more about RevenueWell for DSO.  

The post DSO Growth | 2 Pitfalls that Sabotage Expansion appeared first on RevenueWell.

As a front office manager, marketer is one of the many hats you wear. Even though it might feel overwhelming to market your practice, it doesn’t have to be!

In this discussion, Mini Masterclass: Dental Practice Marketing 101, RevenueWell Demand Generation Manager, Demetria Wright, and SKS Marketing Consultants Owner and Chief Marketing Officer, Sara Summers Johnson will help you think outside the box with impactful marketing tactics to stay top-of-mind with current patients and ways to maximize your reach to attract new ones.
What you’ll learn:

• Creative campaign ideas that surprise and delight patients, build loyalty and expose them to new service lines that increase revenue
• How to get more practice reviews to build your online reputation and instill trust to attract new patients
• Quick automation wins that create consistency for your staff and a better patient experience that sets you apart from the practice across the street

The post Mini Masterclass: Dental Practice Marketing 101 appeared first on RevenueWell.

Online Scheduling: Book by Provider Setting

A new online scheduling setting allows patients to book directly with dedicated providers at your practice! This new feature lets you choose which appointment types should allow patients to book with a specific provider.  If you don’t turn it on, patients will not see an option to book by provider, and instead will select from times when any provider is available.  

Click here for more details about adding it to your Online Scheduling flow.  

Not using Online Scheduling yet? Click here to learn more about RevenueWell’s newest tool designed to help fill your schedule. 

The post Product Release Highlights: July 2021 appeared first on RevenueWell.

Everyone has a bit of a salesperson in them, and you’re subconsciously tapping into that part of yourself more often than you might be aware.  

Selling plays a critical role in managing a successful and sustainable dental practice. Case acceptance helps to bring in revenue and retain patients.  

Selling can be intimidating though. How do you take that idea and make it more approachable?  

In this post, we highlight three ways that Janet Hagerman, a practice management expert with over 15 years of clinical experience and 20 years of coaching experience with dental practices, developed for selling dentistry to drive case acceptance and increase revenue in a consistent and sustainable way. 

Interested in diving further into this topic? Download the Practice Management Brief – Case Acceptance to learn how to approach selling dentistry in a whole new way. 

1. Get comfortable with selling case acceptance.

Before you try anything outside your comfort zone, you need to establish the right mindset. Approach the task in a positive and open-minded way. It’s normal to feel uncertain and nervous, and those feelings are valid.  

Additionally with this mind shift, it’s important to recognize the difference between patient education and selling dentistry.  

Patient education is centered around providing information to help patients make an informed decision. Before you educate them, you need to start with making a connection to what matters to them. This is where the selling piece comes in. Asking open-ended questions gives you insight into the patients’ values, and you can use that information to guide the conversation and educate them along the way.  

As Hagerman points out, people buy based on emotions, and then they support it with logic.  

“Logistics is what we’re trained to do. We think in millimeters. We need to learn the emotional side of decision-making, and we have to find simple, quick and easy ways to discover those emotional motivators, ” says Hagerman.   

The other aspect of selling is to remember that you don’t need to change your personality to do it. You can be your authentic self when you’re having these conversations with patients. Whether you’re an introvert, ambivert, or an extrovert, you’re capable of selling treatments to patients. You do it in a way that fits your personality.  

2. Establish congruence and consistency.

Think about your favorite restaurant or a place you visit quite often. What’s the experience like? Is it consistent on every visit or does it vary? Your patients should have a consistent experience every time they visit the practice. Depending on the type of practice environment you want to create, it’s also good to consider how the patient experience translates digitally and through other communication channels. A cohesive experience establishes patient trust and loyalty and helps motivate patients to take control of their oral health.  

Additionally, you should consider patient conversations and how you and your team discuss treatments. Are you asking open-ended questions to determine their values? Are you giving them the appropriate amount of information that connects with what matters to them? Or are you overloading them with information? When your entire team is conversing with patients by asking thoughtful questions and then speaking directly to what motivates them, then you’re more likely to move a patient towards accepting a treatment, scheduling an appointment, and keeping the appointment. Together, these three actions increase your revenue.  

Read the Practice Management Brief – Case Acceptance to learn how you can incorporate the idea of selling dentistry at your practice.  

3. Don’t forget the phone.

Your dental phone system is an integral part of your practice. Ideally, any phone call with a patient or prospective patient should be viewed as an opportunity. How do you treat it as an opportunity? One way is to have the relevant information in front of you the moment a patient calls. This way you can have a productive conversation instead of shuffling or clicking around to view a patient record. Features such as ScreenPop, mobile application, and two-way texting can help you make the most of every conversation. 

Even if you get off a call with a patient not interested in making an appointment, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future. There are other opportunities to nurture that relationship so the next time you’re communicating with the individual you can move them closer to taking action.  

Selling dentistry won’t happen overnight. It’s a continual process that needs to be iterated. There are simple tactics you can incorporate into your daily routine to work towards improving treatment acceptance. And there are more strategic initiatives you can implement, too. However, before you roll anything out, you need to be open to changing your thinking and removing the stigma around selling.  

Want to read more about how to establish the right mindset and processes to sell dentistry? Download the Practice Management Brief – Case Acceptance today.

The post Three Secrets to Improve Case Acceptance appeared first on RevenueWell.

A New Phone System for Dental Practices

RevenueWell is proud to announce our all new RevenueWell Phone, a VoIP phone system and communications hub designed specifically for the unique needs of dental practices. More than a phone system, RevenueWell Phone integrates with your practice management software and centralizes your voice, text, email and video conferencing to streamline your workflows and enhance every patient conversation.   

To learn more about the new RevenueWell Phone, click here. 

New Mobile App for RW Phone 

Introducing a new mobile app for RW Phone customers! The RevenueWell On The Go app helps dental practices manage their office communication from anywhere. With RevenueWell On The Go you can now make and receive phone calls at any time from any location, directly through the mobile app.  

Download the RevenueWell On-The-Go app today in the App Store. 

Note: RevenueWell On-The-Go app is only compatible with practices using the newly launched RW Phone. 

A Simpler Forms Submission Process

A new enhancement to RW Forms eases the forms submission process for patients and helps clarify which forms need to be completed.  Previously, patients would see a “Success!” message after submitting a form, even though they had additional forms to complete. This caused confusion and resulted in patients abandoning incomplete forms.

Now, when a patient submits a form, RevenueWell will redirect patients to the list of forms so they can complete the remaining forms in the queue.  This simpler flow helps patients understand that they should continue filling in their next form.  

Interested in adding RW Forms to your practice? Click here to learn more.

Faster Syncing for Denticon Practices 

Denticon users will now experience quicker appointment confirmation syncs. This new update will reduce appointment confirmations sync time from hours to minutes –  allowing practices to lock customers into their schedule faster and confirm no–shows sooner. 

New Look! Custom Campaigns 

The blue background on campaigns has now been removed to create a more neutral look that universally compliments a wide array of brand logos and colors.  

This change can be viewed under the template library in the Custom Campaign tab. Simply select any email template and preview.

Check it out today.

New Look! Navigation Pane 

We’ve updated the navigation pane to better fit the way in which you use RevenueWell!  With this update you’ll experience:

• A new Home icon that makes it easy to access the home dashboard/ practice portal. 
• New location details that have been added so multi-practice and Enterprise customers can easily see which location they are viewing. 
• The user profile / sign out option pushed to the bottom of the pane to allow space for future icons that will live on the navigation pane. 

The post Product Release Notes: June 2021 appeared first on RevenueWell.

Today’s best communication tech for dental practices features three critical elements: integration, flexibility, and ease of use. From cloud-based phone and email systems that automatically fetch patient information from your dental practice management software, to integrated 2-way texting and teledentistry, dental teams have never had more ways to connect with their busy, on-the-go patients to improve scheduling, reduce no-shows and boost case acceptance.   

In this post, we’ll highlight the powerful, affordable tech that can empower dental teams and improve communication to drive healthy schedules and improve treatment acceptance, all while streamlining workflows and lowering overhead.  

Want to read this later? Download the Dental Tech Brief: Phone Systems to discover how the right technology can move every patient conversation toward action.  

Here’s what you can expect from the best dental practice phone systems.   

Smart phone? Try genius phone.

With all the equipment, materials and technology in your practice, you probably don’t spend too much time thinking about your phone. Pick it up, make a call. Most likely, leave a voicemail. So unless it breaks, there’s not much to think about.   

It’s time to change that. Today your phone system can give you more control over your schedule, more flexibility in your day, and more information to have more productive conversations with your patients.   

Today’s best dental phone systems are smart communication hubs that provide powerful features and deep integration with your practice management systems. This integration allows you to immediately access real-time patient information on every caller, such as upcoming and past appointments, treatment plans, personal notes, and even payment history.    

RevenueWell Phone, a phone system designed specifically for dental practices, integrates with your practice management software to automatically display patient information on your computer screen when a patient calls. Think of it as a supercharged caller ID. Having this information in front of you means you can focus on the conversation instead of searching for it while you’re talking. That ability to focus, combined with the critical information you need, means you’re much better equipped to turn that phone call into an opportunity to schedule treatment or prompt your patient for payment on her balance.

Flexibility and ease of use

You have enough complexity running your practice on a daily basis. Your phone should simplify that complexity, not compound it. Many practice teams have implemented VoIP phone systems that promise ease of use, but in fact require assistance to manage the backend software that runs them.   

RevenueWell was determined to change this when it released its new dental phone system.  RevenueWell Phone features a simple interface that allows dental teams to quickly customize outgoing messages, call routing rules, and special messages and handling for lunch times, holidays, out-of-office rules and more. All can be changed with a few mouse clicks in its intuitive software. The system’s mobile app allows dental teams to access and manage the system any time from anywhere, providing dentists and teams with unbridled flexibility.  

Finally, support is a critical issue when considering a phone system. As the lifeline of your practice, your phone system needs to work optimally. RevenueWell backs its new phone system with its industry leading white-glove support, so teams can quickly get up and running with no stress.   

RevenueWell Phone ushers in a new age of practice communication, one in which you have the information you need when you need it without having to look it up. That means you can focus on the conversation—not the keyboard—and drive more productive and profitable conversations with your patients.   

Is your dental phone system driving profitability now and for the future? Download the Dental Tech Brief today.  

The post Three Elements Modern Dental Phone Systems Must Have appeared first on RevenueWell.

With RevenueWell Phone, you can say goodbye to missed opportunities, wasted time, and distractions caused by looking up patient information while you’re on the phone. Our unique Screen Pop feature is a supercharged caller ID that shows you critical patient information on every caller before you pick up the phone. You’ll see each patient’s appointments and treatment history, insurance information, personal notes, payment status and more.  

Your phone is the most valuable communication tool in your dental practice. Not all phone systems are the same though. There are many phone systems out there that create friction between the practice and patient resulting in wasted time, revenue loss, and a poor patient experience. 

We’re here to resolve that. RevenueWell Phone helps your practice make every patient interaction productive and, ultimately, helps your practice grow. With more than 100 features, an easy-to-use interface and RevenueWell’s industry-leading customers support, users can be up and running quickly—and paying less than you’d pay for a traditional office phone system.  

1. Customize your communication hub

RevenueWell Phone has more than 100 features to help you create personalized patient experiences and help your team work more efficiently. But don’t feel overwhelmed by all those features: You have the power to customize your communication center based on your practice’s needs for today and for what’s to come.  

2. A dental phone system with one office number 

RevenueWell Phone can handle any communication method your patients use. Whether it’s phone, text, email, or video, it can all be synced with your main office number.  

For example, if you have patients who prefer texting to calling, you can send them a quick text directly from the office phone number instead of your personal cell phone number. You can send the text message from your computer or the mobile app making it convenient for you and your team.  

When your communications come from a consistent number, your patients are more inclined to reply because it’s a number they recognize. As your patients continue to be inundated with phone calls or texts from random numbers, it’s more important to have a single number that they can easily save to their contacts.   

3. Easy to set up and use

The idea of switching solutions can seem daunting, but not when you have a support team that’s with you every step of the way. From the time you sign up, you’ll be paired with a dedicated onboarding specialist to ensure a smooth implementation process. Once you’re up and running, you’ll have complete control to update the system as you need. You’ll feel empowered to make changes based on your practice’s needs, and you can still reach out to us when you have questions. 

Watch this short video to see how easy it is for you to make changes on the backend.

4. Additional resources

If you’re looking to strengthen how your front office utilizes the phone, then you might find these resources helpful. You’ll find tips on how to automate your communications, patient retention, what to look for in a dental phone system, and more. Bookmark these for later!  

• How to choose a dental office phone system: Top eleven features for dental office phones 
• Boost engagement over the phone and schedule new patients 
• Next level appointment reminders 
• The difference between PHI and PII 
• The importance of automated communications 
• Five practice experts on retaining new dental patients 

Ready to move away from your standard phone system? Save time with one that helps you make ever patient conversation impactful. Schedule a demo to see RevenueWell Phone in action. 

The post RevenueWell Launches Powerful New Dental Practice VoIP Phone System appeared first on RevenueWell.

DataSync Alert

The DataSync timestamp on RevenueWell’s homepage now turns red if a DataSync has not been performed in 24 hours. By clicking the information button near the red time stamp, users will receive additional context around the alert and steps on what to do next.  

This change helps to notify practices if there is a disruption in patient data sync, and ensures practices have the necessary intel to resolve the frozen DataSyncs in a timely manner. 

The post Product Release Notes: May 2021 appeared first on RevenueWell.

Big purchases can evoke lots of different emotions. There’s the excitement of buying something new and getting to use it. There’s some uncertainty because you don’t know if you’ll be happy with your choice. And, in some instances, you might even feel stress because there’s going to be a learning curve.  

These same feelings can bubble up when you’re selecting a dental patient relationship management system (PRM). Investing in a new solution can be daunting if you don’t know where to start or what questions to ask.   

Before you commit to a demo, it’s important to clarify what you’ll need in a solution so you’ll get a sense of what the product can do when you see it in action.  

So, what should you consider when looking for a new dental PRM system?  

Here are three items to consider when evaluating a patient relationship management system. 

1. Identify your practice’s goals. 

Before you invest in a dental patient relationship management system, take a step back and ask what you want to get out of it. You need to consider your short-term and long-term goals and how it can help you attain them.  

These are conversations to have with the dentist and the rest of the office team. It’s good to get the clinical and business goals aligned so that you’re choosing a solution that will help you take your practice to the next level.  

Here are some examples of short-term goals: 

• Increase patient acquisition. 
• Reduce time-consuming tasks like phone calls and paperwork. 
• Decrease appointment cancellations and no-shows.  

Here are some long-terms goals: 

• Open an additional practice in the future. 
• Improve patient retention. 
• Be acquired by a DSO or group practice.  

Keep in mind these are suggestions to help you steer the conversation with the rest of the team. Every practice is different, and there isn’t a wrong way to approach it. It’s good to first understand why you need a new PRM system or are looking to invest in one. It’s a question you’ll be asked when you’re on a product demo.  

Download the dental patient relationship management system checklist so that you’re prepared to find the best solution for your practice. 

2. Know what questions to ask the dental patient relationship management system vendor. 

Once you’ve committed to a demo, come prepared with questions. That way you’re making the most of your valuable time and getting the information you need to make an informed decision. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions because software is an investment for your practice.  

Here are some questions to ask the vendor:   

• What’s the typical ROI for a new customer? 
• Are there additional costs for onboarding and training? 
• Does it read and write to the PMS? 
• Does the software read ADA codes?  

Look for a vendor who values a partnership, not one that sees you as a one-off transaction. Ideally, you want a vendor with an excellent customer service team that’s accessible and able to answer support questions within a reasonable timeframe. Additionally, they should have a knowledge base that empowers you to seek out answers yourself.   

A dental PRM system vendor will be committed to helping you make the most of your solution so you can achieve your goals. And you should feel comfortable providing feedback on the product and what can be improved. It’s a two-way communication effort.  

3. Know what matters most to you and the front office team. 

Countless features at your fingertips can be overwhelming. It’s important to know that you’re not obligated to use every single feature in your PRM system. However, you should also maintain an open mind because you never know when certain features might come in handy down the lane.  

Start with identifying what’s most pertinent for you and your team. Make a list of what you need and what would be nice-to-have.  

What’s going to address your immediate challenges? What’s going to help you in the long run? Look at the features you’re evaluating and understand how it integrates with your PMS. Without both systems, it’s hard to achieve your practice goals.  

Here are some examples of features that you can find in a PRM system. 

• Read/write integration with a PMS 
• Two-way text messaging 
• Online forms 
• Custom campaigns for treatment acceptance and recall 
• Patient portal 

Searching for a new PRM system shouldn’t be stressful. Start with identifying your goals, knowing what questions you need answered, and what features matter most, then you’ll feel more prepared when you get to the demo stage. The more you empower yourself with self-education, the easier it will be to make a choice on your next solution. Once you have the right technology in place, you can get back to focusing on the areas of your role that you enjoy and leave the office feeling less stressed.  

Download our PRM checklist so that you’re equipped to ask the right questions when evaluating vendors. 

The post How to choose a patient relationship management system appeared first on RevenueWell.

Crain’s Chicago Business works with an independent workplace research firm to conduct an in-depth survey that assesses both employees’ experiences at their workplace and the company’s policies, benefits, and culture.

From the company’s inception, the leadership team wanted to create a welcoming workspace where people could be their authentic selves and learn from one another.

“We wanted it to be a place we were happy showing up to every morning. That starts and ends with behavior that’s encouraged and accepted,” says RevenueWell’s co-founder and CEO Serge Longin. “We opened up our doors and were fortunate to welcome incredible people that deeply care about the same thing we care about: making a difference, growing personally, enabling others, and having fun in the process.”

Here are four reasons RevenueWell is great place to work.

1. Evolving office culture

We spend a large amount of time working. Ideally, you want to enjoy the role, the people you work with, and identify with the company values. In turn, this fosters a genuine office culture which attracts people who want to play a part in evolving it. This caring quality helped shape our company values as well. These values are what matter to RevenueWell-ers every day, and we love acknowledging team members who exhibit them.

Whether we’re working remotely or in the office, our culture will continue to evolve as we bring on more people who care about cultivating a positive and open workplace. We believe everyone has something to bring to the table.

2. Passion for the products and dental space

A passion for your company’s products or services also creates a strong office culture. We’ve always served the dental industry, and our product was built because we recognized a need for it. This sincere desire to help an industry that needed a solution has also contributed to fostering a environment that delivers superior customer service.

“Over the challenging past year, we have come together to support each other and to continue to grow,” says Effie Kyroudis, RevenueWell’s VP of People. “We stepped up with support for our amazing doctors and practices – providing them with information, tools, and product enhancements to adjust to their new reality. With our teams, we are here to work together, be open and learn from each other, help everyone be better, grow in our roles, and build a great product for our customers. And have some fun along the way too!”

3. Focus on diversity and inclusion

As we’ve transitioned to a remote company, the emphasis on office culture remains constant. RevenueWell-ers have found ways to stay connected and create a culture where inclusion matters. Virtual happy hours, coffee connects, and book clubs are some of the ways the company has provided different outlets for people to get to know one another and even have vulnerable and hard conversations.

One initiative that formed through open conversations was the Diversity and Inclusion Guild. Mine Dafiaghor, sales development representative, recognized a need for a resource group where people could come together to have thoughtful conversations around race and social inequity and bring whole identities to work.

Dafiaghor says, “We’re currently in the early stages where we’re having conversations about the importance of diversity and inclusion through book clubs and fundraising initiatives so new employees can feel comfortable in their social identities and ready to embrace the elements that make us all unique.”

This group is continuing to evolve, and other plans include monthly Lunch and Learns to discuss topics such as mental health in the workplaces, names and identities, and LGBTQ+.

4. Rapid growth and opportunity

RevenueWell is experiencing tremendous growth through adding new dental practices and its acquisition of the dental marketing company PBHS this year. As RevenueWell continues to grow, the people and their voices are what make the company what it is. That’s not going to change. It’s something that will continue to be top of mind in the years to come.

Kyroudis adds, “There is a lot of growth ahead of us and the team is energized about the future. We have welcomed over 165 employees to the team in the past year – including almost 100 from joining forces with PBHS in February. Even doubling in size, we continue to hold true to our values of being fair, open, supportive, collaborative, and continuously improving.”

“In the end, it comes down to inviting others to share in what we have going on and listening to the wisdom within our walls when we don’t get things right on the first go,” says Longin.

Interested in joining the RevenueWell family? Our team is growing. Check out our open roles!

The post RevenueWell Featured in Crain’s 100 Best Places to Work appeared first on RevenueWell.

Scheduling dental appointments is a critical but time-consuming task. It can be done in an efficient way so that you and your team can spend more time on other tasks that you enjoy.  

How do you handle dental scheduling? 

Here are five ways to make dental scheduling a hassle-free experience for you and the front office team.  

1. Use your ASAP list. 

Your ASAP list should be the first item you use when filling appointment gaps. These patients have expressed interest in coming in sooner if an open slot appears.  

If you don’t already have an ASAP list in your practice management system, then use it to build your list. You probably have several patients who are willing to come in earlier. You can even give patients a way to opt-in to this list. Consider including this opt-in request in the patient intake forms and during the check–out process.   

You’re more likely to reduce stress and successfully fill your schedule by contacting patients on the priority list first. And patients will appreciate you moving them up leading to increased patient satisfaction.  

2. Expand your communication methods. 

Meeting your patients where they are is critical in creating a positive dental patient experience. Your patients have different communication preferences in each aspect of their lives. Giving your patients options and asking how they want to be contacted is one way to be more efficient around scheduling.  

Additionally, it’s good to consider what’s manageable for you and your team. Look for ways to automate your communications. This way, you’re using your time in the best way possible while still meeting patients’ expectations.  

3. Develop a communication plan for appointments.

Do you have a patient communications plan, or have you envisioned one but are too busy juggling multiple tasks to create one? While this might seem like a daunting project, you and your front office team will reap the benefits in the long run.  

It doesn’t have to be a fleshed–out plan. Here’s what to consider first, and then you can keep adding to it.  

Start with what types of communications you already do and how often you want to reach out to patients.  

Additionally, here are a few other items to evaluate. 

• Have you asked your patients their communication preferences? 
• Is there an easy way for them to opt-in for certain messages? 
• Have you considered experimenting with different content formats such as video or a newsletter? 
• Do you use social media? 
• How far in advance do you want to reach out?  

Remember your outreach can impact a patient’s view of the practice.  

Communication is an effective way to bring in new patients and convert them to lifelong ones. Download our eBook the Ultimate Dental Practice Marketing Retention Guide for practical ideas on how to increase patient retention.

4. Offer teledentistry as an option.

Teledentistry is another avenue to remove friction in dental scheduling. It increases appointments by making them more accessible to current and potential patients, and it aligns with how many of your patients prefer to communicate. This could serve as an alternative if a patient is unable to come in person. 

Additionally, there are some use cases where a patient may not need to visit the dentist in person. And you can always schedule a follow-up appointment if an in-person visit is necessary. 

If you decide to offer teledentistry, then have a conversation with the entire dental practice team to determine what scenarios this can be used, the costs, and how to replicate a positive patient experience in a virtual setting.  

5. Use your social media channels to schedule dental appointments.  

Social media helps you to share practice information with your community, like having appointment availability. If your practice has active pages, then why not use them to encourage patients to schedule their dental appointments online? This is a quick and easy way to get the word out and can save you time from making individual calls.  

Posting on social media may not work for every practice. You need to know your patient base and where they get their information.  

However, if you have an active following and regular engagement on your social media posts, then consider posting about appointments on there. You can include a link to make the appointment and include the practice’s contact information. If a patient is interested or has questions, they can call or email your office to ensure HIPAA compliancy.  

At the minimum, this is something worth testing on your social media pages if you haven’t done so before.  

6. Schedule the next appointment as soon as possible.

Depending on the appointment type, you can schedule the next one when the patient is checking out. This is easier and more efficient than waiting on them to schedule their next appointment. And, always explain why they need to return. Education is critical in ensuring patients feel comfortable scheduling their next procedure before things get worse. It’s part of building that trust between you and the patient.   

For the noncommittal patients, you can emphasize that securing an appointment sooner gives them more scheduling options to choose from.  

Dental scheduling is impactful, so it should be handled in the most efficient way. You can keep your schedule full if you have a detailed plan in place. It takes a little time to get the process right, but once you do, it will result in fewer headaches. And you can spend more time on other tasks and creating a better in-person patient experience.  

Keeping your appointment schedules full is just one aspect of your multi-functional role! Patient retention is also a critical part of maintaining the practice. Download our eBook the Ultimate Dental Practice Marketing Retention Guide to get more tips to increase patient retention through communication. 

The post 6 Ways to Erase Dental Scheduling Headaches appeared first on RevenueWell.

As your group practice or dental service organization (DSO) scales, you need to know where to standardize processes so that you can improve the bottom line. 

When’s the last time you reviewed your existing SOPs and processes? 

Check out these five ways dental operations managers can step up to better processes.  

1. Revamp the dental morning huddle.  

Do each of your locations have dental morning huddles? How do the office managers lead them?  

Huddles are a small, but impactful way to ensure the office team is aligned each day. They set the tone for how the day will go. While you don’t need to dictate how each location leads their huddle, you could offer guidance with an SOP. You can provide recommendations on what to focus on so they’re using the meeting time efficiently. For example, each location leads with personalized touches, like a patient’s birthday, and ends with the financials. A format adds structure to the huddles and offers each location’s team the flexibility to discuss what’s happening at their individual practice. Dental morning huddles increase efficiency, productivity, and it’s a nice way to get the entire team together to build camaraderie.  

2. Use your patient relationship management (PRM) software as the one-stop-shop for everything you do.  

These days it’s a struggle to find a healthy balance between becoming too dependent on technology and using it to get more done. At work, your PRM should be a central workspace that you check each day to manage all your operations. This is a practice that office leaders at each location should also get into the habit of doing. Cassie Tallon, marketing administrator at Partnerships for Dentists says, “Create a healthy dependency for technology. Your PRM system should be the first thing you view in the morning and used throughout the day because it’s where you get that 360-view of what’s happening across practices.”

Check out this on-demand webinar where she dives further into the ways dental operations managers and other group practice leaders can create a patient experience using the right PRM system.

3. Partner with your marketing team on a dental patient experience strategy.

Patient communications play an important role in building a sincere relationship with each patient. When patients trust their dentist, then they’re more likely to schedule regular appointments, take an active interest in their treatment plans and show up for their scheduled appointments.  

There should be a strategy behind how each location communicates with their patients. And there should be SOPs to enhance the strategy. Dental operations managers and marketing managers should work closely together to ensure the messaging and operations are consistent so that each patient receives a high-quality experience. Additionally, this helps to maintain compliance and standards at the corporate level. 

4. Evaluate your existing tech stack.  

When you open your phone, do you ever feel like you have too many apps that do the same thing? Consolidating them is one method for keeping your phone organized. As you’re evaluating SOPs, look at your tech stack to see if you can consolidate tools. Instead of having multiple point solutions, consider investing in a PRM software that’s customizable and will grow along with your group practice or DSO.  

Point solutions become costly and inefficient as your group practices grows.  Also, you probably spend more time shuffling between tools than you’d like to. As your organization continues to scale, then it’s important to ensure your PRM system is meeting your needs. A platform solution will save you money in the long run, help you manage user permissions, and benefit the marketing and individual teams at each practice.  

5. Utilize automation in group practice communications. 

Sticky notes are great for some things such as writing a note to yourself or using it as a to-do list in your personal life. But, at your group practice or DSO, they’re inefficient and risky, particularly if they contain patient information. 

Patient communications can impact both the entire dental patient experience and the company’s overall goals. If a patient has a negative experience at the practice, then they may not return. Or, if a patient feels like the practice is only interested in making money, then they might choose to go to another location. Automating communications can help you build a genuine connection with your patients if it’s ongoing, consistent and most importantly, educational. 

Here are some areas to automate and create SOPs around:  

• Intake forms 
• Appointment checklists 
• Marketing campaigns for patients 
• Post-op follow–ups and re–care 
• Case acceptance 

Additionally, automating certain manual or repeatable tasks ensures your practices are compliant with dental, state and federal and HIPAA guidelines. This information can be stored in a central portal where only certain users have access to it. This protects the group practice or DSO as a whole and reduces the need to store paperwork on site. It’s also convenient for patients because they can view their information on their own time instead of having to call or email the location.  

SOPs and processes should be adjusted on a regular basis. If they aren’t helping you and the teams at each location, then it’s worth reviewing them. You want everyone, including you, to feel set up for success and to be efficient in your roles. When everyone has the right tools and processes in place, then you all can focus on the activities you all enjoy. 

If you’re looking to spring into quality processes and SOPs this quarter and beyond, then check out our DSO Marketing Software to help you do just that. Request a demo.

The post 5 Simple Process Improvements for Dental Operations Managers appeared first on RevenueWell.

Like for many businesses, the pandemic forced dental practices to adapt in ways that would help them thrive.  

Adapting can be intimidating when there are so many unknowns, but dental practices that choose to remain status quo are the ones that will continue to struggle even post-pandemic. Your patients’ expectations have already changed.  

Look at this as a chance to step back and reassess. Ask yourself how can you be more resilient, and how can you practice it to overcome challenges at your dental practice?  

Here are five ways dental office managers can build a more resilient practice.  

Want to watch this instead? Amanda Ellsworth, senior product marketing manager at RevenueWell shares best practices you can implement to create a stronger office environment and improve communication among your team.

1. Find the opportunity to improve.  

The pandemic forced everyone to slow down and take a breath. This was a chance for practices to step back and figure out how to adapt and improve.  

Everyone has projects they put off for various reasons. Just like you may have used your personal time to clean out that drawer or closet you’ve been avoiding or picking up a hobby you’ve always wanted to do, use the time to figure out how to cultivate a stronger practice and better dental patient experience. This is an approach to take even when this has passed. Make it a reoccurring initiative a few times a year.  

Ginny Hegarty, founder, Dental Practice Development says, “The practices that made the shift the fastest were the ones that were able to say, ‘OK, take a deep breath and let’s look at where we are and realize we’re not a product of our circumstances, we’re a product of our decisions.”  

Here are some questions to ask yourself?  

• Are there ways to improve efficiencies?  
• What’s been working well? 
• Is your tech stack working for you and your team? 
• How can your team better communicate with each other?  
• Is your office culture a supportive and safe environment?  
• How can you continue to ensure patients feel safe? 

If your practice has the budget, consider purchasing new technology to help you automate certain tasks. Implementing and training your team on technology can be time-consuming, but now’s an ideal time to look into it. Technology can help you work more efficiently so you can focus on other areas of your role.  

Check out our eBook if you’re interested in reading more ways to build a resilient dental practice! 

2. Honor your team’s collective genius.  

It’s true that there’s strength in numbers. Every individual at your practice plays a part in helping it grow. Everyone has a valuable perspective. As you’re figuring out ways to improve the office and the dental patient experience, be sure to involve your entire team.  

It’s important to foster a culture of openness and emphasize there are no bad ideas. Everyone wants to feel included and heard. And, when everyone has a chance to contribute to solving challenges, then it creates a positive work culture which ultimately impacts patient acquisition and retention.   

3. Built an empathetic work environment. 

2020 is a year none of us will ever forget. It’s been a year of having to adapt, be flexible and have empathy. Everyone has dealt with their own challenges over the past year and the lines between work and home have blurred.  

Fostering a positive and supportive work environment is important for the team’s morale. Of course, it shouldn’t disingenuous. Everyone has rough days so it’s also good to be open about it. As the office manager or office lead, don’t be embarrassed to admit if you’re not having a great day. Being open creates a safe space for your team to be open about their feelings. This also encourages everyone to lift each other up and help where they can. An empathetic work culture impacts the dental patient experience as well. Your patients can pick up on the energy, both good and bad.  

4. Strengthen communication. 

People are ready to do normal activities again, and yes, that includes going to the dentist. According to the ADA Health Policy Institute’s poll from January 2021, 88% indicated they’re gone back to the dentist or they’re comfortable going. You’ll have patients who look forward to the face-to–face interaction. Chances are there are some who have had minimal human interaction during the pandemic so these appointments will matter even more. There’s going to be some unease with returning to the dentist too, so setting expectations is a good way to make your patients comfortable. You can also use text and email to supplement your communication. When your patients know what to expect during their visit, then that creates trust. As a result, they’re more likely to return for regular appointments.  

5. Add extra layers of safety.

The pandemic changed people’s expectations around safety and cleanliness. Additionally, your patients have become accustomed to doing many activities online like ordering groceries, video conferencing with family and friends and paying the bills. This is the new normal and is likely to stay.  

Your patients will have similar expectations for your practice. You’ll have patients who prefer filling out online forms versus paper forms. You’ll also have patients who may want to do a virtual visit because their concern doesn’t require an in-person visit. Online forms are an easy way to minimize germ spreading. Prior to the pandemic, you probably didn’t think twice about handing a pen and clipboard to a patient, but now the thought might seem less appealing.  

Another option to have at your practice is teledentistry. Teledentistry offers your patients a way to see the dentist for minor concerns and questions. It won’t replace in-person visits, but it’s a good option for your patients if they’re feeling under the weather or if they’re too busy to come to the practice.  

When doing virtual appointments, be sure to put more thought into the call. Think about the video angles and add some character to your background. It makes a difference and helps to create a connection between you and the patient. Additionally, it sets a professional tone and instills trust.  

Giving your patients choices on how they want to handle their dental visits is a way to build strong relationships with them. They’ll appreciate the attention to safety and convenience and how you’ve adapted to these new expectations.  

Remember that resilience is a cultivated practice. With a resilient mindset, you can play a part in building a stronger dental practice no matter what might come your way in the future.  

Interested in diving into more ways to strengthen your dental practice and team? Download the eBook to get more tips and inspiration. 

The post How Dental Office Managers Can Build a Resilient Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

Online Scheduling: Email alerts for new incoming appointments

Get email alerts when patients request an appointment using your Online dental scheduling software! Practices currently receive a notification on the RW Portal Dashboard, but now, receive an email when you patients request an appointment. With this update, staff members who have opted into Alerts in their communication preferences will receive an email for each incoming request with a link to the appointment in the calendar where they can accept/decline. Stay on top of your incoming appointments and easily manage your schedule with this new alert enhancement.

Haven’t activated Online Scheduling yet? Learn more today!

The post Product Release Notes: April 2021 appeared first on RevenueWell.

What You’ll Learn

• Learn how 2020 tested and strengthened practice and personal resilience
• Gain communication and relationship tips for stronger teamwork
• Get insights into patient concerns and how to overcome them
• See how technology can help improve communication and safety
• Learn which practice adaptations will become best practices

Enjoy the webinar below!

Webinar: 5 Steps to Building a Resilient Practice

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post 5 Steps to Building a Resilient Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

In a digital age, the option to book an appointment online has become tablestakes. But, do patients really prefer the option?

Check out our latest infographic to view stats on patient preferences when booking an appointment online. 

Ready to learn how RevenueWell can help you increase your schedule? Request a demo today.

Other valuable resources to check out:

• 5 Steps to a More Resilient Dental Practice
• How to Get Your Dental Practice on the First Page of Google
• Online scheduling tool now integrates with Eaglesoft

The post Infographic: Do patients prefer to book an appointment online? appeared first on RevenueWell.

Check out our latest infographic on ways you can automate your day and simplify life at the front desk.

Ready to learn how RevenueWell can help you increase your schedule? Request a demo today.

Other valuable resources to check out:

• How to Get Your Dental Practice on the First Page of Google

The post Infographic: 5 Ways to Automate Your Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

PBHS has long been the leader in digital marketing solutions for general and specialty dental practices. The team’s innovation, expertise and amazing customer service has earned it the exclusive endorsements of the American Dental Association Member Advantage Program, the American Association of Endodontists and the American College of Prosthodontists along with 30 state associations. PBHS’s services include dental website design, practice branding, SEO, online advertising, video marketing and social media campaigns.

The addition of PBHS’s team and solutions means customers of both companies will soon have access to a one-stop marketing and communication solution that helps manage the entire patient lifecycle. The union furthers RevenueWell’s mission to deliver a single, streamlined solution to simplify patient acquisition and retention for dental practices ranging from solo practices to enterprise-level group practices and Dental Service Organizations (DSOs).

Dental marketing made easy

“Our goal at RevenueWell always has been to simplify business complexity for dentists and staff so they can focus on delivering excellent patient care,” said Serge Longin, co-founder and CEO of RevenueWell.

“The combination of RevenueWell’s award-winning patient relationship and communications software with PBHS’s high-performance digital marketing services means customers of both companies will have access to a truly unified practice growth solution providers need to acquire, retain and delight all patients while maximizing lifetime value for the practice,” Longin said.

RevenueWell and PBHS share deep dental roots and a common vision. Since their founding, the companies have focused on the unique marketing and patient communication needs of U.S. dental practices.

Connecting patient acquisition and retention

RevenueWell’s flagship product is its Marketing Platform, which integrates with most Dental Practice Management Software (PMS) systems to automate and simplify time-consuming tasks such as review collection, email campaigns, appointment reminders, welcome information and post-procedure instructions. The platform also provides performance insights that show the impact and ROI of marketing and communication activity. Other offerings include automated text messaging, paperless forms, teledentistry tools, and integrated VOIP telephony solutions for solo practices. RevenueWell’s DSO dental marketing and patient communication software serves the patient relationship management needs of group practices and DSOs.

PBHS’s high impact marketing services for dental and specialty practices include custom website design, SEO, online advertising, social media marketing, video production, website chat reception, practice branding, demographic marketing, waiting room TV, patient education and informed consent services. The company also provides secured technology solutions including SecureMail and truForm e-forms, the leading specialty online forms solution.

“PBHS has long been the industry leader in patient acquisition,” said PBHS President Jay Levine. “Connecting these offerings to RevenueWell’s award-winning Patient Relationship Management Suite creates an unbeatable solution for dental practices to deliver seamless new-patient experiences, measure and optimize marketing ROI and maximize the lifetime value of every patient who comes through the door.”

One-stop dental marketing solutions

“Running a dental practice is more complex today than it was just 10 years ago,” Longin said. “Patients find providers in different ways. They want to interact using different mediums. And they stay loyal for different reasons than they used to. We believe in the power of a single, integrated platform to help practices harness and benefit from these changes and deliver amazing patient experiences.

“The successful integration of the PBHS and RevenueWell teams and products will further reduce the need to buy, implement and maintain multiple solutions for different parts of the patient journey,” Longin said. “We’re thrilled about the growth and cost savings this combination will create for our current and future customers.”

The integrated PBHS and RevenueWell family serves a customer base of more than 13,000 U.S. dental practices. Longin said customers will see exciting new product offerings and high-value packages rolled out over the next few months as the two companies integrate operations. In the combined organization, Levine will run PBHS and report to Longin.

Please join us in welcoming the PBHS team to RevenueWell. The entire PBHS team will remain focused on what they do so well: creating amazing digital marketing solutions for dental practices. Levine will run the group as a RevenueWell Vice President and General Manager of PBHS. Together, we will be rolling out exciting new offerings and high-value packages to save you time and money while simplifying and improving your patient acquisition and retention efforts. In the meantime, RevenueWell and PBHS customers should continue to reach out to their existing service and sales partners.

For more information, please see our FAQ.

About RevenueWell

Founded in 2010, RevenueWell is a leading provider of marketing and communication software specifically designed to meet the needs of dental practices. The company’s Marketing Platform provides tools that help dental practices maximize their clinical schedule, increase case acceptance and keep their patient base engaged and loyal to the practice. RevenueWell’s solutions are HIPAA compliant and integrate with most Dental PMS solutions. RevenueWell has 170 employees and offices in Bannockburn and Chicago. RevenueWell’s innovation, ease of use and outstanding customer service have driven tremendous growth over the past two years and made the company the Leader in Patient Relationship Management based on customer feedback on the software review website, G2.com. For more information visit RevenueWell.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About PBHS

PBHS was founded in the 1970s to provide accounting, payroll and other administrative services to dental practices. In the 1990s, the company became the first company to specialize in dental website design and internet marketing. Since then, PBHS has grown into a team of more than 90 developers, designers, strategists and visionaries who are passionate about providing dental and medical practices with advanced digital marketing solutions. PBHS has offices in Santa Rosa, Calif., and New York. PBHS is exclusively endorsed by ADA Member Advantage, the American Association of Endodontists, and the American College of Prosthodontists along with 30 state associations. Learn more at PBHS.com.

The post RevenueWell Expands Dental Marketing Offerings with Acquisition of PBHS appeared first on RevenueWell.

RevenueWell announced the acquisition of PBHS on Feb. 23, 2021. The entire PBHS team and portfolio of dental digital marketing solutions are now part of the RevenueWell family.

Why is this awesome?

RevenueWell is the leader in dental patient relationship management and retention marketing. PBHS is the leader in dental patient acquisition marketing. The union of RevenueWell and PBHS creates a true single-source solution for dental practices to streamline and coordinate their entire marketing and communications lifecycle.

As a customer, you’ve long relied on RevenueWell to engage your patients, optimize your front desk and maximize the lifetime value of every patient in your practice. The integration of PBHS services and technology significantly increases RevenueWell’s capabilities in New Patient Acquisition to help your practice realize its full growth potential.

Our vision at RevenueWell has always been to deliver outstanding value to our customers by:

• Eliminating the need to buy, implement and maintain multiple software solutions;
• Creating a seamless practice and patient experience throughout the care cycle; and
• Lowering the practice’s spend on key software and technology services through effective bundling

We believe the addition of PBHS’s team and offerings will greatly advance this vision and turn RevenueWell into a true one-stop partner for most of your New Patient Acquisition, Patient Relationship Management and Practice Management needs.

What products and services does PBHS offer?

PBHS has long been the leader in digital marketing solutions for general and specialty dental practices. The team’s innovation, expertise and amazing customer service has earned it the exclusive endorsements of the American Dental Association Member Advantage Program, the American Association of Endodontists and the American College of Prosthodontists along with 30 state associations. PBHS’s services include dental website design, practice branding, SEO, online advertising, video marketing and social media campaigns.

What does the new organization look like?

We’ve brought the entire PBHS team onboard. They will continue to focus on creating their amazing patient-acquisition solutions. The RevenueWell team will remain focused on our existing products and services. PBHS President Jay Levine will continue to run the PBHS group as RevenueWell Vice President and GM of PBHS.

As we integrate our teams and our offerings, please be on the lookout for exciting new services, bundles, and improvements to our core Marketing Platform, powered by the amazing work PBHS and RW teams have been doing over the years.

I’m a customer of RevenueWell and PBHS. Do I just call RevenueWell for support on both?

For the first part of 2021, please continue to call PBHS directly for all PBHS product-related questions, and call RevenueWell for RevenueWell questions. We’re looking forward to integrating our support systems in the near future, and we will follow up on the best and most efficient way for your office to get support on both sets of products.

I’m a customer of RevenueWell and PBHS customer, and my RevenueWell service is billed by Patterson. Will my PBHS bill migrate to Patterson as well?

No, your PBHS bill will not get transitioned to Patterson. Instead, it will transition to come from RevenueWell in the near future.

Can I get a discount on PBHS services or a bundle deal with RevenueWell?

Not at this time. We will be rolling out exciting new product offerings and bundles in a few months after we complete integrating our teams and operations.

What if I have more questions?

RevenueWell and PBHS customers can call their existing service and sales partners at each group with any questions.

The post FAQ: RevenueWell and PBHS appeared first on RevenueWell.

You may wonder if patients really prefer to request an appointment online? The answer is yes. In a 2018 research study, 70% of respondents stated they prefer to book an appointment online*. Imagine how this percentage changed due to the pandemic.

Why use an online appointment request tool?

Scheduling a patient manually takes an average of eight minutes of staff time. Online scheduling gives you back that time and provides a more modern, convenient experience for your patients. Not only do patients prefer online appointment booking, but it will also free up your front office staff to focus on what matters most, patients in the practice.

The Online Scheduling tool is part of your RevenueWell Marketing Platform at no additional cost! Find out more.

Ready to turn on your online scheduling tool? Click here to learn more.

Please note: PMS writeback is currently available for Eaglesoft users. We are currently building integration for other dental practice management software systems and will continue to provide updates in our Monthly Release Notes.

The post Spotlight: Online Scheduling now integrates with Eaglesoft appeared first on RevenueWell.

Online Scheduling tool part of your RevenueWell Marketing Platform subscription

A recent study, published in 2018, found that over 70% of dental patients surveyed prefer to schedule their appointment online. We can only assume that new reports from 2020 will show even more patients preferring to book online. Provide your patients the option to request an appointment online, while still having control over your schedule with approval requirements. Activate today by heading to your appointment preferences, and simply toggling the Online Scheduling button to on.

Online Scheduling Writeback Now Available for Eaglesoft users

Considering Online Scheduling but concerned it may add more work to your plate? Now, Online Scheduling PMS writeback is available for Eaglesoft customers, with other PMS integrations to follow soon! To link your Eaglesoft PMS to RW, click here to learn more.

The post Product Release Notes: February 2021 appeared first on RevenueWell.

The post Five Steps to a More Resilient Dental Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

Here are a few DSO marketing best practices to reach new and returning patients and keep your appointment books hot all year round across locations.

1. Light it up: Understand the digital journey your potential patients travel through and how your practices are represented in this journey

Everyone relies on the internet when hunting for health or medical information. According to the latest figures available on Google Trends, the popularity of the search term “dentist near me” has been on the rise since December 2020 across all 50 states. Other recent popular searches related to dentists include:

• “Dentist near me that takes Medicaid” – up by 300%
• “Best dentist near me” – up by 140%
• Emergency dental near me – up by 90%

Making it easy for patients to find you and schedule an appointment sets the tone for the overall patient experience. Can any of your group’s multiple locations and primary services be found in under 10 seconds? Are your dental offices listed on Google Maps and relevant directories like American Dental Association (ADA), Dentist Directory, and Dentists.com

And now that more and more consumers are using voice assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, SEO strategies need to cater to them. According to PWC, up to 71% of consumers prefer using a voice assistant to search online rather than physically typing a query into a search engine. Google backs this up, citing that 20% of web searches are voice searches.

To get ahead of this trend, build your SEO strategy around how people talk and ask questions. They tend to ask conversational “who, why, what, and where” questions (“Where is the highest rated dentist in East Beverly?”) vs. typing “top dentist in East Beverly.” The simplest way to do this and increase your ranking in search engine results pages is by building Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages that focus on these long-tail queries.

2. Fan the flames: Put your patient database to work and launch data-driven, targeted campaigns

Your practices are collecting a lot of patient data, but are you putting it to good use? Leverage your patient database to tailor your communication according to your patient’s location, treatment history, demographics and other specifics you want. Your patients are more likely to engage with your practices if the outreach was relevant and personal.

With segmentation, you can:

• Create hyper-targeted messaging based on insurance codes, charts, and more
• Drive new appointments based on procedure or service
• Target patients with pre-med requirements to ensure they are prepared for pre-appointment needs and requirements
• Automate your recall and reactivation campaigns
• Follow up on treatments or appointment cancellations

Segmentation makes it possible to launch a successful group-wide campaign. A good example is Familia Dental’s Memorial Day drip campaign for 33 of the group’s 42 practices. Targeting patients who hadn’t scheduled an appointment in the last 12 months, the group generated $100,000 in revenue off that single campaign.

3. Turn up the heat: Fill gaps in your schedule with an ASAP list

Missed appointments, last-minute cancellations, and no-shows are just part and parcel of a dental practice, but in the event any of these occur, you should have an ASAP list handy to accommodate the patients who’ve requested to be seen as soon as possible.

An ASAP list comprises patients who have appointments on the book but are keen to get in sooner. You can easily contact them via email or text message to let them know a slot has opened. Many practice management systems have this feature, so you’re losing out if you’re not already taking advantage of it. For Eaglesoft users, this list includes anyone with a future scheduled appointment where the appointment has a box ticked for “sooner if possible”. For Dentrix users, this includes any patients who are on the “ASAP List”.

RevenueWell allows you to quickly pull these patients from your PMS and send a quick phone call or text message with just a few clicks.

4. Blaze a trail: Solicit reviews from your happy patients by emailing or texting them

Word-of-mouth remains the strongest marketing tool for dental practices and should always be part of the overall strategy. Online reviews are a credible, convenient way for your patients to recommend your practices. Think about it—we don’t buy so much as a cheeseburger anymore without reading reviews, so what more when it comes to choosing a dentist?

As a dental service organization (DSO), managing multiple locations means managing several review platforms for each location. Google My Business, Facebook, and Yelp are the main channels for online reviews. Make sure all your properties on Google My Business have been claimed and enhanced with accurate business details. We also recommend that each office location has its own Facebook page.

Healthgrades is another great platform, but unlike the others, it focuses on the doctors and not the practice.

You can keep a steady stream of online patient reviews by doing the following:

• Establish a standard operating procedure for staff to request positive reviews, especially when you know the patient is happy. Send an email inviting them to submit a review.
• Make it easy for patients to review with links on your website
• Put a process in place to respond to positive and negative reviews. Thank your patients for their thoughts and publicly rectify any poor experience that is shared. Patients with negative reviews might be inspired to change the complaint to praise.

One of the best ways to increase reviews, and establish consistency and repeatability around review collection is through automation.

Once you’ve locked down a solid cadence for collecting reviews, the next step is to manage those reviews. The worst isn’t a bad review—it’s a bad review that you don’t respond to in a timely manner. Staying on top of all reviews across your practices can be a full-time job in itself. Learn more about how RevenueWell can automate review monitoring and collection so you can focus on the big picture while maintaining an A+ online rep.

5. Hot stuff: Texting remains the most efficient way to engage with patients

Where emails may not be effective, you can count on text messages to get through to your patients. Most patients are used to receiving text messages from businesses and usually prefer it.

Your patients are busy people with a lot going on. Receiving quick texts with information that can help them tackle their to-do lists is the key to keeping them happy.

Imagine sending your patient a quick text when you get a cancellation: “We have an opening for next Wednesday, can you make it?”

They’ll quickly check their calendar, respond, and get on with their day. That’s a win for them and you.

Hot Wings, Hotter Schedules: Keep Your DSO’s Appointment Books Full in 2021

Looking for more hot tips? Catch our free on-demand webinar featuring RevenueWell’s DSO marketing experts Sam Aponte and Melissa Petrucci serving up the hottest marketing playbooks for DSOs with a side of yummy hot wings. We’ll reveal sizzling smart moves to consistently keep your dental chairs full.

Watch Now

The post 5 Ways to Spice Up DSO Marketing and Keep Your Appointment Books Hot appeared first on RevenueWell.

Eaglesoft Now Syncs with RevenueWell Every Two Minutes

Eaglesoft customers will now experience see faster sync between RevenueWell solutions and PMS! What was every 15 minutes is now every 2 minutes! Enjoy the freshest data in both systems thanks to this tighter alignment.

Custom Campaign Filters

RevenueWell is excited to provide you with new, custom campaign filters, to help you target your patients based on patient balance, pre-med requirements, custom PMS codes, and appointment type.

Patient Balance

Send emails to remind patients to pay off their remaining balances. Within your advanced options of customer campaigns, you now have the ability to filter by patient balance. You can even filter by the total family balance which sums up all balances of a particular family group. Ready to use it? Learn more now!

Please note: currently, PMSs that support the Balance filter include Denticon, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, Eddson, Open Dental, and Practice Works. It does not support Dentrix at this time but will in the future.

Pre-Med Requirement

Target your patients with pre-med requirements to ensure they are prepared for pre-appointment needs and requirements.

Within your Advanced Options of custom campaigns, there is now a section for “Pre-Med Options.” You can select between Pre-Med, No Pre-Med, and All Patients. As a reminder, the default when using this filter is All Patients.

The best part: when clicking “Update Results” you will see an estimate of the campaign summary data of email recipients, text recipients, and direct mail recipients, plus an estimate cost for direct mail.

Learn more about using this custom campaign filter here.

Please note: currently, PMSs that support Pre-Med include Eaglesoft, Eddson, Open Dental, and Practice Works, but does not support Dentrix.

Custom PMS Codes

Every dental practice has unique ways of managing codes for specific procedures and services, especially those that do not have a corresponding ADA code. Now, you can build a campaign based off your custom code!

Custom codes will only appear if they exist and are supported by your PMS and will appear below the ADA codes. Custom codes are only available for the practice portal currently. Ready to create a campaign using custom codes? Check out the help center article to get started.

Appointment Types

Are you trying to create a campaign based off appointment type to drive new appointments specific to a procedure or service? Now you can! Under “Basic Options” of custom campaigns, there is now a section for “Appointment Type” that allows you to build a filter based on whatever appointments you would like to include. And, as with Pre-Med Requirements, you’ll be able to see campaign summary and direct mail estimate costs when you click “Update Results.”

To learn more about how to use “Appointment Types”, click here.

Virtual Visits now available on the RevenueWell mobile app

Since last year, teledentistry is a norm for most practices. Moreover, practices are continuing to evolve to have less “stuff” to get their jobs done. In keeping with the times, RevenueWell has updated its dental office app so that doctors can easily start a virtual visit with a patient – directly from the app. Users can click on the virtual visit icon to initiate a visit through the following:

Not using RevenueWell’s Virtual Office and Virtual Visits? Learn more now!

The post Product Release Notes: January 2021 appeared first on RevenueWell.

Every incoming call to your practice is an opportunity to fill your schedule, even if the call begins with a query about pricing or opening hours. So the person handling patient calls must be properly trained to win callers over to the point of, “Let’s get you in for a consultation. When would you like to come in?”. He or she is the first point of contact for new patients and the lifeline to existing ones and should be constantly poised to create a great impression.

Here is a checklist of patient call handling best practices to help you and your team master the phones and convert new patients. Next to the CEREC machine, your phone is the most important piece of technology in the dental office, so treat it as such.

The definitive phone skills checklist

Part 1: Patient interaction

• Don’t be afraid to get personal with the caller. Building a connection will inherently get you better results because they feel that they’re being heard.
• Do more than “hello” or “good morning”. Try: “Thank you for calling [your practice name]. This is [your name]. How may I help you today?” Say it with a smile, because they can hear it in your voice. A warm greeting is a good start to building rapport.
• Do take down their contact information early in the call: name, number, and email. If the call is dropped, at least you can quickly get back to them.
• Do show interest in the caller. Ask how they’re doing, when their last visit was, and listen well. The more you know about them, the better equipped you are to give them the best and most appropriate solution to their need. Repeat the caller’s name back at some point to help create a deeper connection.
• Don’t ask “What type of insurance do you have?”. Wait for the caller to bring it up if that is top of mind at all. Your goal is to build a relationship with the caller, to get to know them and their expectations.
• Don’t ever place a new patient on hold. This is a huge turn-off. If it’s necessary, ask if you could put them on a brief hold, but remember to check back with them every 10 to 15 seconds. If your busy front desk is in the habit of putting callers on hold, you need more people answering the phones.
• Do consider investing in a new phone system with a line failover feature that automatically routes calls to the line of your choice when you can’t answer. Imagine a typically busy day at your practice, when you have to greet intake patients as they arrive, manage the office phone, and keep an eye on your phone (on the other side of the office) for an important call you’re expecting. With a line failover set up, you can send the call to the closest office phone so you don’t miss it.

Part 2: Securing patient appointments

• Do invite them to schedule an appointment. Research shows that only 45% of callers are invited to make an appointment. Ask, and ye shall receive—a simple yet effective notion.
• Do offer a free consultation. We all know that a lot of people avoid the dentist for fear of high treatment costs. They will call different practices to price shop or check which ones accept their dental plans with no hassle. Take the time to explain that the fee depends on the extent of care needed and the time involved. Offer a complimentary visit to get a better estimate of the treatment they need.
• Do answer the phone during lunch hour. It’s a popular time for patients to make calls during lunch because it’s the only time they’re able to. Have one of your receptionists take an early or late lunch so that there’s someone is connecting with potential patients calling in at the time.
• Don’t let the caller go to voice mail during business hours. People don’t like leaving messages, and they’re most likely to hang up and call the next dental practice on their list. Some of the best phone systems have auto-attendants: they can handle a ton of callers (a win for you) and they help callers quickly reach the team member or access the information they called for (win for your patients).

Part 3: Maintaining HIPAA compliance

• Do be aware of your surroundings when you’re speaking on the phone. If your office space is small, there is a risk that the patient in the waiting room with you can overhear. HIPAA is about reasonable and appropriate behavior. As long as you are taking all reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure that you are not disclosing information, you are fine.
• Do have a written policy on addressing patients in a manner to disclose as little personally identifiable information (PII) as possible, when other patients can hear, like speaking with a low voice.
• Do keep your calls as short as possible. Everything discussed over the phone is subject to HIPAA regulations, so it’s important to make sure that any information exchanged is HIPAA-compliant. Limiting the interaction minimizes opportunities for mistakes.
• Do have a procedure in place that forces people taking incoming calls to log off their computers when they walk away from their workstations and to never write down passwords.

Part 4: Improving phone skills with the right training and tools

• Do track and evaluate your team’s phone skills. With the proper call recording tool, you can review the calls, assess your team’s phone skills, and ramp up training.
• Do have FAQs handy. For years, phone scripts have been a tried-and-true solution to handling typical patient inquiries, but a fact sheet of frequently asked questions (FAQs) gives more team members the chance to turn uncertain callers into enthusiastic patients. So park your FAQs by the phone so anyone can refer to them quickly when needed.
• Do invest in training the front office team. Equip them with rapport building and communication skills to be more effective on the phone. Those handling your office phone should be able to make potential patients feel comfortable, valued, and that they are making the right choice for their dental care.

Want to become a front office superhero? Let us walk you through how RevenueWell Phone can help you get more done on each call and save time at your front desk. Request a demo today.

The post Checklist: The Definitive Guide to Mastering Phone Skills and Converting New Patients appeared first on RevenueWell.

Dental practices were quick to adjust to the new normal, putting in measures and protections to ensure their patients’ safety. As a result, people are returning to the dentist, and schedules are filling up. With patients starting to come in again and having to deal with new safety protocols, ensuring that the rest of the operation runs smoothly isn’t going to be easy.

Fortunately, there are ways to streamline operations through automation.

Automating your office doesn’t mean replacing anyone on the team. Rather, it makes life easier for all team members as they no longer need to carry out time-intensive manual tasks and can focus on enhancing patient experiences and ultimately improving the bottom line.

Here are some key areas where automation can really take the load off.

1. Streamline your patient intake with electronic forms

How efficient is your patient intake? If it involves a clipboard, then the process could certainly be better. Electronic forms streamline so many areas of the front office that it’s incredible anyone would ever drag their heels in setting them up.

For one, e-forms enable patients to fill out most of their paperwork before ever setting foot in the office. This thins out lines at the reception desk. It also makes for a pretty sleek intake system. And then there’s the fact that most electronic forms automatically sync with a practice’s PMS. This alone shaves considerable time off the check-in process. It also eliminates any errors that may pop up due to transcribing illegible handwriting.

Some electronic forms can also “print to iPad,” which is a fancy way of saying that personalized treatment plans can be uploaded to a tablet where patients can sign on the spot.

Ultimately, digital forms are the most mainstream way to automate your practice.

2. Grow your social media presence

Taming social media is a two-step process. Step one: define which outlets are best for your practice. Platforms like Facebook, Yelp, and Healthgrades are a must. Step two: automate the process.

Many of the social media sites have made it possible for you to schedule posts. This is invaluable when it comes to engaging with patients in a meaningful way. If you manually tweeted, posted to Facebook, hit up Instagram, and then published something on LinkedIn, it would eat up half your morning.

Schedule Facebook posts in one chunk so you have a runway of content. Some practices schedule for a week, others a full month. The same goes for Twitter and Instagram. When it comes to scheduling, there are several options. You can do it on-platform (i.e. through Facebook itself), with a third-party app such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, or through dental-specific technologies that offer libraries of pre-built content.

You absolutely, unequivocally need social media for your dental marketing plan. It’s how marketing is done in the digital age. And to keep yourself from going crazy, find a way to automate postings.

Discover how you can run a more efficient office with RevenueWell.

3. Improve treatment acceptance with educational programming

Educated patients are often the best patients. They ask the proper questions, they’re genuinely invested in their oral health, and they are the most open to elective treatments. Too often, though, patients simply aren’t educated enough. They sit down in the chair, half-understanding what procedures they need. And with a stacked schedule, there’s only so much time the doctor or team members can spend on education.

That’s where dental programming comes in handy.

Broadcast in the waiting area, the operatory, or both, platforms such as Dear Doctor or Patient Connect TV will ensure that your patients have all the proper information to make educated decisions. Look at the day’s schedule and then dial up programming that’s pertinent to your treatments.

Educational television enables patients to think about their treatments and formulate questions before sitting in the chair. If they’re watching it in the operatory, they can learn more about follow-up procedures and not be caught off guard when you discuss next steps.

With the right programming, your practice can educate patients from the moment they set foot in the door through to when they schedule their next appointment.

4. Launch targeted recall and reactivation campaigns in a timely and effective manner

Recall and reactivation are the backbone of any thriving practice. After all, they’re how you get butts in the seat. The only issue with this is that properly fleshed-out recall and reactivation campaigns are incredibly time-consuming. You need to plan them out well in advance, engage with patients through numerous communication channels, send you messages in a variety of media, and keep a proper cadence.

A successful recall campaign might look like this:

• 30 Days Out
  • Postcard that says, “Flossing is good, but it’s not enough.”
• 2 Weeks Out
  •  Email that says, “Don’t forget to schedule your cleaning.”
• 7 Days Out
  • Text message that says, “You’re due for an exam.”
• Recall Date
  • Tweet that says, “We have a last-minute opening!”
• 7 Days After
  • Email that says, “You’re now past due.”
• 14 Days After
  • Personalized letter titled, “3 reasons we need to see you.”
• 3 Months After
  • Postcard with offer that says, “Free Sonicare toothbrush with your next exam and cleaning!”

As you can see, this campaign lasts for 120 days. It uses several communication channels, and it doesn’t give up on the patient even when they fail to show up for their appointment.

Without automation, a campaign like this isn’t necessarily impossible, but it’s certainly not probable. After all, that’s seven touch points for just one patient. Imagine all the time and resources that could’ve been used elsewhere if you had to manually do that for all your patients.

Practices that use some type of marketing software can get more patients in the chair simply because they run much more extensive recall and reactivation campaigns.

In today’s world, it’s all about volume and reaching patients in the way they best prefer. Manual recall isn’t just inefficient, it also leaves revenue on the table. An automated system is better for both your team’s sanity and your practice’s bottom line.

5. Send out treatment plan follow-ups automatically

Automated treatment plan follow-ups are, perhaps, the perfect way to show patients just how much you care about their well-being.

Consider the following scenario: After finishing an extraction, you tell a patient how to care for herself while at home. As the patient checks out, a team member gives her a sheet of paper with care instructions. Then, as the patient is headed home, she receives an email follow-up from you, again laying out care instructions

What does this do?

Well, the initial instructions are personalized. They come from the doctor and therefore carry a certain weight.

The printed instructions reiterate the point in case the patient is forgetful or groggy due to the pain or medication. The emailed instructions ensure that if the printed follow-up gets misplaced, the patient still has a record of what to do at home.

By automating follow-ups, you effectively ensure patients are well cared for even after they leave your practice.

6. Allow patients to do more online with a patient portal

Outside of electronic forms, a patient portal is the most intuitive, mainstream way to automate your practice. It’s no different than all the other portals people visit daily. There are online banking portals where folks check their accounts, credit card statements, and rewards cards. Like Amazon, there are also e-commerce portals where people can handle all their shopping needs in one spot.

The patient portal is where patients can access their history and see how much they paid last visit. Some patient portals are even HIPAA-compliant, meaning patients can view x-rays and past treatments.

Patient portals give patients ownership of their accounts. They feel less in the dark knowing that, at any moment, they can access their medical records. And while great for patients, patient portals are equally as good for your practice!

Think of all the time your front office will save by not having to answer phone calls about payments or record requests. What’s more, patient portals accelerate cash flow and reduce costs associated with taking credit card payments over the phone.

The convenience presented to patients is paid off in spades with more time to focus on day-to-day operations within your practice.

RevenueWell offers various automation capabilities in key areas of your practice marketing and management. Learn more with a personalized demo session with one of our dental marketing experts.  

The post Dental Office Automation: 6 Ways to Automate Your Dental Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

According to the American Dental Association, patients visiting offices have dipped 20% below usual levels. If you want to continue to provide excellent dental care and ensure your practice’s profitability, your patient’s health and safety should be your number one priority.

With all the added considerations due to the virus, like the number of patients in the waiting room and disinfecting the chair after each patient, an effective schedule is essential.

What makes a patient schedule effective?

Like with any office management system, patient scheduling requires a set structure and regular maintenance. Think restorative procedures and routine hygiene — literally and figuratively, you need a balance of both in your schedule.

While organization is essential, your ability to anticipate, prevent, or react to scheduling issues is what makes a patient schedule truly successful. This is where science meets art in the pursuit of the ideal patient schedule.

By setting a detailed template for your dental schedule, you can fill more chairs without compromising the health and safety of your patients and eliminate unnecessary stress in your office. This encourages open communication between your staff and patients, too. Improved patient care and higher profits for your practice mean everyone wins!

This handy guide to improving your patient schedule will walk you through everything you need to know about scheduling, from tips for setting goals to how to avoid common pitfalls. It’s time to stop working for your patient schedule and let it do the work for you!

Set goals for your dental schedule
Before jumping into updating scheduling templates and mailing out appointment reminders, take a step back, and focus on what you plan to accomplish. From there, set one simple goal for your patient schedule.

Your schedule should increase cost efficiency while decreasing stress for your staff. The easiest way to measure progress is to set a daily average production goal that ladders up to your monthly or annual goals.

To do this, simply divide your monthly or annual production goal by the total number of working days (either full or partial) in that period. Depending on your growth plan, aim for 10-15% growth from the previous month or year.

This number gives your office manager a guiding light. It enables them to balance the routine procedures, like cleanings and free consultations, with high ticket procedures, such as root canals or periodontal surgery. It also gives them space to plan out contingency measures such as protective steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Your growth number also helps indicate how your time is being spent in the office. Essentially, it provides extra clarity to your bottom line.

Make scheduling a team effort
It’s easy to measure the success of your patient schedule with numbers from production. However, day-to-day improvements can also be measured by your stress levels and that of your staff.

Get your entire staff on board by having a quick meeting every morning to discuss the daily schedule. Dental assistants know better than anyone which patients are most likely to cancel, while also being able to predict potential scheduling conflicts.

It is also important to choose your scheduling manager carefully and regularly discuss both production and team goals with them. Laura Hatch, founder of Front Office Rocks, says that successful dental schedules result from a single word: attitude.

“The most productive schedules in any dental office have a single person responsible in the office and that person always has the right attitude,” says Hatch.

“On most days, the schedule is a challenge. It changes and fluctuates regularly, and those changes impact everyone in the office: the dentist, the entire team, and the patient.

“The right person managing the schedule knows it will never run perfectly, but approaches it as a game or a puzzle and wants to win.”

So now it’s time to embrace the challenge. You’ve chosen the proper scheduler and set goals — it’s time to make some improvements!

Five quick fixes to maximize your dental schedule

1 – Switch to 10-minute increments
Compared to using 15-minute units on your patient schedule, 10-minute units keep appointment times highly accurate. They also encourage more granular thinking. Being even slightly more specific helps dental assistants communicate with dentists to cut appointment times.

Think about it this way: If you have three dental assistants who each save 15 minutes per day on an average working schedule, that gives your practice an extra 500 hours of time each year.

2 – Perform time studies
Time for a gut check. Knowing exactly how long procedures take for each dentist, dental assistant, and auxiliary staff member keeps your patient schedule realistic and successful. On top of that, now you have to add in the time it takes to change into PPEs, disinfect the chairs, and other safety measures you might take.

Spend two weeks timing (down to the minute) how long each procedure and task takes. At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have an average for each procedure to give your scheduling manager.

3 – Prevent broken appointments and empty chairs
Staring at an empty chair for two hours is the ultimate scheduling nightmare.

Patients are more likely to cancel these days as they avoid dentists out of fear of getting the virus.

However, by looking ahead and creatively reacting to these problems, your practice can reduce broken appointments while building trust with your patients.

Besides the usual email reminders, raise awareness among your patients about the protective measures your practice has to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Show empathy towards your patients and reassure them that you are just as concerned as they are.

Also consider sending small samples of floss or a toothbrush with a personal reminder. This way, your patients will feel special and appreciated, making them less likely to break an appointment.

Remember, there are two things everyone loves: feeling important and free goodies!

As the appointment grows closer, text message reminders within 24 hours of the appointment add a nice, modern touch. These reminders are usually a hit with younger patients, with some practices even sending day-of reminder texts.

4 – Publish a clear cancellation and no-show policy
One key to a well-tuned schedule at a dental practice? A clear, detailed, and well-communicated cancellation and no-show policy.

5 – Put social media to work for your patient schedule
Don’t forget to use social media to your advantage when strategizing. This is where all of that work you put into your Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram comes into play.

Social media lets you play both offense and defense when it comes to filling holes in the schedule.

Post fun reminders for patients to schedule an annual cleaning, and share pictures of post-procedure smiles with a timely incentive (i.e. “Nothing says summer like a bright smile — click to make your appointment today!”).

Don’t forget to post the steps you’ve taken to make your practice COVID-19 free too. It’s important that patients can see that you’ve taken the initiative to keep them safe during this period.

Plus, blasting out last-minute openings to your channels, social media can also help fill unexpected holes.

This can be done frequently on Twitter (the Wild West of social media), sparingly on Facebook (around 1-2 times per week to create a feeling of exclusivity while not clogging you page), and rarely on Instagram (keep this highly curated). Be sure to include links to make it easy for patients to fill the open appointment.

Practice makes perfect
Crafting a perfect dental schedule requires a conscious, collective effort by the entire team. However, with the right attitude you’ll soon notice the difference, both in team morale and with your bottom line.

“The reality of the schedule can be daunting, [but] a strong scheduler with a positive approach and a can-do willingness to make it work will thrive [all] while the office reaps the rewards of a productive day,” says Hatch.

Mastering the art and science of your patient schedule takes time. It is an ongoing process that brings new challenges every day. By embracing the challenge with these best practices, your dental office will be well-equipped for any situation.

RevenueWell’s online dental scheduling software allows patients to book at their convenience and gives you the control you need to maximize your schedule. Want to learn how you can generate more appointments with RevenueWell? Request for a demo today!

The post Dental Scheduling: Master the Art and Science of Patient Scheduling appeared first on RevenueWell.

RevenueWell now offers visibility into which of your patients currently have CareCredit accounts.  You can also identify those patients who are pre-approved for a CareCredit credit card! This partnership allows you to help support your patients in paying for procedures, which can be a stressful situation. And, one that could deter patients from getting important treatments. Plus, it provides your practice with another option for immediate payment of a potentially expensive procedure.

This integration is part of your Marketing Platform subscription and does not have an added cost to your monthly bill.

How does it work?

Once you have connected your Marketing Platform with CareCredit, you’ll see your patient’s pre-approved credit limit under their patient information in the Patients Tab. If your patient is pre-approved, this is a great opportunity to chat with your patient about paying for a procedure. It provides you another way to opportunity increase the number of accepted treatments for your practice.

Wondering how to connect your Marketing Platform with CareCredit? Learn more now.

Have questions on how CareCredit works? Check out our Quickscreen FAQs page!

The post Spotlight: RevenueWell Integrates with CareCredit appeared first on RevenueWell.

Last-minute cancellations can wreak havoc on scheduling and productivity for even the best-run dental practices, so reducing patient cancellations is critical to maximizing practice resources and revenue.  While advance cancellations give you the opportunity to book another patient, no-shows block the schedule for other patients looking to book in. According to an article by Jen McGuier in Dental Economics, just one lost appointment a day for a year can cost a dental practice $20,000 to $70,000 in lost productivity.

So how do you stop no-shows? It starts at the beginning. While most practices focus their marketing on getting new patients, very few understand how to effectively identify patients who show up, pay, stay, and refer.

Front Range Dental Center is ahead of most practices when it comes to getting these patients. They focus on cultivating a base of patients who won’t miss appointments. And they credit their investment in RevenueWell Forms for helping them accomplish that goal.

How to attract dental patients who show up
Attracting new patients was never the problem for Front Range Dental Center. Situated in Fort Collins, Colo., the practice has a predominately affluent patient base that cares about oral health and aesthetics. Front Range is a high-volume practice with a heavy concentration on hygiene and recare. It’s a seemingly ideal situation.

But the practice’s no-show rate hovered around 18-20%.

Radtke says he believed a streamlined, paperless intake process would improve the experience for patients and the practice. But he didn’t realize what an impact the change could have on reducing no-shows.

“When we were using paper forms, we had a little consult room for patients to fill in the forms,” he explains. “We’d bring someone in, do a quick check-in using Eaglesoft. And they’d go into a room where they’d fill everything out on the computer. It was pretty seamless, but it would take time.”

Radtke and his team knew that the quality of patients mattered just as much as quantity, and they wanted a solution that could:

• Speed up check-ins
• Help them weed out patients that cause issues
• Work with their existing dental practice management software

Why paperless patient intake works
Implementing digital forms was the answer. Research shows that 98% of patients who take the time to fill out forms online will make it to their appointments.

By completing their forms before an appointment, patients have already committed themself. They’ve also successfully tackled the first part of their visit and now can show up on time (rather than 15 minutes early) knowing you’ll be fully prepared for them.

As the practice moved to digital forms, Radtke found some challenges in a provider outside RevenueWell.

“I was with another solution for forms and it wasn’t working properly. They didn’t have the API to directly integrate to Eaglesoft. So, we still had to go do it manually,” he said.

Looking for a solution that integrated better with Eaglesoft, Radtke and the Front Range Dental team tried RevenueWell Forms.

Learn how you can cut no-shows with RevenueWell Forms.

The patient no-show rate decreased to under 1%
The Front Range team started using Forms by including links to the forms in all their welcome emails. As a result, the practice shaved roughly 15 minutes off every visit.

“One of the things our front desk does when they make a new patient appointment is say, ‘We have an email that’s going to be coming out to you’,” says Radtke. “The email is going to include a link to fill out the forms online, so when you come into the office, we want to make sure your time is equally as valuable to ours. You don’t have to come in 15 minutes early. You come in one minute early—just have your forms done.”

Out of the 700 patients who completed the online forms prior to the appointment, only three patients didn’t show up.

After seeing such resounding success, the Front Range team made a significant change to their overall process: They stopped accepting patients who wouldn’t fill out their forms online.

“The ones who still don’t fill out the forms, they’re more likely to not show. We actually had a team meeting at the front desk about it. If our patients are not filling out forms online, we’re not going to let them come to our practice,” says Radtke.

“Not every person is a fit for our practice. If we have online forms, they may say, ‘Oh, I can’t do that.’ That’s okay! We refer them to other practices in the area. It’s not me trying to get every patient into my practice. It’s me or my front office staff trying to get the right patients into our practice.”

Want to see how RevenueWell Forms can help you cut no-shows? Learn more about RevenueWell Forms or explore RevenueWell’s full platform of patient marketing, scheduling, and communication solutions.

Prefer to see RevenueWell in action? Schedule a quick personal demo.

The post Learn How One Dental Practice Got Its No-Show Rate Under 1% appeared first on RevenueWell.

The current average conversion rate of new patients calling dentists in the US is 23%, according to a survey by Viva Concepts. That means that with 100 potential new patients calling your practice each month, only 23 will convert into appointments. That’s a painfully low figure and it’s time to change that.

View your phone as a revenue driver, not a utility
Every call is an opportunity to fill your schedule, even if it’s just a caller asking, “Are you open on Saturday?” Start treating your phone as a revenue center and the rest of your team will follow suit.

Start recording and monitoring the types of calls that come in. Track lead sources and conversion rates—marketing got them to the phone, but is the front office effective in converting them into appointments?

It is important to understand where your calls are coming in from and the results of those calls so that you can build a strategy to answer the types of inquiries you’re receiving. Use this to create FAQs your team can quickly refer to when they’re on the phone with a prospect.

Use the recordings for training. Team members will feel awkward at first, but reassure them that it’s something to learn from, not get into trouble for. Once they get over the hump of hearing themselves recorded (no one enjoys that process), there’s a lot that can be gained to see where they’re effective and where they’re not.

Learning to handle inquiries better can turn your phone into a full-throttle patient acquisition tool.

How to convert a caller into a new patient
Most new patient calls start with a question. Because we know this, we pick up the phone very unprepared to manage what happens next.

Take dentistry’s most dreaded question: “Do you take my insurance?”

You probably have a scripted answer along the lines of: “We participate as an out of network provider and we’re able to file your benefits. We have other people who come in with your insurance.” Right now, all the patient hears is “No”.

What happens next is that there’s a gathering of information that feels like an interview involving some unnecessary questions rather than a genuine offer to solve their issues.

The fact that the patient is on the phone means that they’re looking for information and a personal connection. Look for ways to move the conversation forward—your goal is to get the patient in the door so that your team can wow them in the office with great patient care.

Here’s a framework created by Genevieve Poppe, CEO of practice consultancy Poppe Practice Management, to help you and your team convert new patient calls into appointments. (It was first shared in a webinar as part of RevenueWell’s Practice Perfect series.)

Step 1: Welcome
Start with a warm and friendly greeting. First impressions matter. Smile, because they can hear it in your voice and will find you interested and genuine.

“Thank you for calling (practice name). This is (your name). How can I help you?”

Then comes the inquiry:

“Do you take my insurance?”

“How much do you charge for this treatment?”

Put a pin in the question.

“I’ll be happy to check on that for you. What’s your name?”

Getting their name is the first step to establishing a connection. Use it often and express interest in them—your goal here is to get to know them and their expectations. To determine if the caller is a patient of record, ask “When was the last time you visited us?”. This way, they won’t be offended in any way.

Step 2: Connect
We all have a new patient sheet with a series of questions that need to be answered, but these tend to elicit only yes/no answers. There are ways to get answers to your questions in a way that feels nicer to the patient. Make it conversational.

Use open-ended questions to get them talking. Use “Tell me…” statements, as in “Tell me what we need to get you in here for?” or “Tell me about this implant you need.” This approach can provide additional details that can help in treatment.  Knowing just a little bit more about them puts you in a better position to answer their queries and provide them with a solution appropriate to their situation.

Step 3: Solution
Now that the caller is comfortable and you have enough information, start focusing on how the practice can help. Circle back to their question: “Now I know you wanted to know if we take your insurance, so let me tell you how we work with that plan.” This statement works whether you’re in-network or out of network.

Frame your answers in the most positive way possible and speak to what your practice can do for the patient.

Don’t be a commercial for your practice and start listing five hot button points on why it’s great. You’ve spent time talking to the caller, so you’re equipped to give them the one good reason to choose your practice. Give them a solution and begin to close the conversation.

Step 4: Close
Here’s where you move them to action. Offer the appointment. You’d be surprised how many forget this single most important step. Extend a free consultation instead of an over-the-phone quote.

“Let’s do this… let’s get you in, gather all the information we need, and make a game plan. How does that sound?”

When the patient says yes, that’s when you start to take down details.

“Bear with me for one more minute. I just need some information to get your chart ready for you.”

Ready to step up your game and win more patients over the phone?
Knowing how to talk to a potential patient on the phone can make all the difference to your practice schedule and bottom line. People respond positively when they feel heard. And it helps when you’re genuinely having fun talking and connecting with them. Set your practice apart from the others by giving your prospective patients excellent service on the phone.

There are further steps you can take to ensure you don’t miss out on any opportunities such as investing in a voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) system like RevenueWell Phone. With over 100 features that include Screen Pop, SMS texting capabilities, customized greetings, and a mobile app, you can start driving practice growth with your phone.

Want to learn how RevenueWell Phone can help you grow your dental practice? Request a demo today.

The post Boost Engagement OVER the Phone and Schedule New Patients appeared first on RevenueWell.

Now, more than ever, ensuring your patients are paying their bills is critical. Now, as part of your RevenueWell Marketing Platform, you can send emails to remind patients to pay off their remaining balances, and target using the custom campaign filter.

How Does It Work?

Within your advanced options of customer campaigns, you now have the ability to filter by patient balance. You can even filter by the total family balance which sums up all balances of a particular family group.  

Ready to get started and get your remaining balances paid? Check out our help center article to learn more.

Please note: Currently, PMSs that support the Balance filter include Denticon, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, Eddson, Open Dental, and Practice Works. It does not support Dentrix at this time but will in the future.

The post Spotlight: Custom Campaigns Patient Balance appeared first on RevenueWell.

According to the latest report of the ADA Health Policy Institute, patient volume in the majority of dental practices in November 2020 were operating below 75% of their maximum capacity. Less than one practice in 10 was operating at more than 95% of capacity. And while the ADA reports large group practices were operating closer to their maximum capacity, keeping the schedule full remains a challenge.

But a new year brings a fresh perspective and with it, a huge opportunity to reactivate your dental patients. In today’s post-pandemic market, implementing a reactivation program makes more economic sense than ever. Just remember that many of your patients may need extra reassurances about safety; and all of your patients will appreciate them.

An average practice has 1,600 patients. Your dental practice group may have several multiples of that number at several locations in the same state or scattered across the country. At least 50% of them need care right this second: a cleaning appointment, restorative work, cosmetic improvements, or an occlusal appliance—you name it. They’ve been to your practices and are familiar with your brand. All you need to do is offer a little motivation for them to get back into your chair.

How to reactivate your dental patients in 2021

The start of the year is the best time to launch a reactivation campaign. Everyone is in resolution-making mode and health and wellness are top of mind. So, let’s call this your Reactivation Resolution. The challenge—and opportunity—this year is to reassure your patients that it’s safe to return. In the ADA/Engagious survey, only 12% of respondents said they would need a medical breakthrough to return to the dentist. Five percent said they needed reassurance that they would be safe. The rest are either currently active (23%) or ready to go (60%). This is a great opportunity to communicate all of the measures you’ve put into place to protect their health and safety—from enhanced cleaning and infection control measures to paperless intake processes.

Consider this a call to action: To protect their health and your profitability, get in touch with your inactive patients and invite them back. It’s a win-win. You’re getting their oral healthcare back on track and it fills your schedule.

Here are the essentials to a successful patient reactivation campaign

1) Dive deep into your dental patient database and study their appointment history

Start by getting to know the type and frequency of previous treatments they’ve received. When was the last time they were in the practice? What were they in for? Put your database to work and uncover opportunities to reactivate. Segment your patients and customize your reactivation campaigns accordingly: preventative or restorative, inactive for nine months vs. more than two years. You can then tailor your campaigns and incentives accordingly to make your patients feel valued. If you’re a RevenueWell Marketing Platform user, you have all the tools you need to quickly automate this segmentation and targeting, create the campaign, and model your potential revenue.

2) Give patients a reason to return to your dental practice

The most common reasons why patients avoid their dentists include the cost of treatment, fear of dentists, or a bad experience during their last visit. This is why—to quote The Godfather—you need to make them an offer they cannot refuse. Here are a few that have worked for RevenueWell practices:

• Discounted “Welcome back” packages

Design a discounted package that includes an exam, X-rays, and cleaning. It’s an attractive bargain for patients with and without insurance. This incentive is always effective and pays for itself in future restorative work.

• In-office whitening promotion

If the oral health angle doesn’t work, appeal to their vanity instead. Offer an attractive discount or a lifetime of whitening treatments at a special rate. Whitening often works as it appeals to the patients’ “wants” instead of “needs.” Add an expiration date to motivate them to act immediately.

• Make it easier for your patients to pay

2020 was economically difficult for a lot of dental patients. Showing support and providing flexible options can help you win some patients back. Let patients know about new financing partnerships your office may have with companies like CareCredit, or about financing options you offer in-house. It’s also a good time to remind patients that starting early in the year allows them to maximize their insurance coverage or flexible spending account benefits for any treatment that requires more than one appointment.

Learn how your DSO or multi-location practice can manage communications and marketing campaigns at scale with RevenueWell Enterprise.

3) Connect with your dental patients through multiple channels—and make it personal

There are several touchpoints you can leverage to reconnect with your inactive patients. Use them strategically. At RevenueWell, we believe in using a mix of outreach emails, direct mail, phone calls, and texts. And we provide all the tools to manage and automate such a multi-channel dental marketing campaign.

Make sure the call to action is clear: “Schedule an appointment.” “Use this promotion on your next visit.” “Book a treatment today.” Include the practice’s phone number and the link to your online scheduling portal so they can choose how to respond. For those who need it, offer a virtual teledentistry visit.

Finally, make your outreach personal. Address the patient by name in the subject line or in the email itself—studies show that personalized marketing emails get 29% higher open rates. If you’re on the phone with them, ensure that questions about their children or pet are on the script. Personal touches like these can go a long way.

Send reminders frequently and let them know that their health matters to you.

How RevenueWell can help

With practices in multiple locations, working through your entire database of inactive patients will seem daunting. This is where RevenueWell Enterprise can help.

RevenueWell is uniquely known for its ability to read significant data and ADA codes in your practice management system to target and communicate with patients for reminders, recall, treatment, reviews, and more to increase production based on their specific needs, while streamlining operations. Whether you are managing 10 or 40 practices, you can send a single marketing campaign completely customized to each specific location.

Knowing what works and what doesn’t is critical when it comes to marketing. RevenueWell tracks every campaign sent. It provides data on email opens as well as appointments and revenue generated so you can adjust your approach, if necessary, to do more of what works and stop wasting time on what doesn’t—increasing the effectiveness, measurability, and ROI of your marketing.

Find out how else RevenueWell Enterprise can help you boost production and generate ROI, or see it in action with a personalized demo from one of our dental marketing experts.

The post Make a Reactivation Resolution for Your Group Dental Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

A strong online presence can help drive new patients, make it easier to build relationships with existing ones, and help increase your practice’s visibility. It’s a must-have—the virtual front door of your business, the backbone of your marketing strategy. In a post-COVID world, your text and visual content need to reflect the new normal, such as images of team members in full PPE gear when near a patient. Otherwise, it could come across as inappropriate, insensitive, or not with the times.

As the home base for your brand online, your website is where you can showcase your services as well as introduce yourself to new patients and the community around you. It is your first interaction with new patients and your first opportunity to establish trust before they make an appointment. Trust matters more than ever now, so ensure that all your content convey patient care and safety as the No. 1 priority.

With that in mind, we’ve narrowed down a list of five things you need to maximize your website’s ability to drive new appointments in a post-COVID world.

Must-haves for all dental websites

1) A “Patient Safety” page

Prior to the pandemic, a big part of dentistry was handling anxious patients. Imagine the level of stress they face today.

Having a “Patient Safety” or infection control page that lets them know what to expect when they visit will help alleviate these fears. Spell out in detail the precautions you’re taking to minimize their risk of exposure, from creating a curbside dental waiting room to modifying treatment plans and administrative protocols. Maybe even add a dedicated Frequently Asked Questions section addressing potential concerns.

Let patients know how safe it is to get the dental care they need at your practice.
Don’t forget to update your homepage, About Us page, social media profiles, and the local directories you’ve joined with links to this page.

2) A “Patient Resources” page

With the pandemic-driven economic downturn, budgets will be tighter. You’d better believe they’ll be weighing the need for dental care against its expense. Reducing costs and making patients more manageable would make you more attractive to potential patients as they consider a dentist. Put all this information, and more, on display with a “Patient Resources” page.

This page should include:

• Insurances you accept
• Patient forms
• Membership plans for uninsured patients

An informative page will help you deter the wrong kind of patients. It will also help decrease the number of calls that you get regarding insurance policies, and so forth.
It will also allow patients to get a jump on their check-in forms and allow you to provide a contactless and more efficient check-in process during their office visit.

3) Online scheduler

As we are in the golden age of technology, many people expect to be able to book visits through an online scheduler. It is efficient, easy, and allows both parties to save time. Most online schedulers will synchronize with your calendar and automatically block off the selected time, without any staff action needed.

Having a “Book Now” online scheduler on your website also allows your office to be bookable 24-hours a day. Whether your future patients are early risers or night owls, they will be able to make an appointment when your office is closed.

Seal the deal, even when you’re out of the office.

4) Contact Form

We recommend that you add a “Contact Us” page on your website and that it comes complete with a contact form. While many practices only include their email address, adding a contact form provides an easier and more efficient way for people to reach out to you.
It gives people the ability to inquire about a service or procedure, around the clock, even when your office is closed. Given today’s patient safety concerns, enabling them easier access shows transparency and enables trust.

Adding a contact form will also allow you to provide potential patients with more thoughtful and thorough answers. Instead of providing them an instant answer, you can draft a knowledgeable and comprehensive e-mail.
You can also use this as a way to showcase your practice’s personality and create a connection with the patient.

When creating your contact form, be sure to include sections for:

• Name
• Phone Number
• Email
• Question

5) SEO Optimization

It’s true that dentistry is highly competitive and saturated. Prospective patients have a large number of dentists to choose from, and it is getting harder and harder to get discovered by them.
That said, COVID-19 has kept the general population at home, and they’re spending a lot of time online. There is an opportunity for you to improve awareness about your practice and up your SEO (search engine optimization) game.
SEO is about optimizing your website for search engines, a long-term strategy to get your website to rank for specific keywords on Google. There are a number of things that you can do for your site in order to increase its chances of ranking higher on Google, including:

• Properly formatting your website headers
• Optimizing your site’s speed and load time
• Adding keyword-rich content

Right now, people are searching COVID-19 related content, so you can still get into the mix by creating content based on your practice, services, and what you’re doing to fight the pandemic. You could include “teledentistry” or “virtual care” and add online consultations.
Believe it or not, this list barely scratches the surface of SEO.

Since SEO is an ever-changing industry, we recommend consulting with dental SEO specialists to learn more about best practices and how to implement these to your website.
A strong SEO strategy will help increase your practice visibility, drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately increase patient numbers.

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post 5 Features All Dental Websites Need in the New Normal appeared first on RevenueWell.

Online Scheduling tool now allows you to choose Operatory view or Provider view

You have two types of calendars in RevenueWell: An operatory calendar and a provider calendar. You can customize which one drives availability in the Online Scheduling tool – which is another convenient way to manage your busy schedule. For billing purposes, some practices default to the provider view on all appointments. Rest assured that your patients will not see your Operatory names when they’re booking appointments. They’ll simply see which times are available!

To set up your Operatory view in the online scheduling tool, check out our help center.

CareCredit Now Integrates with RevenueWell Marketing Platform

RevenueWell now offers visibility into which of your patients currently have CareCredit accounts or those patients who are pre-approved for the CareCredit credit card! This partnership allows you to help support your patients in paying for their procedures – while ensuring you get paid immediately! This integration is available for anyone who has a Marketing Platform subscription and is included in your monthly subscription cost.

Wondering how you can connect your Marketing Platform with CareCredit? Learn more now.

The post Product Release Notes: December 2020 appeared first on RevenueWell.

When holidays fall during the week what does your practice do as far as closing?

Do you close only that day?

The day before or after?

After the year we’ve had, the team certainly deserves time off to recharge—but not at the expense of our patients. As dentistry is a business of trust, it’s essential to show patients that you are there for them, even when you’re on vacation, to keep them coming back. More than 61% of dentists are reporting a lower patient volume than normal since the pandemic (according to a recent poll by the California Dental Association), so patient retention is important. This holiday season, take the extra effort and exercise some creativity to keep your patient connections healthy. No one can afford to be complacent.

Show patients that you are there for them even when you take time off

First things first: make sure someone continues to take calls.

Now, before you say, “No one will work!” or ask, “How can this be done?”, hear me out.

How many times have you called a customer service line and felt frustrated because you couldn’t get through to someone?

Show patients that you are there for them even when you take time off. With careful planning ahead of time, you can have a team member available to answer phone calls, check the mail, and help emergent cases get scheduled for when you return. That diligent team member can even do it remotely in the comfort of their own home with the right solutions in place.

Patients will appreciate the fact that even when you are unavailable, you have made it a point to have someone in your practice ready to assist them. Details like this go a long way in strengthening that patient connection.

Let’s look at this from the view of a patient. Let’s call him Mr. Holiday.

Mr. Holiday is having major mouth discomfort—who will he think of first?

He’s been to your practice a few times, so he’ll think of you. He remembers how well you took care of him on his last visit and the last thing you said to him on his way out made a great impression on him:

“Mr. Holiday, everything looks great today. It was such a pleasure seeing you. Please tell Mrs. Holiday we loved the poundcake she made for us! We look forward to seeing you again in six months. Please do not hesitate to give us a call if you need anything before your next hygiene appointment, we are here for you.”

So, Mr. Holiday calls you, because you said you’re always available.

“Do not hesitate to give us a call if you need anything… we are here for you.”

But, no… he gets your voicemail. He hangs up without leaving a message.

He double-checks the number again and redials, this time leaving a message asking for an immediate return call due to his extreme discomfort.

With no answering service or no employee to answer your phone, doubt begins to creep into Mr. Holiday’s mind.

When he doesn’t hear back from anyone, he starts to worry. What if his tooth gets worse? What if no one calls him back?

From there begin what I refer to as “panic calls”.

Panic calls happen in a series, often over the weekend and around the holidays. It’s the result of not getting help—your help—when it was desperately needed.

This is where Mr. Holiday loses his trust in you and your practice. Your relationship with him is now shattered, and he’s looking elsewhere for his dental care.

Sounds harsh, right? Not from the patient’s point of view.

A plan in place is much better than no plan in place

What happens when you close for a long period and your patients need you?

Yes, we all need a break or vacation, but having a plan in place is much better than having no plan in place, especially if the latter leads to the loss of patients. It takes time and effort to build relationships with your patients, but it only takes one misstep to undo it all.

Sit down with your team and discuss ways to have someone available around the major holidays to take the calls at the office or remotely if that option is available. You’d be surprised at how many would jump at the chance to have hours in-office to catch up on tasks that are close to impossible to complete with patients around.

They might also be eager to be there for the patients when you explain things from the patient’s perspective.

This way, both the practice and patients are well taken care of.

Next time you plan to close for the holidays without a contingency, stop and think about how Mr. Holiday would feel. After all, it’s the patients who have built the practice, and they’re the ones who keep coming back to see our smiling faces!

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post How to Serve Patients When You Close for the Holidays appeared first on RevenueWell.

Now that 2021 is here, you’re probably thinking about ideas to improve your dental office productivity. One option is to set New Year’s resolutions for the practice. They can jolt and focus your team from the get-go during a typically sluggish part of the year. But like personal resolutions, office resolutions usually fall by the wayside by Valentine’s Day – unless they’re SMART:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Here are some SMART resolutions for the New Year that your practice can commit to right away.

#1: Cross-train one new skill per quarter

Target Date: Complete by March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31

These days, to increase your dental office productivity, you need agility. And nothing reflects agility like cross-training your dental team. The goal of cross-training is to build a team full of versatile all-stars with “T-shaped” skills. That means that each teammate possesses deep expertise in one area—say, billing—but also has some general skills in other areas, like scheduling and dental marketing.

Here are some quick tips to get started:

• Map out which four new skills each teammate should cultivate during the year
• Chat with your team about which new skills they wish to develop
• Share relevant standard operating procedures among the appropriate team members
• Set up shadow meetings between the primary owner of the job and the cross-trainee
• Modify job descriptions to include the new skills, and add new (achievable) performance goals

#2: Go paperless at patient intake

Target Date: Complete by March 31

Creating a paperless dental office has a ton of benefits for dental practices these days.

It simplifies life for the team: Know what’s a drag on your dental office productivity? Organizing the clutter of all those new patient forms and deciphering your patient’s handwriting. There’s no ROI for those tasks. By opting for digital check-ins, your team gains back a ton more time – and sanity.

It saves time and money in the long run: Going paperless could save practices $10,000 a year. The cost really adds up when you think about the cost of folders, charts, reminder postcards, paper supplies, printers, copiers, and storage, etc. Instead, take that $10,000 and invest it in some new technology that makes visits easier for patients (for example, a new imaging solution), bring in some part-time support for your team, or upgrade other office systems, like your phones. And don’t even start on the staff hours each year spent on filing.

It keeps patients safe and builds their confidence in you: As part of the new normal in dentistry, going paperless will help you as you move toward a touch-free patient experience to minimize the spread of COVID.

It makes your practice stand out: Patients today are constantly on the go and they expect their healthcare providers to keep up. Online forms save your patients the hassle of filling out form after form. They can be uploaded to your website or emailed directly to your patients, who will appreciate the convenience. (And don’t forget: online forms also ensure you get the signed documentation ASAP, which means no more delays from your patients.)

Also, according to the American Dental Association, being a paperless practice by using electronic health records (EHRs) offers “the potential to improve care quality and patient safety by enhancing both the quantity and quality of information available to providers for decision-making”.

#3: Master one social media platform per quarter

Target Date: Complete Facebook by March 31, Instagram June 30, Twitter by September 30, and LinkedIn December 31

Social media platforms are one of the best ways to connect with your patients, existing and new. But there are just so many, how will you manage? Rather than feel overwhelmed, focus first on the essential few — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and, yes, LinkedIn — and you’ll see your dental office productivity soar.

Start with these critical tasks:

• Creating a profile
• Updating your pictures and “About Us” sections
• Engaging with new and current patients via automated or customized content
• Posting new types of content, like patient video testimonials
• Running ads (especially Facebook ads and Twitter ads)
• Understanding each platform’s engagement analytics

#4: Freshen up your online review profile twice a year

Target Date: Complete by March 31 and September 30

Online dental patient reviews are today’s word-of-mouth marketing, and they can truly make or break your business. You’ll want to make sure your online review pages, like those on Healthgrades, Yelp, and Google Reviews, are spick-and-span.

Here are quick and easy ways to spruce up your online review pages:

• Claim your practice’s page (if you already haven’t)
• Ensure your practice information, like your address, website, hours, and payment information, are still up to date
• Enhance your practice description, and include new keywords
• Add new photos of your practice
• Make a point of requesting more reviews from patients, or let RevenueWell do it for you
• Review your policies for responding to dental patients’ online reviews

#5: Revamp your approach to phone

Target date: Complete by March 31

The phone still matters in dental offices, a lot. From a customer service perspective, the phone is often the first point of contact patients have with your practice. And from a revenue perspective, it provides an opportunity for the team members working your phones to seriously drive production and new business. It’s also a channel to learn more about your patients’ dental needs which your practice can proactively address and fulfill.

However, when handled poorly, the phone is also where your practice can lose new patients. Eighty-seven percent of new patients won’t leave a message or call back if their calls go to voicemail.

So, make this the year you revamp your approach to the phone. Here’s how:

Step 1: Evaluate your team’s phone skills

• How would you grade the team’s phone etiquette?
• Are you using “tell me” statements to draw patients out of their shells?
• Do you practice how to respond to questions about dental insurance or billing?
• Are you staying on the phone with a new patient for the right amount of time?
• How do you handle a patient who’s calling really to do price shopping?

Step 2: Assess your current phone system

• Does your phone system give you important patient info as soon as the phone rings?
• Can you text your patients from your main phone line’s number?
• When you’re on the phone, can your patients wait on hold, or are they sent to voicemail?
• Does it offer features, like auto-attendants, so you never miss a call?
• Does your phone system offer call recording for training purposes?

#6: Add two new marketing touchpoints

Target date: Complete by March 31 and June 30

This year, try adding at least two new touchpoints to your marketing efforts. Sometimes marketing gets a bad rap as being spammy or heavy-handed, but it doesn’t have to be. Get creative with your marketing, and patients will actually appreciate your outreach.

• Create some videos from the dentist or your dental office. Send them to patients after treatment to reaffirm what you told them in the chair. This personal touch goes a long way.
• Do you text message appointment reminders? You should. Start asking patients if they prefer to be texted. You might be surprised at the results.

#7: Tighten up your daily huddle

Call it a meeting, a huddle, check-in—whatever you call your practice’s daily huddle, it is essential to the smooth running of a practice, regardless of size and volume.

An easy way to tighten up your morning huddle is to template it. For example:

• Monday – Take a look at the week ahead
• Tuesday – Work on your handoff
• Wednesday – Break down phone calls
• Thursday – Work on ways the team can fill holes in the schedule
• Friday – Look back at everything that went well during the week, along with areas where there’s room for improvement

Structuring a daily huddle agenda keeps you organized and focused and your team members will know their positions on each point. If your mornings are typically tight, consider a quick catch-up after lunch. Make sure everyone is calibrated and find out how everyone in the team can support their fellow team members.

As you tighten up your daily huddle, just remember that overcommunication is never a bad thing.

#8: Share these resolutions and revisit them constantly

H2: Share these resolutions and revisit them constantly

Target Date: Complete by January 1, 2022

The last of our tips to increase your dental office productivity, and hopefully it’s the easiest one: once your team agrees on resolutions, make them public. Post them in your office. Show what kind of progress your practice is making. If your practice’s goals for 2021 aren’t visible, meeting them will be much, much harder.

Finally, revisit them as a team. Resolutions and goals are meant to focus our work. Meeting resolutions won’t happen if they aren’t a part of daily work.

There you have it. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound resolutions that will launch your dental office productivity into another hemisphere next year.

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients. 

The post 8 Productivity-Boosting Resolutions for Your Dental Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

Download a PDF version of some of the past ’20 product releases and enhancements.

RevenueWell Phone now showcases your call history in a simplified tab

We know how busy you are. Take the worry out of not knowing who is on the other line and easily follow up with your missed calls. Keep your patients happy and healthy using this feature enhancement. You can also see a history of outbound calls made, making it easier to track if you followed up with a patient.

With this enhancement, you’ll have access to a log that showcases caller name, date/time, and if it’s an inbound call, outbound, or missed.

To incorporate this new enhancement, be sure that at least one of your users in the practice connects your Jive credentials to RevenueWell Phone and Messenger.

Online Scheduling is now in beta!

Did you know it can take upwards of 8 minutes to manually schedule a single patient appointment? Imagine what you can now do with all of that time back! The Online Scheduling feature allows your patients to select the reason for their appointment request, and then determine a time based on your set availability within the tool – without your patients needing to call your front desk. You can then approve the appointment request or provide updated availability based on your doctor’s schedule.

Ready to activate online scheduling? Click here for more information.

The post Product Release Notes: Fall 2020 appeared first on RevenueWell.

Attract new patients and keep them coming back with this guide.

The post Ultimate Retention Marketing Guide appeared first on RevenueWell.

Get some easy-to-use, pre-made communication assets to let your patients know it’s safe to see you again.

The post COVID-19 Pandemic Precautions Package appeared first on RevenueWell.

• Learn why there could be 40% fewer appointments this fall
• The percentage of practices still playing post-shutdown catch-up
• The workflow bottleneck that threatens 1 in 5 practices
• Current attitudes and expectations of dental practices just like yours
• An easy-to-understand action plan on how to course-correct

DOWNLOAD HERE

Check out our recent infographic, The Fall Gap: Are You Seeing It? By the Numbers, to get a snapshot!

The post The Fall Gap Research Report appeared first on RevenueWell.

2020 is a challenging year for the industry. Dental practice schedules are being affected as a result of offices being closed last Spring.

Check out our latest infographic to understand some truths.

Have you seen our detailed report on the Fall Gap? Check it out now! 

Ready to learn how RevenueWell can help you increase your schedule? Request a demo today.

Other valuable resources to check out:

• COVID-19 Resources for Dental Practices
• How to Get Your Dental Practice on the First Page of Google

The post The Fall Gap: Are You Seeing It? By the Numbers Infographic appeared first on RevenueWell.

In order to increase safety measures, we’ve seen many RevenueWell customers implement curbside check-ins, effectively moving their dental waiting rooms outside.

By texting patients through RevenueWell and going digital with RevenueWell Forms, these practices have been able to seamlessly introduce a completely new, contactless check-in process.

There are four steps to setting up your curbside waiting room:

1. Proper Scheduling — Setting expectations for patients
2. Day-Of Reminder — Ensuring patients remember their appointment and understand your new check-in procedure
3. Notice of Arrival — Communicating with patients when they show up for their visit
4. Hands-Free Handoff — Walking a patient back for their visit

Following is an in-depth look at your curbside waiting room.

Setting Up a Curbside Waiting Room

Proper Scheduling

Everything starts here. All your extra precautions and new hygiene guidelines begin with a proper scheduling.

Set expectations early. Gently inform patients that, while your commitment to service remains unchanged, you do have new safety protocol.

While it’s impossible to bat 1.000, odds are most of your patients will appreciate both the effort and transparency.

When you send your reminder email and/or text, include a link to your digital forms and give the following briefing for how their visit will go:

We look forward to seeing you at your upcoming appointment. For the safety of our team and patients, our waiting room is currently out of order. Please fill out the attached forms prior to your visit. Anyone who has not filled out their paperwork online will not be seen. On the day of your appointment, please text or call us upon arrival, and we will walk you directly to the back. Thank you for your understanding.

Day-Of Reminder

Your day-of appointment reminder doesn’t need to be as thorough as the previous reminder, though you do need to reinforce new protocol.

If a patient hasn’t filled out their forms, remind them that these must be done prior to the visit.

If you are using a new form, such as a COVID-19 screening form, remember to let patients know — some may skip over any mention of paperwork because they’ve already completed health history or treatment consent forms.

Ultimately, your curbside waiting room fails without online forms. They eliminate any need or transfer of paper, pens, clipboards, and tablet — saving you a lot of extra sanitizing.

Beyond that, patients filling out their paperwork reduces any need for a traditional waiting room.

Along with reinforcing online forms, remind patients to text or call when they arrive.

Clarify that you’ll come get them from their car, the lobby, or sidewalk upon their arrival.

Between your scheduling, first reminder, and day-of reminder you have sufficiently set expectations.

Notice of Arrival

Showtime!

Here’s where all your thorough communication pays off.

When your patient arrives for their visit, they text or call to inform you.

It’s best to have a script handy — for both texts and phone calls — so any team member who receives the notification delivers the appropriate info.

Your script should include the following:

• A thank you
• A time estimate for how long until you’ll walk them back
• Any notes on where to meet (i.e. Should they enter when instructed, will you go outside to get them, etc.)
• Confirmation of the best method to reach them (call, text, the number just in case their phone is dying, etc.)

Beyond these items, include any extra instructions that you want the patient to know (ex. It’s okay to leave your mask in the car).

Hands-Free Handoff

At this point, it should be business as usual.

When you’re ready for the patient, call or text that it’s time for their appointment and walk them to the operatory.

When walking to the operatory, be brisk, but don’t hurry. Hold all doors for the patient. And talk with the patient just as you always have.

If the team member walking patients back will be wearing a mask, you should mention this in communications prior to the appointment.

The goal here is not just moving a person into the operatory. It’s establishing rapport and making your patient feel comfortable.

The moment they step into your office, each patient should knowingly experience the same great service they’ve always received from your team.

A curbside waiting room may be different at first. So long as you properly communicate this new process to patients, it will quickly feel like a process that’s always been in place.

Learn more about reaching patients through RevenueWell by setting up time with our team.

The post How to Construct a Curbside Waiting Room appeared first on RevenueWell.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, teledentistry was an emerging service in the dental field. It presented a new revenue stream or an extension of emergency services for many practices.

As COVID-19 swept across America and forced a temporary suspension of elective services, teledentistry became a necessary tool for practices continuing to deliver patient care.

We’ve written extensively on the basics of remote dentistry and how to implement it (you can find that info here).

For the purpose of this article, we will focus specifically on teledentistry coding and billing. There are some nuances that come with teledentistry billing, such as how it must be paired with oral evaluation codes.

Below are ADA recommendations regarding teledentistry codes for practices looking to perform remote work.

Teledentistry Coding and Billing

There are two specific teledentistry CDT codes, synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous teledentistry is a real-time consultation or treatment. Think: FaceTime dentistry. You and the patient talking back and forth.

Asynchronous teledentistry occurs when you receive information from a patient and then review it, but not in real time. Think: reviewing an X-ray and then discussing it after the fact.

Before coding your treatment you must first know whether your service was synchronous or asynchronous.

From there, you must add a teledentistry code alongside an Oral Evaluation or Case Management code.

Teledentistry codes are sometimes considered administrative and not subject to reimbursement; however, in some instances, like the COVID-19 pandemic, these codes have been reimbursed.

Teledentistry Codes

D9995 — Teledentistry – Synchronous

Real-time encounter, reported in addition to other procedures delivered to the patient on the date of service.

D9996 — Teledentistry – Asynchronous

Information stored and forwarded to dentist for subsequent review, reported in addition to other procedures delivered to the patient on the date of service.

Oral Evaluation Codes

D0140 — Limited Oral Evaluation – Problem Focused

Evaluation limited to a specific oral health problem or complaint. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures.

D0170 — Re-Evaluation – Limited, Problem Focused

Assessing the status of a previously existing condition. Code is related to trauma or follow-up evaluation for continuing issues.

D0171 — Re-Evaluation – Post-Operative Office Visit

Procedures include all necessary post-operative care and re-evaluations to evaluate healing and determine whether further observation is needed.

Case Management Code

D9992 — Dental Case Management – Care

Helping patient coordinate oral care services across multiple providers & types, specialty treatment areas, health care settings & organizations, and payment systems.

Insurance Processing and Reimbursement

Insurance processing for teledentistry can be tricky. As mentioned above, it is sometimes considered an administrative cost and thus not always reimbursed.

That said, the ADA recommends dentists report all costs associated with services associated with a virtual visit.

Per the ADA:

“Factors to consider when determining the full fee include the costs to enable remote communication technology for the transmission of health information required to effectively connect and interact with the patient.”

As always with teledentistry, it’s important to note whether your state allows it. Restrictions were relaxed over much of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in some instance that was only temporary.

Before practicing teledentistry, ensure that your state allows it.

Looking to set up teledentistry solution with your practice? Schedule a call to get started with RevenueWell! Have experience with teledentistry and want to share? Join our Facebook Group and offer you knowledge to a community of dedicated dental professionals.

The post Teledentistry Codes and Billing for Remote Care appeared first on RevenueWell.

Working from home can be tough.

I write this as a full-time, remote employee of RevenueWell.

I also write this while my toddler screams from two rooms over, my mother is blasting Baby Shark to pacify him, and my wife — sitting right behind me — holds a conference call on speakerphone because she can’t find her EarPods.

This is a longwinded way of saying that even those of us fully accustomed to WFH life have our challenges.

Since you’ve likely transitioned much of your day to remote working, we wanted to offer up suggestions on ways to adjust.

Some of the suggestions below are specific to dental professionals. While others are more general to help you maintain sanity.

If you have any tips of your own, please join and drop them in our RevenueWell Rockstars Facebook Group.

Tips for Dental Practices Working Remotely

“Embrace your virtual office” — Jonathan Bass, RevenueWell

The best thing you can do is stick to your traditional routine as much as possible.

Wake up, eat breakfast, take a shower, get dressed in work clothes, make coffee … whatever you normally did before physically going into the practice each day, do that.

If your kids are old enough to understand, spell out your work space and set clear boundaries.

If they’re too young to understand, do your best to keep them entertained, but be upfront with your teammates that there might be a little one running around, making noise.

Over-communicate with your team. Let them know if you’re going to make a sandwich or if you have a phone call or if the neighbor started cutting the grass right when you got a call from a patient.

Offer a sense of normalcy. Patients want comfort. Anything you can do to provide a sense of normalcy will help them forget that, at the moment, the world is on its head.

To do so, embrace your virtual office and make sure you have the necessary tools — phone, remote access to your management software and marketing system, patient portal, online payments — set up. Though you may not be in the terrestrial office, you can still provide that sense of normalcy from home — and if you’ve embraced teledentistry this goes double.

Finally, know when to log off. I, personally, have a problem picking up my computer throughout the evening and ticking off an email or answering a Slack message. It definitely creates an occasional strain on my relationship.

When it’s time to punch the clock, go tend to your family and enjoy the evening. Work will be there in the morning. The sun always rises in the east.

“Have a plan” — Katie Franklin, My Smile Advantage

Have a plan. Think about designing and implementing an in-office membership program that is ready to roll out when your practice re-opens.

Tons of people are losing their jobs, and some may be losing their dental insurance. They will need and want a membership program that offers access to quality, affordable dental care.

Plus, patients will be reluctant to come to the dentist due to costs in our struggling economy. And many who do come in will likely ask for discounts.

Have your in-office membership program ready to go, so you can offer patients these cash discounts (legally).

“Ease the fear of your patients” — Sean Hamel, Grow Practice Grow

Never in our history have we been able to take a few weeks of vacation alongside the rest of the world. Use this precious downtime to be productive in building a powerful content mix.

People have questions. Start answering them to ease the fears of your followers, patients, and the local community.

Once this storm has passed, it’s going to be followed by a lot of cautious consumers getting back to their old routines.

Consider positioning yourself and your practice as a guide for them back to normal.

For example, educate people on the sterilization protocols your practice adheres to. You know them, but do patients? It’s a great time to teach them.

Discuss oral health and wellness moving forward. Think about what currently worries or scares you and consider that many others likely have those same fears. Do what you can to speak to them.

I’ve been asking dentists to consider a switch to single-use instruments and to promote that switch through social media and on their website.

Explain that it’s an extra step you are taking even though you are not required to. Discuss the benefits of single-use instruments and the increased level of safety they provide.

Single-use tools provide a lot of other benefits in terms of outcome and efficiency. However, at this critical time, they also showcase what people are yearning for: safety and cleanliness.

Going above and beyond to do what’s best for the collective. It will look very good on your practice.

“Stay educated” — Kevin Henry, Dr. Bicuspid

I am a strong believer that how you respond to a situation defines who you really are.

During this time of uncertainty, there are a lot of team members and dentists who are unsure of what the future may hold for them and their dental business.

They’re also unsure about which patients will return to the practice and what dentistry may look like as an industry.

Can you put all of those distractions aside and continue to improve as a healthcare provider?

Are you still “all in” while working remotely as you would be if you were seeing patients?

Sure, it’s a different dynamic, but we all need to give our best to our jobs and careers in order to grow, during a pandemic or during a “normal day” at the practice.

There are plenty of distractions when working remotely. How are you making sure you’re staying focused and staying educated?

How you respond to this unexpected time off will manifest when dentistry returns to normal soon. Make sure your best side is showing.

“Be positive” — Judy Kay, Practice Solutions Inc

During this time of quarantine and social distancing, it’s important to keep your team on the same page.

Schedule weekly check-in meetings (using GoToMeeting, Zoom, or another video conferencing tool) to keep the team engaged.

During these check-ins, it’s important to be positive. Cover business, but also discuss feelings, give hopeful words, encourage laughter, talk about fun topics and new things you’ve tried, and share funny stories.

“Stay productive” — Laci Phillips, Practice Dynamics

We have created a list for each team member to help everyone stay productive, and there’s a lot on it. Here are some of the most important items to consider while you simultaneously work remotely and prepare for reopening:

• Research the new Teledentistry solutions available and determine if it’s a fit for your practice?
• Work with the business team and learn the Continuing Care Module. Create a plan to clean it up and start using it
• Clean up outstanding and duplicate treatment plans
• Create a reactivation plan utilizing past present and future due dates
• Review and update OSHA and HIPAA manuals and policies
• Clean up the database
• Check in with your team! Let them know you are all in this together and will get through this. Utilize video calls for better connection

“Communicate clearly” — Lynne Leggett, Victory Dental Management

Create your plan as a team and work the plan.

During these extraordinary times, we still need to connect with each other. Communicate regularly and watch out for one another.

Stress is a peculiar thing, and each person reacts differently to it. A team member that may normally be very calm, may become easily agitated during your team meetings.

Try using a webcam during your team meetings so you can see one another, not just hear their voice.

Make sure to communicate clearly and delegate the responsibilities of each team member.

Update the team each time a task is completed. This can be accomplished using a google document or other methods of written team communication.

The most important thing is to love on one another.

We are all in this together.

“Set a work schedule” — Dana Salisbury, Productive Dentist Academy

Does your workers’ compensation policy cover remote employees?

Regardless of your answer, there are ways to assure the safety and wellbeing of your employees during this uncharted territory of telework.

Use a temporary telework agreement to outline new and temporary work requirements.

Note relevant physical safety and ergonomic recommendations.

Set a work schedule with recommended breaks and meal periods.

Include additional duties that may be requested of the employee, and outline loaned or necessary equipment used in teleworking with the team.

To protect your practice and patient data, reinforce the importance of the practice’s expectations regarding information security.

Continue blending these essential factors of employee and team wellbeing throughout this period by remaining in regular communication with your team.

Check your state laws for best practices regarding teleworking, as some restrictions have changed during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Run your practice remotely and continue delivering great patient care with RevenueWell’s Virtual Office.

The post WFH Survival Guide: Tips for Dental Practices Adjusting to Remote Work appeared first on RevenueWell.

Teledentistry and the ability to deliver remote dental care are more important than ever. As of post, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced thousands of dental practices around the country to open virtual dental offices, save for emergency treatment.

Once just a viable new arm to the business, teledentistry has now become a significant — and in many cases, primary — revenue driver for practices.

Even as the pandemic recedes and normalcy returns, virtual dental care will continue in popularity. Teledentistry solutions allows for improved access to dental care for patients with inflexible work schedules and people living in remote or rural areas. It also allows you to provide urgent care for patients with a dental problem that may not require an immediate emergency room visit.

If you are new to teledentistry, or are even considering it, here is a guidepost for delivering exemplary patient care from afar.

What is Teledentistry?

If you’re going to provide teledentistry, it’s best to know exactly what you’re getting into.

For starters, teledentistry is not a specific service. Which is to say, it is not a branch of dentistry like prosthodontics or ortho.

Teledentistry is a method of delivering dental care. You know how restaurants have dine-in or carry-out? You deliver in-office care or remote care. That’s teledentistry.

A more precise definition comes from the ADA, who first added CDT codes to the code set in 2018: Teledentistry provides the means for a patient to receive services when the patient is in one physical location and the dentist or other oral health or general health care practitioner overseeing the delivery of those services is in another location.

By that definition, as long as a patient has hardware like a smartphone or laptop they can be on the receiving end of a virtual dental visit.

Dentists, however, need to ensure they are in compliance with HIPAA regulations — regardless of whether they are providing service from the terrestrial office or a remote location (e.g. the home).

For this reason, it’s best to use a teledentistry solution like RevenueWell’s Virtual Visits — a feature that accompanies our third-party verified, HIPAA-compliant patient communication and marketing platform. Communications are encrypted and the transfer of data is safe.

A good rule of thumb for practicing telehealth is that, if out of office, your location becomes an extension of your office. In other words, if you’re treatment planning from your lake house, the same rules and regulations apply just as if you were to your terrestrial office.

Why Teledentistry is Important

We touched on this a little above, but there are several clear-cut advantages to virtual dentistry.

Safety

In the midst of COVID-19, it’s irrefutable that teledentistry is safer. You can treat and prescribe from afar, mitigating a lot of the risk tethered to the coronavirus.

Once we’re past this global pandemic, safety will still be at the forefront of our collective mind. Words like immunocompromised and social distancing will not sail off into the sunset.

As such, you can provide an added layer of protection to any patients who may have immunodeficiencies. Regardless of how sterile your practice is, you’ll also offer them peace of mind.

Save on Costs

Again, with COVID-19 dominating our current life, there’s a broad discussion about the severe lack of PPE.

But let’s look beyond COVID-19 and dive into the hard financials of your practice with the money you can save on PPE thanks to virtual visits. Every virtual consult will save how many masks and gloves?

There is certainly an economical trickle-down effect with telehealth services.

Greater Accessibility

Teledentistry removes a large barrier of entry: time.

Outside of money, time is probably the largest barrier to entry for any patient — how to fit a visit into their increasingly packed schedule.

By offering a digital option, patients who are too slammed to commute to the office can still receive your great treatment. You’ve now extended your operatory into their living room or office.

Remote dentistry also expands the schedule. How many extra visits per day can you squeeze in now that you don’t have to turn over the operatory?

As we push deeper into the 21st century, practices that eliminate the barrier of time will be the most successful. Offer virtual visits, give patients digital forms to fill out at home, and make it so all in-person visits are a frictionless stroll right into treatment.

New Revenue Stream

This pretty much ties together the previous two sections on accessibility and cost savings.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, teledentistry will be a necessity. Afterward, it will enable practices to get creative — to really stretch how they deliver care.

Some practices will have complete arms of remote services. They will move all triage and consultations to be performed remotely. Others will make all routine post-op visits virtual.

Teledentistry will streamline operations, trim any bloat, and allow practices to hone in on areas that drive the most revenue.

Ultimately, it will prove itself the dental industry’s next great revenue driver.

Uses of Virtual Dentistry

There are many ways a practice can utilize virtual dentistry. Here are several options:

Live Video Visits

Think: FaceTime dentistry. You and a patient hop on a call for a live video consultation. This scenario is called synchronous teledentistry, which means there’s a real-time, two-way flow of information.

Sending Recorded Health Info

Virtual dentistry can also be “asynchronous,” which may include the remote sharing of information and virtually diagnosing.

In other words, a patient who comes in for digital impressions is referred out to a specialist. Rather than having to visit the specialist in person, the patient can fire up a virtual visit and have their consultation there.

Or, a patient can upload X-rays from one practitioner to the patient portal with a new provider. From there, the new dentist can diagnose treatment remotely.

There is still a one-on-one component here, but it also folds in the secure transfer of PII.

Remote Patient Monitoring

In this scenario, a patient may take pictures of their ailment and share with the dentist.

They may not be available for real-time consultation, but they can securely share their question or need, and then receive an answer from the medical professional.

Mobile Health

Think: virtual treatment planning.

Doctors can help educate patients on their oral health. By sharing CAESY Cloud videos or personal messages, the doctor can fully articulate the need for a treatment.

As you can see, teledentistry goes beyond the parameters of live, real-time communications. In fact, many practices extending their personal touch with a communication platform like RevenueWell already employ certain forms of telehealth.

Helping Patients Embrace Teledentistry

As with everything, this comes down to educating patients.

A prevailing thought is younger patients are more inclined to schedule virtual visits than older patients. To them, the world has always been online.

And while there’s truth here, older populations are a wonderful demographic for remote dentistry. Mobility could be an issue. Driving may not be the easiest. There could be significant health issues extending beyond oral health.

The option to speak with a doctor from afar provides an added layer of comfort since they can do it from their own home.

Send email and text messages informing patients you offer teledentistry. At RevenueWell, we have created these emails and texts for our customers, so they can deliver the news with little more than a few clicks of the mouse.

Beyond this initial messaging, reassure patients that all their data is safe. All matters discussed still fall under HIPAA. Your conversations are private; any transfer of data is encrypted.

The best thing you can do in educating patients is to make a remote appointment feel no different than visiting the office.

As more and more patients buy in, your virtual dentistry service will take off. Marketing virtual visits is really no different than selling a whitening treatment. Once people know it’s an option, they’ll embrace it.

And, in times of quarantine and social distancing, teledentistry won’t even be that much of a sell. Most patients will view it as a no-brainer, if not a blessing.

Setting Up Your Practice for Teledentistry

Marketing your teledentistry services is one thing, delivering treatment just as you would a terrestrial visit is a whole other.

Like with all new treatments and procedures, it’s best to have an airtight process in place before going full bore into remote work.

Determine Protocol

What services do you provide remotely?

Is there anything that must be done in-house?

What team members have a hand in virtual visits?

What does a virtual visit even look like?

Map out every scenario, like you would for a brick-and-mortar process, and then coach your team on it. Run test visits before going live.

From there, evolve and enhance. Be vigilant with patient surveys and reviews. Take feedback to heart and learn what you can improve upon.

Configure Your Schedule

When do you allow virtual visits?

All day? Only mornings? From 3-5 each day? After hours on Wednesdays?

Are you comfortable filling gaps in the schedule with virtual visits, or are they only to be held at a specific time? Should every virtual visit be blocked for the same amount of time, or are there different tiers?

Beyond all this, how does your team schedule a virtual visit? In other words, can patients call in to schedule, or is it just through an appointment request on your site?

Every practice has its own scheduling technique; just make sure this folds neatly into what currently works for you.

Define a Space for Virtual Dentistry

Now that you have an idea of the space virtual visits will fill on your schedule, understand the physical space where you’ll hold them.

A best practice is to have an exam room dedicated to virtual visits. This way, you can have the necessary technology in place and are set up for success.

Should you want other team members involved in your teledentistry services, ensure that the dedicated space is large enough to hold several people. You do not want patients to feel like they’re talking to people crammed in a broom closet.

If at home, dedicate a select part of your residence for these consults.

And remember, you are still bound by HIPAA regulations. Be sure that each patient is given the same right to privacy they would receive had they come into your office.

Ensure Documentation

Since these are still visits to your practice, they must be documented — preferably in your practice management software.

Set up your documentation process, accounting for any billing or prescription services.

This step folds into your greater process planning. Namely, how does a patient check in and out for their virtual visit?

Some telehealth vendors, like RevenueWell, ensure that the process from intake to virtual walk-out to online billing/payment is seamless.

Continue to Inform Patients

Essentially, remarketing.

Teledentistry should have a strong presence on your website and in all your social channels (especially Facebook).

Ensure that your entire team is educated on your full process so they can field any questions patients may have — whether before a virtual visit or in the follow-up.

Teledentistry Insurance Coding

When coding teledentistry, the first thing to know is that it is an additional item to be reported alongside the treatment you deliver.

The second thing to understand is the teledentistry service are you providing. Is it real-time consultation or is it review of material that was forwarded to the doctor?

There are codes for each. Per the ADA, here is how they read:

D9995 teledentistry – synchronous; real-time encounter
Reported in addition to other procedures (e.g., diagnostic) delivered to the patient on the date of
service.

D9996 teledentistry – asynchronous; information stored and forwarded to dentist for subsequent
review

According to the ADA, teledentistry codes “exist to document and report the additional costs associated with delivery of services when a patient and their dentist are not in the same physical location.”

Teledentistry codes are to be used in the same vein as codes like D9410 (house call) and D9420 (hospital call), where a doctor cannot be in the same physical location as their patient.

Teledentistry Regulations

Before implementing teledentistry, you should consult your state board to ensure that it is permitted.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some states have lightened restrictions. However, there is no guarantee they will stick once quarantine measures are lifted.

Another amendment during the COVID-19 outbreak is a lightening on restrictions for virtual dentistry. According to the ADA, practices can use, “FaceTime, Facebook Messenger video chat, Google Hangouts video or Skype, to provide telehealth without risk.”

Alternatively, practices CANNOT use the following during the pandemic: “Facebook Live, Twitch, TikTok, and similar video communication applications that are public facing.”

Again, there is no telling if the COVID-19 amendments will stay intact following the pandemic. For this reason, it’s a best practice for all dental offices to use a HIPAA-compliant, dental-specific platform like RevenueWell to deliver safe care to their patients.

Looking to set up teledentistry with your practice? Schedule a call to get started with RevenueWell! Have experience with teledentistry and want to share? Join our Facebook Group and offer you knowledge to a community of dedicated dental professionals.

Topics: Dental Practice Management

The post What is Teledentistry? – Everything You Need to Know About Virtual Dentistry appeared first on RevenueWell.

The Immediate Need for Teledentistry

The shift towards teledentistry and the use of virtual dental consultation software has grown in popularity for a number of years.

Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic occupying the collective headspace of the dental industry, and the entire world, teledentristy is more important than ever.

In these times, it’s not just for practices rethinking their business model, but a necessary tool for providing the same level of care to patients, without the risk of an in-person visit.

As a result of this global health crisis, many of our customers were mandated to temporarily halt elective treatments, and have cut back their schedules to only accept emergency appointments.

However, without means to effectively triage their patients to determine what requires immediate attention, it creates a significant burden and challenge for doctors.

Introducing Virtual Visits

Introducing Virtual Visits — our latest feature in support of teledentristy, housed completely within the RevenueWell platform.

With this new HIPAA-compliant feature, doctors can quickly arrange a video call with their patient to deliver remote consultation in real time. As a result, doctors are not only more accessible to their patients, there is also a tremendous reduction in the overhead and risk of non-essential visits.

How Virtual Visits Work

We’ve provided two distinct flows from which you can launch a Virtual Visit. One is through the Patient Portal; the other is through RevenueWell Messenger. Here’s how each method works.

Virtual Visits in the Patient Portal

First, go to the Patient Portal for your selected patient. From there, click the new video icon in the left navigation bar.

After selecting “Get Started,” you’ll receive a unique URL or Room ID code that enables a private and secure connection between you and the patient.

Simply email or text your patient the unique link or the URL with the Room ID code, and then begin your Virtual Visit.

via GIPHY

Virtual Visits in RevenueWell Messenger

First, click into a conversation with a patient in RevenueWell Messenger. Then select the video icon in the top navigation bar in the patient’s profile screen.

After selecting “Get Started” in the pop-up screen, you can simply text the patient a link with a customized message to begin the session.

Check out this quick video to learn more:

Please note that there could be some browser restrictions depending on the operating system you and the patient are using. Check out these help docs to ensure you and your patients have the right browsers.

Teledentistry Laws & Regulations

Finally, we know that many states have been relaxing some restrictions for dental practices in those states who are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, you should verify with your states dental regulatory board to determine whether there are any restrictions on teledentistry. Likewise, you should verify whether those restrictions have been relaxed.

Start Practicing Teledentistry Today

If you’re a RevenueWell customer, you can give Virtual Visits a try here — at this time, it’s totally free to get started. And please tell us how you like it on the RevenueWell Rockstars Facebook Page.

Want to learn more about Virtual Visits? Check out the following help center articles here to get a more in-depth look:

• Starting a Virtual Visit with a Patient
• Frequently Asked Questions about Virtual Visits

If you’re not yet a member of the RevenueWell family, click here to talk with our team so we can get teledentistry up and running in your practice.

The post Virtual Visits: Teledentistry to Serve Patients Remotely appeared first on RevenueWell.

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4 Surefire Ways to Attract New Dental Patients

Every business aims to increase its customer base. As a dental professional, you need to make sure that your existing clients come back to you.

At the same time, you need to come up with strategies to attract new patients to your practice.

Whether it is by offering treatment options like Invisalign or providing valuable content, you can adopt various ways to attract new and retain old patients.

Here are four dental marketing ideas to increase the volume of adult patients for your clinic.

1. Create a Strong Online Presence for Your Dental Office

If your practice doesn’t have an online presence and strong online reputation, you are missing out on hundreds of potential patients. Create an engaging and active website for your business.

Make a company profile on the following popular social media platforms and search engines:

Facebook

Add pictures, great dental patient reviews, and videos to your practice’s Facebook page.

Create content about what your clinic does, how different dental treatments like ceramic braces work, etc.

Create Facebook ads for your dental practice to advertise your business to the right demographic.

Instagram

Put up pictures and videos on Instagram frequently.

Share your patients’ transformation pictures and talk about their orthodontic journey. This is a great way to showcase authenticity.

However, be sure to get each patient’s consent before posting any pictures. This way you’ll be on the right side of HIPAA regulations as they apply to social media.

Google, Bing, and Yahoo

Pay Per Click (PPC) is a marketing channel that will allow you to pay for an ad in various search engines.

You can choose PPC advertising for sites like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

The beauty of PPC with a site like Google is that you are only charged when somebody clicks your ad.

2. Follow Up with Dental Patients

How many times have your patients forgotten to come for their follow-up appointments? You may have dozens of such patients.

Create a system where you can consistently follow up with patients about their progress and upcoming appointments.

Invest in a software like RevenueWell or implement an internal system where you can automatically follow up on all appointments and unscheduled treatments.

3. Use Email Marketing to Stay in Touch With Patients

Take the email addresses of existing patients and send them reminders about their appointments.

Give them the option to sign up for your newsletter.

Send emails and newsletters at least once a month.

Mail them content that they would find helpful.

Give them relevant healthcare information through blog posts and video content.

If you provide valuable content, your patients will discuss your services to their friends and family. This word of mouth publicity will boost your business.

4. Educate Your Dental Patients

Your patients will have a ton of questions — be prepared to answer them.

Take the initiative to educate them.

Here are four key areas you can consider:

Financing Options

Tell the patients what their insurance would cover and discuss other flexible financing options that could work for them.

Also, discuss the different financing options you offer.

For example, you can offer them a large down payment with a small monthly fee or no down payment with a fixed monthly fee.

Or maybe you partner with CareCredit, or have membership services that will help reduce costs.

Treatment Options

Tell adult patients about the different treatments you offer.

For example, do you offer only metal braces or have modern treatment options like Invisalign and braces behind teeth?

Never assume patients know everything you offer. Present all the options to them, and enable them to make an informed decision.

Success Stories

Tell new and potential patients about previous patients and their success stories.

Show them the before and after pictures. Really showcase the wonderful results your office has created.

This will give patients more confidence about going ahead with their treatment.

Benefits of the Treatments

Improved self-esteem, a better smile, and healthier teeth are some benefits of orthodontic treatment.

Make sure to tell your patients how the treatment will benefit their health.

Ask for feedback and request patients to post an online review if they had a good experience.

Many prospective patients refer to the reviews before deciding on the orthodontist for the treatment. If you have a lot of good reviews, expect an influx of new patients.

In Conclusion: Better Dental Practice Marketing Attracts More New Patients — And Helps You Keep Them

You will attract new patients by marketing your services in a better way.

Design a well-planned dental marketing strategy, with a variety of the methods described above.

From there, optimize your internal strategies to increase the number of patients.

Save time in your day! Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between practices and your patients.

The post How to Attract New Patients to Your Dental Office appeared first on RevenueWell.

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In 2014, there were approximately 180 million Americans who lacked dental insurance.

This begs the question: Why do so many practices choose to contract with PPOs when the uninsured market is more plentiful, and more lucrative, for a dental office?

I believe it boils down to one thing: marketing. Most dentists depend too much on PPOs to drive “leads” to their practices.

However, when you look at all the write-offs that are given away when contracted with a PPO and compare it to attracting the right type of patient, you’re overpaying for the PPO patients.

Your practice writes off hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to attract and maintain the PPO patient base.

Did you know that it can cost your practice far less when you focus on internal marketing and promoting your practice the right way?

In this article we are going to discuss ways to cut out the middle man PPO and start attracting the uninsured market because, again, this market is more profitable and easier to work with!

Attracting Uninsured Patients

Using Free Gifts

In my opinion, this type of marketing is one of the best ways to attract new patients to your office.

Here is the step-by-step strategy:

1. Purchase an Opalescence Go whitening kit.
2. Create an ad on Facebook or send a direct mail ad. Whatever works best.
3. Use the messaging: “Don’t have dental insurance? Free whitening kits on us!” You can experiment with other phrases that have the similar meaning.
4. Make the leads fill out a form to receive the coupon for the free whitening kit. Require the patient to come into your office to pick up the kit.
5. When the patient comes into the office, make it a big deal. Give them a tour of your office, introduce yourself and the team and then give them their whitening kit.
6. While giving them their free kit, discuss your dental membership program, pass out brochures, and educate them that they DO NOT need dental insurance to receive quality dental care.

I’ve seen a practice help approximately 1,500 uninsured patients get quality dental care and generate over $30,000 a month in predictable recurring revenue simply by cutting out the middle man!

How would this benefit your practice?

Would you feel free from the red tape and regulations of PPOs?

Would you have a stable cash flow coming in each month to help you run your practice?

Patients who are members spend 2x to 3.5x more than non-members with your practice.

Amazing right?!

Educating Patients

The second way to attract uninsured patients is by education. You can also consider content marketing educational marketing.

This is a fantastic strategy that you can use to attracted uninsured.

Here is an example:

Every local news station in every state has a website with articles posted daily, sometimes hourly.

These news websites are constantly looking for newsworthy content to share!

Reach out and submit an article about why patients don’t need dental insurance to visit the dentist. In it, educate readers about dental membership programs and how beneficial they can be for the patient.

Make sure you have a specific page on your website that allows patients to sign up for your membership program. Share that link to your website so readers can learn about your specific membership plan.

3. Leveraging Partnerships

Partnerships can be a great if you like to network with other local business owners.

Here are some examples on what you can do to grow with partnerships:

Join a networking group

There are weekly local meet-ups called BNI (Business Networking International) where you can network with local business leaders and collaborate on ways to refer to each-other.

This can be a fantastic way to educate other business owners about your dental membership program, and even influence them to sign up their employees to your practice’s membership program.

Partner with direct primary care physicians

Every state has medical doctors that offer a monthly membership program to their patients. These patients are fantastic because they have the right mindset and understand the benefits of a membership program.

Start networking with these medical practices and ask if you can put your dental membership program information in their offices.

Join forces with local gyms

People who frequently visit the gym care about their appearance. And we know how important our smiles are when it comes to our appearance.

Set up a booth at local gyms or ask them to put flyers and brochures about free whitening for uninsured patients.

Conclusion

Hopefully these strategies motivate and inspire you to grow your own dental membership program. I would recommend you try several combinations and see what works best for your practice.

They will collectively help you grow your dental membership program and market to adults without dental insurance.

The post How to Attract Uninsured Patients appeared first on RevenueWell.

As I am sure you already know, a large number of dental offices were recently hit with a ransomware attack. This attack was through a company offering back up services to dentists directly.

That company has a good reputation (before the attack) and did almost everything right. They knew what they were doing, had safeguards in place, and in most cases were able to respond with the right answers.

If a technology company that knows the safeguards and actually has them in place can get hit, what does that say about the dental offices out there that don’t have the right safeguards in place?

I recently read an article published by a trusted security compliance specialist that stated an estimated 85% of dental offices have had a breach in their network but don’t know about it.

Why?

Because they lacked the required monitoring systems that would catch it.

Remember, security is like an onion or Shrek: it’s about layers.

Nothing is 100% guaranteed when it comes to network security. However, the more layers you have, the better your chance at preventing a virus, ransomware attack, or breach.

Ways to Prevent Ransomware Attacks

Policies and Procedures

Have policies and procedures for using your network. This is required by HIPAA, but so few offices do it correctly.

And to be clear: going to take a HIPAA course at the state association meeting is NOT compliant training.

Your training has to be on your office’s site-specific policies.

If you don’t have those policies in place, you can’t train your team on them. And they can’t follow the rules if they don’t know them!

Email Policies

Make sure your email policies have you covered.

Use a professional email system, including encryption.

Free Gmail, Yahoo, and AOL accounts are NOT compliant. They store your patients’ PHI on their servers and its your job to NOT allow that.

Get a complaint email system like Office 365.

Also, make sure your team knows they CANNOT check their personal email from your computer network.

Many of the personal emails we get each day are phishing emails, designed to get your info, get you to click on a link to install a virus, download a pic that is actually ransomware, etc.

Just remember that these are work computers and should NEVER be used for personal activities.

Endpoint Protection

Ensure that you have endpoint protection.

This will act not only as a beefed up antivirus, but also detects abnormal network activity.

Monitoring your network is a requirement under the Security Rule, and this is one of the easy ways to do it.

Security Patches

Make sure your systems are up to date with security patches.

This is why I pay my IT company every month.

They ensure that all updates are done not only for Microsoft and any practice management software, but for all devices, drivers, and firmware as well, AS REQUIRED BY HIPAA.

This is why Windows 7 is falling out of compliance at the end of the year: there are no more security patches or updates.

Think of your network like a hallway with 1000 doors. Some are open, most are closed. As companies release the patches and updates, they are closing doors that people can get in to.

If you don’t do the update, you leave that door open even after someone told you to close it.

Backups

Frequently back up your system!

Use a system that backs up to the cloud and local copies.

Save more than a day’s worth of backups, as some viruses can lay dormant for days, weeks, or months even before being “activated.”

You want good, solid backups and you want to test them regularly.

A backup is no good if it is corrupt, unreadable, or otherwise unusable.

Test them OFTEN, at least monthly and be sure to document the results of the tests.

With just a few changes to your everyday practices you can drastically reduce the chances of having a breach event.

Remember: nothing is 100%.

Even the Secret Service has said that if someone is willing to trade their life for another’s, no amount of training can stop it.

We just need to create layers of security to make it tougher on the hackers, and easier for us to recover from if it does happen.

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post 5 Ways to Protect Your Patient Data appeared first on RevenueWell.

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Dental office compliance.

It’s not the sexiest topic.

It’s not something that gets most people out of bed in the morning.

But it’s but it’s one that’ll keep you out of jail.

In this webinar, Dana Salisbury of Productive Dentist Academy does what she does best: chance the way dental practices view compliance.

From job postings to I-9s, Dana breaks down everything you should do when hiring new team members. More importantly, she also discusses things you should not do when hiring new team members — along with why you shouldn’t do these practices.

What You’ll Learn

Wondering if your dental practice’s compliance is in order?

Need some tips on hiring best practices?

This webinar is for you!

During the webinar, you’ll learn:

• Why hiring from outside the field of dentistry can improve your systems
• Whether to classify employees as exempt or non-exempt
• The best practices for collecting and storing I-9 documentation
• If dental practices should hold working interviews

Enjoy the Practice Perfect webinar below!

Webinar: Common Labor Mistakes

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post Common Labor Mistakes You’re Likely Committing appeared first on RevenueWell.

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The post Dental Visit Certificate for Kids appeared first on RevenueWell.

Google presents a fast way to connect with the locals. And, if it’s used properly, your business will be able to reach a wide range of people in a short amount of time.

This is especially important in the world of dental practices.

It might sound uncommon to those unfamiliar with the world of dental marketing, but local SEO is quickly becoming one of the main tools used to put dental practices on the first page of search engines.

To better explain it, let’s say someone just moved to the town your dental practice is in.

As they’re trying to get their affairs in order – looking for new primary care doctors, veterinarians, pharmacies, etc – well, you can also expect for them to be looking for a new dentist.

So what will this family do?

The first thing is hop on Google and search “dentists near me.”

Upon hitting the search button, a list of several practices is going to appear with names, addresses, phone numbers, and reviews.

Nine times out of ten, that patient is going to click on the very first practice that appears on that list.

If your dental practice isn’t at least on the first page of suggested local dental practices, you could be in trouble.

Almost 35% of all search engine traffic is local and when these searches happen, with 14% of people are looking to visit these places immediately, according to ReviewTrackers.

Without local SEO, your business could miss out on a significant amount of leads and web traffic.

Why to Invest in Local SEO

First and foremost, local SEO is a strategy geared towards connecting with your local patients.

It’s also more relevant for them when keeping you competitive in the marketplace.

As multi-location practices and DSOs continue their growth, some patients shy away from independent practices because they just simply trust the bigger practices.

The same goes for new practices working to compete with others in the community that have already established a name for themselves.

Fortunately, the use of local SEO helps you to more effectively compete with the bigger practices that have more time and money.

By utilizing local SEO, you have the advantage of leveling the playing field by promoting value and quality in your brand versus bigger practices that rely on brand recognition and management.

One of the biggest benefits of local SEO to potential patients is that they will find your website very quickly when doing an online search.

Now, one thing to keep in mind before even thinking about local SEO is the quality of your website.

Do you have good content on your website? Is your domain name relevant to your practice? Is your website easy to navigate?

All of those things are important things to consider. You don’t want to invest in local SEO efforts only to drive potential patients away after visiting your site.

Entrepreneur states that it takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to your site to formulate an opinion about your business.

So, you want to take the time out to make sure you have helpful and informative content, your site is user-friendly, and that your domain name is relevant to your practice.

If you don’t have a domain name already, using a free domain search tool is a quick way to find relevant and available domain names.

Local SEO Creates More Leads

Lead generation is just as much of a goal for dental practices as it would be for any other type of business.

And local SEO will do just that.

You need to ensure you’re including specific keywords in your content because the more people read posts from your site, the higher you’ll rank in search engine results.

You ultimately want to be No. 1 on the first page but if nothing at all, you want to at least be on the first page.

Local SEO Will Grow Your Practice

Most people looking for dentists are looking for the best dentists in their area.

Again, they’ll search, “dentists near me.”

Because of that, it’s important that your practice develop a strong localized online presence to attract potential patients in the local area.

Through local SEO, potential patients can easily find you because, remember, most local searches have intentions of visiting that business immediately.

Connect with Patients in the Area

The key here is making the connection with the people closest to you FIRST.

Lots of dental practice feel that they need to target the larger areas first and then move on to the smaller areas.

In theory, it sounds good – by targeting the larger communities first, you’ll have a larger number of leads. However, you should actually do the opposite.

With local SEO, you want to reach out to the potential customers closest to you. Don’t risk putting them on the back burner for the bigger practices to pick off.

If you’re able to connect with them first, they won’t have a need to look elsewhere.

Enhance Your Online Reputation

Even those who know little-to-nothing about SEO at least know that if you’re not on the first page, you’re not doing something right.

Well, that’s because people want immediacy. With localized searches especially, most people will not click on the second page.

Local SEO will not only have your practice on the first page, but it will also increase the number of visitors to your website.

So what does increased traffic to your site mean?

It means higher conversion rates, which means more visibility on your practice’s reputation and brand, which means more new patients.

So try to get creative with your brainstorming to find different ways to increase your online presence so that your practice will be on the first page of search engines!

Save time in your day! Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between practices and your patients.

The post How Local SEO Benefits Your Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

As a child, I loved the end of my dental and doctor appointments because I was taken to the “treasure box” for a toy or sticker.

Somehow that little trinket always made the visit okay!

I’m a grownup now and when I leave an appointment all I get is my next appointment card and a bill!

Why should the kiddos get all the fun stuff?

What treasures does your office provide for your adult patients?

How many times has your office recommended a product to a patient and then sent them on their way to hopefully go and purchase that item and start using it?

Wouldn’t it make sense to have any products you are recommending conveniently located in your office for purchase?

We have become a society of convenience. If we can do all our shopping in one location, we not only save time, we are more apt to use that product that is being recommended.

Have you ever had a patient arrive at your office needing to review their medical history or sign treatment consent and they forgot their glasses?

Watch your patient’s face light up when you hand them a pair of readers that you purchased at your local dollar store. Have a pair handy in each treatment room and at the front desk.

Post-appointment warm towels to freshen up after an appointment, treatment room music/internet radio, and free Wi-Fi are all little touches that patients notice.

Soft, fluffy finger towels in the patient washroom to dry their hands and freshen up with make a huge statement about your office and the attention to detail you have for patient comfort.

Make sure to check these finger towels regularly for signs of wear, fraying, or staining. Toss used ones into the office cleaning drawer and replace with new ones.

A huge patient favorite is receiving a fresh flower at the end of the visit!

We have a relationship with our local florist to deliver three dozen assorted flowers to the office every Monday morning. The assortment typically includes roses, carnations, daisies and alstroemeria.

We arrange them in a beautiful crystal vase and placed it at the checkout station.

When a patient is ready to leave, the last thing we say to them is, “We get these flowers for our patients and we would love for you to take one to enjoy.”

For new patients, the offer is met with a look of pure excitement.

For returning patients, it has become the norm. Many look forward to getting their flower.

For the patient who responds with, “I’m not going straight home. It will die in my car,” we quickly respond with, “No problem, we have a water tube to keep it fresh until you can put it in your own vase!”

While simple, yet this has become a highly effective marketing tool.

Imagine their conversations as they walk into their place of employment with a flower in hand!

Quality pens, lip balms, hand sanitizers, and samples of products you sell are all ways of marketing your practice and making the patient feel special.

We also like to change things up with seasonal items, such as windshield ice scrapers in the winter and frisbees in the summer.

Be sure your practice logo and contact information are on each of these items.

Another simple touch that means so much, and takes very little time, is a welcome card for every new patient.

These cards are hand signed by the doctor and each team member, and mailed to the patient after their first visit.

The inside verse could simply read: “Welcome to your new dental home. We look forward to helping you keep your smile for a lifetime!”

This gesture of welcoming and thoughtfulness is sure to make your new patient feel that they have made the right decision in choosing your practice.

Check with your current office supply company or the ADA Catalog for samples of these cards and verses.

What about your existing patients?

How can you share with them how happy you are that they are part of your dental family?

Enter the Warm Fuzzy Card!

Warm Fuzzies are blank greeting cards that are hand written by the team member. They say something as simple as, “Congratulations on completing your treatment.”

Or, “You did an awesome job today; it was so nice seeing you. Have a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you at your next visit.”

Daily, each team member selects one of the patients that they worked with and mails them a “warm fuzzy.”

Such a simple, personalized touch will thrill your patient, and makes your office stand out in the sea of offices that surround you.

Patients are sure to mention this card at their next appointment!

Technology has taken over a large part of how we share good cheer with each other.

Social media allows us to instantly send birthday, anniversary, congratulations, etc. with the click of a button.

And while those are also great marketing tools, hand-written cards and notes are still very much appreciated.

People still love to get cards in the mail. Congratulating your patient on completion of their recommended treatment goes a long way when it comes to retention.

Sincerely letting them know that you are happy for them, and that they should be very proud of themselves for taking the steps needed to care for themselves, is huge in building the relationship.

Don’t forget to share the joy and love with each other as well! Doctors and team members should also feel very good about sharing kudos with one another.

Doctors love to hear that a patient is very happy and pleased with their treatment. Team members truly appreciate a sincere pat on the back and positive feedback from the whole office.

Everything that you do in your dental practice is a form of marketing!

What is unique about your practice?

What amenities are you offering in this highly competitive world?

Make it fun!

Make it effective!

And make an impression!

Save time in your day! Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between practices and your patients.

The post Fun Ways to Market Your Practice appeared first on RevenueWell.

If your practice is like most, your patient list is stacked with patients who have dental insurance.

And as you probably notice, many have trouble knowing what’s actually available with their benefits.

We uncovered these surprising statistics, which highlight just how much patients struggle to understand dental insurance.

We also provide four ideas that will boost insurance literacy so patients will maximize their benefits with your practice.

Only 9% of Americans Understand Basic Insurance Terms

A study in 2016 found that only 9% of Americans actually understand the basics of insurance, like what a deductible is.

That means, in a practice of 1,750 patients, about 1,590 are scratching their heads about how to use their benefits.

How many of your patients are unsure of covered cleanings and discounted treatments that keep them and their teeth healthy.

Millennials Understand Dental Benefits the Least

One company actually studied how well different age groups understand dental insurance.

It turns out, Millennials — that large group of young adults between 22 and 37 years old — fared the worst.

The company found that Millennials are the most confident in their understanding — but they actually had the lowest comprehension of all the groups in the study.

(There’s actually some good news, though: it’s easier than ever for practices to reach this group because of how communication savvy they are. More details on that at the bottom.)

Nearly Half of Patients with Insurance Don’t Use It

About 75% of patients have dental insurance.

But the kicker — 40% of them aren’t using it.

And according to the study, one reason is that those patients with insurance thought dental care would still be too expensive.

In other words, they don’t really understand how dental benefits work.

Why These Dental Insurance Statistics Matter

Why does it ultimately matter whether a patient understands their benefits?

Because according to a 2018 study, when patients don’t understand insurance, they don’t seek out the care they need.

And that’s the case even when their insurance usually covers most of the cost.

The same study found that 16% of patients with a lower understanding of insurance avoided preventive services, like a cleaning, completely, even though it was covered by insurance.

So, What’s a Practice to Do?

The good news is that your practice can overcome these dental insurance statistics.

Newsletter Articles

Including articles in your regular newsletter to focus on insurance helps patients build real insurance literacy — which will inevitably turn into more appointments.

For example, include an article covering the most frequently asked questions about dental insurance, and add another one that defines basic insurance terms, like “deductible” and “co-pay.”

Campaigns

Use campaigns to remind patients about their expiring insurance or new benefits.

It may not turn them patients into insurance experts — but they will get them in the door.

For example, send an end-of-year insurance reminder in the fall to prompt patients with outstanding treatment to schedule an appointment before it’s too late.

One practice in Colorado used RevenueWell campaigns to send a similar campaign to over 2,000 patients, and the results were huge!

They scheduled 34 visits and earned nearly $15,000 from a single campaign — how’s that for dental insurance statistics!

Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram aren’t just for sharing before-and-after photos, dental puns, and reviews.

When you’ve got the time to manage it, social media is perfect for patient education.

For example, post a video of a team member breaking down what commonly misunderstood insurance terms mean. Or share friendly reminders with your followers about upcoming expiring-insurance dates.

Website

An often-forgotten tool in a practice’s patient communication strategy is the website.

Because of a website’s limitless space (and its SEO friendliness), it’s the ideal medium for educating patients.

For example, add an entire section on your website about dental insurance, and include pages on what insurance you accept, how patients can maximize their insurance, and what do common insurance terms means.

While the dental insurance stats above may make it seem pointless to invest in educating your patients, it’s possible — and profitable — to do so.

By investing even just a small amount in patient education, you can build a basic understanding among your patients and become known as the practice that advocates for their patients’ dental —and financial — health!

Learn more about how RevenueWell helps patients better understand their dental insurance and get the most out of the benefits available to them.

The post How Much Do Patients Really Understand Dental Insurance? appeared first on RevenueWell.

In case you haven’t noticed a theme in the past few Compliance Corner articles, I get a lot of what I write about from Facebook.

I think Facebook is a fantastic place for dental professionals to discuss topics with each other. They can learn from others, and get help with things they are having issues with.

For these reasons I love Facebook.

It is also a place where trolls gather (I wish they would stay under their bridges), where people attack each other for their differences of opinion.

It’s also a place where anyone can become an expert.

The problem is that a TON of these people giving advice have no real idea what they are talking about, and people are listening to them and putting their incorrect advice in policy in their offices.

For these reasons I hate Facebook.

Now it seems it isn’t going anywhere, and Mark Z wont return my calls anymore, so we have to deal with it.

So what is this month’s article actually about? Glad you asked!

The latest Facebook to grind my gears is about passwords.

An office manager posted that her office was sold and her new employer demanded that every employee give this new owner their usernames and passwords to log in to the Practice Management Software.

Of course, 47 replies later, 46 of which were, “It is her software, give them to her,” I had the opportunity to respond with a resounding, “DO NOT DO IT.”

This is for a few reasons. One is that it’s a violation of the HIPAA Security Rule for any person to know any other person’s password.

The sharing of accounts, log-ins, and passwords is a violation of the Security Rule Access Control §164.312(a)(2)(i) (go ahead, type it in Google, I’ll wait). It specifically says that every covered entity MUST assign unique user IDs to access PHI.

Do you use a shared Gmail for the office? That’s an issue because you can not track who was logged in when and sent which email, viewed what PHI or PII (if you don’t know what that is, we covered that in a previous article here).

Don’t share your passwords with anyone … no one should know them

Now let’s take HIPAA out of the equation if we can. Let’s take a different more legal approach.

A few years ago, I got a call from a potential new client in Seattle. He needed HIPAA compliance training for his team and found me online. When I asked why the sudden interest in compliance he shared a story that I will now share with you.

This individual had fired a hygienist the year prior for using the computer in the op to view inappropriate adult websites. The computer got a virus from one of these websites and the entire network was affected.

He terminated the employee. However, a few months later the hygienist filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. They cited the fact that the employer could not prove it was the hygienist accessing those websites.

Why?

Because everyone used the same log-ins on all the computers.

Side Note: “Op1” and “Smile” are not secure log in credentials!

The dentist’s insurance company evaluated the merit of the case and decided to settle with the hygienist for six years’ worth of income. At renewal time, they dropped the dentist (refused to renew). He was also forced to find a new policy at a MUCH higher premium since he had a claim and lawsuit settled.

The lesson here is that if the employer had unique log-ins for each employee, where ONLY the employee knew the password, the lawsuit, settlement, and increased rates would never have occurred.

I have no clue what my employees’ passwords are to their log-ins.

I don’t need to.

Microsoft lets me log in as an administrator and reset it, delete the user ID, change the password, and all sorts of other nifty features.

I don’t need to know their passwords to Eaglesoft or Open Dental or any other PMS because as an Admin I can change it, reset it, block their log-in, disable their account, etc.

So now the issue becomes using things like Gmail, Yahoo, reminder services, and any other place where a patients PII or PHI are located.

RevenueWell accounts offer individual log-ins for each employee (YOU NEED TO DO THAT IF MORE THAN ONE PERSON LOGS IN), as does its Enterprise option for multi-location practices.

Don’t use a service that doesn’t offer it!

If you have unique log-ins and something happens under your username, you are the one that did it — even if you didn’t!

Get Office 365 from Microsoft for anywhere from $4 to $15 per month per user. Set each person up with their own email address. You can also add on encryption for like $5 a month!

And, yes, you can still have info@ or contactus@, or frontdesk@ emails. They are just distribution groups, and super simple to set up.

For employees, don’t share your passwords with anyone else. No one should know them.

If you have unique log-ins and something happens under your username, you are the one that did it – even if you didn’t!

Employers, you don’t want to know your employees’ passwords. If you do, and they do something wrong, it could have been you because you know their log-in.

Stop sharing this info. And stop listening to the trolls and know-it-alls on Facebook who really don’t know what they’re talking about!

If you are not sure, ask a professional. You can always email or call me, just use #revenuewellrockstars as the subject line and I will respond SUPER quick.

Learn firsthand about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post Stop Sharing Passwords! Here’s Why appeared first on RevenueWell.

We can manage money, our team, and our practice schedules. However, when it comes to time, that’s a different story.

Time can only be accounted for. It can never be “used.”

We do things through the passing of time, and once it’s gone it cannot be regained.

Time, then, is a finite resource.

We lose money with open time in our schedule.

We lose time in team members that we neglect to train or refine within their job.

There is more that we can do in order to manage our time effectively, but we must first understand the misuse of time before we can change our ways of utilizing it.

If you suspect that you have dental hygiene time management issues, you’re most likely wrong.

A resource I enjoy is 50+ Better Questions to Ask than How to be More Productive. I’ve found it useful for discovering how to better lay out your day and to maximize your time.

How we perceive the value of time varies from our past experiences.

As Einstein once said, “Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity.”

It’s necessary that within our dental office teams, we communicate the value of time.

Share ways your team can utilize it on the schedule better. Show time as an effort and how valuing it can help the practice succeed.

The way we are taught to think about time helps us better use time.

If you believe that you have time management issues, I would bet that you are wrong.

What you may have, however, are priority management issues.

Stop thinking about how you can manage your time most productively and shift your mindset to how you can better manage your priorities.

In doing so, I’m willing to bet you’ll find more time in your day!

Save time in your day! Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between practices and your patients.

The post Manage Your Priorities, Not Your Time appeared first on RevenueWell.

Inc. magazine has revealed that RevenueWell is No. 3630 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses.

“Awards like the Inc. 5000 are a testament to the great team and culture we’ve built here at RevenueWell. We truly believe that we have the best and brightest people working to transform the healthcare space, and award is more proof!”

The 2019 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2015 and 2018. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2015. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2018. The minimum revenue required for 2015 is $100,000; the minimum for 2018 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

Not only have the companies on the 2019 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists. The 2019 Inc. 5000 achieved an astounding three-year average growth of 454 percent, and a median rate of 157 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $237.7 billion in 2018, accounting for 1,216,308 jobs over the past three years.

“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have followed so many different paths to success,” says Inc. editor in chief James Ledbetter. “There’s no single course you can follow or investment you can take that will guarantee this kind of spectacular growth. But what they have in common is persistence and seizing opportunities.”

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post RevenueWell Named to Inc. 5000 for Second Consecutive Year appeared first on RevenueWell.

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Earlier this year, RevenueWell sat down with Family 1st Dental Regional Coordinator Nadine Prososki to discuss her role within the organization.

In our discussion, Nadine broke down how, right from the rooster’s crow, she is answering emails and texts to help her team succeed.

We hope you enjoy this talk, and find it as insightful as we did!

RevenueWell: What’s the first thing you do each day?

Nadine Prososki: I wish I had something profound or inspirational to say about that but the truth is: COFFEE!

RW: That’s great! You’re preaching to the choir — need that get up and go.

NP: If you are wondering professionally, then I would say it is pretty variable depending on if it is a travel day or admin day. I have seven locations in my region, and most are at least an hour from my home — the farthest is two hours — so usually three days a week are travel to the locations. On any given day, texts and emails start rolling in at about 6 a.m., and I am looking at, and figuring out, staffing and schedules for the day.

RW: How frequently do you communicate with each practice’s OM, and what do you talk about?

NP: We actually don’t have an OM in every location in our model, but we do have very hard-working and capable front office coordinators with whom I am in contact at least weekly, if not more frequently, depending on what we have going on in their practice at the time. I touch base on any challenges or concerns they need help or guidance with, including: schedules, insurance, and collections.

Find different ways to recognize and remind people that they are so important

RW: What’s your biggest challenge in overseeing multiple practices?

NP: I would say the biggest challenge is not always having enough time and resources to proficiently onboard each new employee in every hiring situation. Sometimes we have multiple new hires starting in several locations at once, and I have to rely on my existing team members to train. I will say that we are developing a process and gathering some resources with technology to help with this.

RW: What is your biggest focus with regards to training?

NP: My biggest focus is giving team members the resources and processes to make sure our patients are having the best experience possible. Efficiencies in all of our processes and procedures, as well as effective and proactive communication is key! When the team is comfortable with all the logistics, it lends us more opportunities and time to develop trust and long-term patient relationships.

RW: What metrics do you use to evaluate the success of your practices (production numbers, new patients, appointments, etc.)

NP: We have many metrics that we simultaneously look at when it comes to our practices. Financially, I look at collections first. That then leads me to evaluate many other systems, like: productive scheduling (production), adjustments, treatment plan acceptance percentages, insurance process productivity, patient reactivation, cancel/fail percentages, new patient numbers and retention (Are we getting at least 20-25 new patients per month and are they coming back to see us?), etc. I can then decide what to focus on with each team — what will make the biggest impact for growth, and where I need to reward and recognize improvement and continued excellence.

RW: Please describe your job in 2 sentences.

NP: Regional Coordinators at Family 1st Dental wear many hats, so my role and responsibilities change on a situational basis on any given day — including problem solver, HR rep, metrics monitor, trainer, coach, mediator, and cheerleader. The main focus in everything I do is to offer support in any way I can to my doctors and teams so that they can be focused on excellence in patient care.

RW: What new skill would you like to develop next?

NP: I would like to develop more confidence in presenting and public speaking.

RW: What resource (book, blog, etc.) has been most helpful in your role?

NP: I don’t think I could name just one. For starters, I have been an AADOM member for quite a few years now, and have learned so much from the speakers they bring to annual meetings, as well as online CE resources available at my disposal. Shout out to RevenueWell as well, as I have watched many webinars since we started using them in our practices that have been so helpful. In general, Family 1st Dental is a company that has always been a huge proponent of bringing CE to every roll, including management, so the resources that we all hear of individually and bring to each other are too vast to name them all.

RW: How do you decompress after a work week?

NP: Connect and focus on my family mostly. But then there are those weeks that seemed to last for a month, so when Friday comes, adult beverages are on the agenda. Just keeping it real!

RW: Once again, we’re right there with you! Nothing better than a cold beverage after a long day. Okay, please fill in the blank: You didn’t expect _____ about your role.

NP: The HR part of my job to be so time consuming at times.

You need to be able to help the team members and doctors see the potential they have inside of themselves

RW: What are the top three tools/resources (e.g., Outlook, Excel) you use each day?

NP: Outlook, WebEx, Excel

RW: The best analogy for overseeing multiple practices is:

NP: You have to be like a hardware store, a self-help book, and a chameleon. You need to be able to provide them all the tools practices need to take the best possible care of our patients in every way. You need to be able to help the team members and doctors see the potential they have inside of themselves, and bring out those skills and qualities so they can continue to be, or become, confident, engaged, and difference-makers in our practices. You need to be adaptable, as there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to managing different locations that have their own unique personalities with their own unique set of strengths and challenges.

RW: That’s great! Okay, last question: The best way to inspire an office is to …

NP: Find different ways to recognize and remind people that they are so important. Frequently let them know just how much of a difference they do actually make in the lives of their patients.

RevenueWell Enterprise helps you to manage marketing for your entire group as easily as you would a single office. Learn more about this multi-practice and DSO solution here.

The post Multi-Practice Management: Empowering Doctors and Teams appeared first on RevenueWell.

Have you ever walked into an office and been able tell right away that everyone genuinely enjoyed their jobs?

What was the atmosphere like?

Was it the way they carried themselves? Their attention to grooming? Or maybe their smiles and the way they looked you in the eye.

These are all cues we pick up on when we enter any office.

Confidence in what you do, say, and know will resonate with your patients.

Educate yourself on things you may not know enough about, and keep yourself involved with the goings on in your practice.

Remember: knowledge is confidence!

If you love what you do, it will show!

Loving what you do can also be seen in the condition of the dental office itself.

When was the last time you sat in a patient chair and looked around the treatment room?

Are there dead bugs in the in overhead lights? Is there a lot of countertop clutter? What about chipped paint, worn window treatments, or water stains on the ceiling tiles?

How inviting is your reception area? How about the restroom? What does the practice look like to someone other than you?

Patients accept treatment based more on perception than on clinical skills.

Why? Because it is assumed that you know what you are doing clinically.

Perception, however, is based exclusively on how you look, how your office looks, how your team looks, and how your teeth look.

You are in the business of selling dentistry!

What do your teeth look like? How about your team? Is your scheduling coordinator attempting to schedule treatment and talking about how fantastic your dentistry is with a discolored or chipped smile?

Take a look at what you are wearing.

Are scrubs outfits mismatched, worn, and/or wrinkled?

Doctor, what are you wearing? Scrubs? Or maybe a shirt, tie, slacks and a lab coat? A nice skirt and blouse with a monogramed lab jacket?

Remember: knowledge is confidence!

Platinum equals impeccable!

Clinical uniforms should be wrinkle-free, non-faded and properly fitted. Shoes should be safe, comfortable, and always clean.

Chose a complementary color to your office colors and use that for your uniforms. Administration personnel should ideally present in business attire that also compliments the color scheme of the clinical uniform.

Have a couple of extra lab coats available should an administration person be asked to help in the clinical area during the day.

Potential new patients, as well as patients of record, perceive the level of care they will receive from the very first phone call right through to the moment they walk into your dental practice.

Make sure your love of what you do reflects in every aspect of the practice.

Regularly look at the following areas in order to ensure you present a consistent image:

• Parking lot
• Main entrance
• Walls (check for chipped paint and scuff marks)
• Bathrooms
• Light fixtures
• Window treatments (are the windows clean?)
• Countertop clutter
• Carpeting
• Personal appearance
• The pen patients use to sign their credit card receipt
• The quality of your appointment cards, stationary, etc.

Have a different team member look over these areas monthly to give their perception of what the patient may be seeing. Add additional areas that are pertinent to your specific practice.

I was coaching an office recently. When I arrived early for the first visit, I entered the office through fingerprint-smudged glass doors into a reception room that was entirely white.

The coldness of the room was palpable.

I entered the patient washroom to freshen up and found one of the fluorescent bulbs was rapidly flickering. The waste basket was full and the toilet paper roll was near empty. There were two cobwebs in the corners.

Platinum equals impeccable!

As I washed my hands, I noticed a bright orange “clearance” sticker for $.59 on the Dial soap dispenser!

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for saving money; however I don’t feel the need to share this with the patient.

What is your perception of this office?

Dirty? Cheap? No attention to detail?

Customer service is the new frontier of the dental private practice.

The struggle to get, and retain, the happy, loyal and paying patient is very real, and it starts with the perception of the little things!

Remember: everything matters!

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post The Office Atmosphere, Because Everything Matters appeared first on RevenueWell.

You ever feel like something goes way too fast, and yet, in that blink of an eye you’ve lived several lifetimes?

That’s how #AADOM19 was for me.

It was a whirlwind, but by the end of everything something in me had profoundly changed.

They Love to Watch Him Strut

Morning came early.

Coffee is definitely on the menu.

Originally, I had planned a late checkout, but what’s the point? We’d be working the floor breaking down the booth and hopping a Lyft to the airport.

I threw all my clothes into my suitcase, did a final sweep of the room, considered laying back down, collected my wits, and headed downstairs.

After our team huddled to plot out the day, I went to grab a coffee and some fruit.

While in line, I shot the breeze with my buddy Duran, one of the serving crew from the Hilton. He was sad to see everyone go.

And then something really interesting happened: random, one-off conversations started sprouting all over the place while I waiting my turn for the cantaloupe.

You make it up to the room okay? I did, but the doc had a tough time!

Enjoy the pool last night? We were in the other lagoon, but it was awesome, right?!

Wanna scan my badge?!

That last one a friendly jab from somebody poking fun at my determination to scan every badge at AADOM.

(I may-or-may-not have told some folks RevenueWell threatened to make me walk back to Chicago if I didn’t scan their badge)

And the bonhomie didn’t stop there!

A woman came up and thanked me for introducing her to Jena. Jena attended college right outside of her hometown, and they really hit it off.

My buddy Barracuda from the pool came by hauling luggage and saying how she was ready to take some of her AADOM learnings back to New Mexico.

Jena’s new besties from Jacksonville came over, and we spent, oh, 10 minutes talking about Ireland, swapping photos and recommendations.

We had come to Orlando as a group of individuals and would leave as a tight-knit group

Time passed by, we hit Nudel’s class, did one last sesh at the booth, snapped a group photo, and then started taking things down.

Truth be told, it was pretty sad. Without consciously realizing it, our team had become pretty close. We had come to Orlando as a group of individuals, and simply by leaning on each other and sharing ideas and having a shared experience, would leave as a tight-knit group.

As Susan left to catch her early fight, Jeff and I passed the time by discussing our mutual love for the catwalk and over-the-top wrestling promos.

That’s right! In a few, he and Sony would be strutting our Tory Burch bags across the stage during the awards ceremony.

You have to understand that ever since Dallas last year, all we ever heard about was Jeff strutting his stuff. Apparently it was an event not to be missed, and this year he was ready top it.

Our booth packed up and a little time before the festivities, Jeff and Sony started practicing their moves.

One and two and three and pivot. Click the heels and power point. And, Sony, now you own it.

Thirty minutes later, we were treated to a treat.

Jeff dialed it up to 11, rocked the red bag, owned the room, and hit the power point. Sony popped up, modeled the yellow bag, brought another raucous cheer, and for the last time of the weekend (or so I thought at the time) our team’s full personality was on display.

I made my way to the lobby and congratulated one of the winners. Then I saw Executive Director Kim McQueen, and went to thank her.

Truth be told, Kim kinda intimidates me. She busted my chops pretty good last year during an “I Am …” work photo shoot in our company’s office, and put me on tilt. As it turns out, my own insecurities were completely unfounded.

Earlier in the day I saw a picture of her crowd surfing at the AADOM 19 cocktail hour and figured what the heck, go say hi! Like everyone in her tribe, she was super nice. We quickly chatted about her upcoming trip to Florida’s west coast, and then said goodbye.

Jena and I hopped a Lyft to the airpot. So long, AADOM!

The Strangest of Places If You Look at It Right

Your flight has been cancelled.

Umm, what.

“Jena, did you just get that text?”

“Yep.”

“They don’t even apologize or anything.”

“I’m trying to find a new flight. Looks like everything is booked. I’m on for tomorrow’s 7 a.m.”

“Okay, I’ll call the hotel. Hopefully they have vacancies.”

So began the last, unexpected leg of our AADOM journey.

I called Lauren to break the news about our flight, kept it together knowing it’d be another evening away from her and our baby boy, called the Hilton, booked two rooms, and trudged down to ground transportation.

“Jena, can you check us in? I’m going to the bar.”

My spirits were broken.

“Heyyyyyy!”

Kelly, God bless her, is one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, and brought the energy I needed in that moment — an injection of positivity.

“Go check in, I’ll grab you a beer! Jeff and Sony are around here somewhere.”

“Oh, man, thank you so much.”

A little more pep in my step (a cold beer is a nice motivator), I met Jena at check in and we got our rooms (her, a “something with a good view room”; me an “I don’t care, something with a bed” room).

Jena went up. I ambled back over to the bar area with suitcase in tow.

After a little chitchat, I still felt off. Without a word, I opened up my suitcase, shed my blue RevenueWell t-shirt, and pulled on the bright green AADOM shirt.

“Bad juju in that shirt,” I explained to the crew. “I need a pick-me-up. Let’s try the AADOM shirt.”

Sure enough, it did the trick!

When I went up for another beer, a person across the bar asked me if I was at AADOM. We shouted highlights of the conference, until I decided a friendly conversation was much easier on the same side of the bar.

She picked my brain about natural excursions in Florida — her father is a park ranger, and touristy things aren’t really her scene. I told her about Blue Springs and Smyrna Dunes Park.

I asked about her part of the country, and she enlightened me on Maine, and the only way to eat lobster (a shack directly on the water).

As talk shifted to dentistry, she gave me a crash course on DSOs and multi-practice management. One final bit of edification in an educational weekend.

Sony came over, and the bar scene turned into a party. All of the AADOM holdouts gathering for a beautiful sendoff.

I really wanted to be back in Chicago, but this impromptu gathering went miles to carve out my earlier disappointments.

Some of us made our way to the pool. We danced. We laughed. And we brainstormed ways to fold more goodness into our days.

I hit the sack somewhere after midnight, knowing there were only about four hours of sleep between me and the airport.

This time it was for real. AADOM was over.

Thank You

When I went to AADOM, I was not in a good state of mind.

I had become disillusioned with my job and burnt out on the daily grind.

On my best day, I was unenthusiastic.

And here I was going to Orlando, representing our company, and working a conference rather than celebrating my wedding anniversary (our first with a child in the mix). A dangerous cocktail, to be sure.

But AADOM changed everything. And I sincerely mean this.

It unlocked something in me, some spark, that I did not know existed. I loved talking with people, loved interacting with our team, and loved learning about things I’d never even considered.

I’m not sure what my long-term career outlook is, but I do know that AADOM helped chart a path by showing exactly the kind of work I enjoy.

Since the conference, I’ve been bursting at the seams with ideas. Jeff, Sony, Susan, Jena, Kelly, and I have been ping-ponging ways to better serve our customers, ways to fold philanthropy into our company, and ways to further work with AADOM.

AADOM unlocked something in me that I did not know existed

The conference brought me off the precipice. It feels like my first day on the job — that time when you still think everything is possible.

And if it did this to me, a vendor, I cannot even imagine the impact this conference has on AADOM members.

I don’t know how much business this will bring my company. Just as I don’t know how much business it will bring practices who send their OMs.

But I do know that it certainly helps with self esteem, self worth, and general contentment. And in business, that counts for something too.

I recommend that anyone who has a chance to attend do so — OM, doctor, DDS (dedicated dental spouse), vendor, whomever.

Something about this group of people purifies the soul. Rather than quantify it, I’m just gonna continue riding the high.

Thank you to to Heather, Lorie, Kim, Karin, Trish, and the entire AADOM leadership team for hosting such a special event. Doubly so for letting us, as a vendor, attend.

Thanks to RevenueWell leadership for letting me go. Doubly so for following up with me and taking a vested interest in both my takeaways, as well as my professional wellbeing.

Thanks to our awesome Orlando crew, with whom I shared a lifetime of memories in 96 hours. You reminded me why this is such a special place to work: the people.

And thanks to everyone who came by the booth. You make an impact every day in your offices. But you also make a difference to people outside of your practices. You’re truly inspiring. You’re awesome.

See you in Boca!

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post Thank You AADOM — Final Day Recap appeared first on RevenueWell.

Last year my wife Lauren and I saw the Foo Fighters play Wrigley Field on Night 2 of their two-night stand in Chicago.

Throughout the entire concert, Dave Grohl would randomly growl, “NIGHT TWOOOOOOOO!”

That’s how I felt on Day 2 of AADOM. It was so tempting to just yell, “DAY TWOOOOOOO!” at everyone who passed our booth.

Looking back, it’s probably a missed opportunity. Alas. There’s always next year!

I’m Going to Become an OM

The day kicked off with several folks, led by our own intrepid Deana Zost, dancing down the showroom floor to a mixture of songs ranging from “Red Solo Cup” to Justin Timberlake’s “Cant Stop the Feeling!”

Two-for-two in the no-coffee-needed department. Once again, the collective energy was enough to carry the morning.

I caught up with the team, huddled before things kicked off, and immediately could see that the conference had left its mark.

“I am so into this!” my fellow marketing companion Jena exclaimed.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“When I retire I’m going to become an OM of a practice.”

“I thought you were joking last night when you said that.”

“Nope! I love this place. I feel like I’m back home with all the women I grew up around. Everyone is so nice and I love it!”

“You’re all-in, huh?”

“Alllll in!”

And with that, Jena bounded off to snap some selfies with RevenueWell

In a few hours, I’d see just how serious Jena was.

We Can FaceTime on My Drive Home

I made my way back to the booth and was promptly rerouted to the KOL summit.

This is pretty cool, I thought. Summits are prestigious. Not just anyone gets an invite to a summit. Let’s do this!

Kelly, Jeff, and I navigated the long halls and found our room. Seated up front, at a panelists’ table, were a handful of AADOM’s top OMs.

The three of us found our seats while Alex Nudel pulled his chair right up to the table. Eye-to-eye with the KOLs, he charmed the entire panel and shared some laughs.

The man knows how to enter a room.

For the second time in as many days, I found myself in a class led by AADOM’s VP Lorie Streeter. She set the parameters for our summit — round robin, one question per company, don’t hog the floor, don’t be shy.

Nudel shot his hand up, asked the first question, and we were off to the races.

For the next hour, I hung on for dear life as the panel delivered incredible insight and wit about their daily lives.

Monday is the busiest day

Anything to help the team

… because staff is an infection

So much info; need to go shorthand.

Webinar = awesome; podcast = better

Reduce stress, cut cost

Single page, bullet points

When I finally came up for air, Nudel looked over and offered maybe the first understatement of his entire life, “You wrote a lot of notes.”

I caught my breath, thanked Lorie, talked with Kelly, and eventually wound my way up to the booth.

And right there, in that moment, I fully grasped everything that AADOM was about. The true role office managers play. Just how difficult their jobs can be. And why a company like mine exists.

At our booth, Jena was talking a mile a minute with two women, one of whom was a member of the KOL panel. I don’t remember specifics, but the conversation was going something like this:

“And for payments, can you …”

“Oh yeah, we make it easy for you to do that, and we also do this …”

“Oh my gosh! You’ll think I’m joking, but I have an Excel spreadsheet that I go over every day to ensure our collections are okay. And now for reminders, can you ….”

“Definitely! We can help you out with that.”

“Okay, wow, I have, like, so many questions that I keep forgetting.”

Truth be told, I thought a lot of the internal marketing within my company was bluster.

Yeah, it’s a cool product, but does it help people that much?

Okay, it’s a great company and people enjoy RevenueWell, but can they really love us that much?

Consider me a convert.

I watched Jena talk with a woman who had literal goosebumps listening to all the ways her day was about to get easier. Somewhere in their conversation it turned from “let’s tell you about RevenueWell” to “no, you’re an incredible person, and we’re going to figure out a way to make your life easier because you deserve it.”

The conversation turned to a personal connection, and it was a runaway freight train. At this point, being little more than a third wheel, I did the one thing that I do best — got drinks for everyone.

The happy hour was popping, and I returned with some spirits to a newly kindled friendship.

“Okay, we’re definitely having dinner when you come up to Chicago,” Jena said through barely contained tears.

“We can FaceTime on my way home! Normally I call my daughter, but she’ll have to understand.”

At what other conference does this happen?! I always enjoy Chicago Midwinter, but have never never ever seen anything quite like that.

In this moment, the cynic in me melted away.

Hakuna Matata

Pool time.

Nudel and some of our team went out to another nice dinner, but I opted out this time.

The lazy river and I had been circling each other for a couple days. It was time for us to get acquainted.

Jena, Jeff, and Sony were all down in the lobby waiting out a late-afternoon rainstorm. I’ve always loved these Florida rainstorms. They clear away the heat and set the table for your next adventure.

Once the lightning had cleared out, Jena and I made our way to the pool.

We found Deana and some of her friends. Jena found a lounge chair. I found a float. Everyone had found the tiki bar.

I love this place. I feel like I’m back home

Time to see if beverages are okay in the pool.

Yep!

After a solo voyage winding throughout the various lagoons, I stopped to talk with a new friend from the booth.

Originally from Boston, she now lives in Albuquerque and is nicknamed “Barracuda” by her team members.

“They call me Barracuda because my collection rate is 100%. I never let ’em off the hook!” she proclaimed.

Every word out of her mouth had me tripping out. Her practice must be a hoot. For the first time ever, I wasn’t afraid of being near a barracuda in open water!

I eventually floated off, linked up with Deana and her crew, met a wonderful motivational speaker based out of Maryland, hooted and hollered with some fellow Southerners, got into a philosophical discussion (the kind you only have when it’s really late in the evening) about my motto “life’s a giggle,” and cut a run at an impromptu dance party that was led by the Voice of AADOM and circled the entire lazy river.

Lights on like last call at a bar.

Lifeguards are kicking us out of the pool.

We did it.

Everyone cheered and laughed.

We shut down the lazy river.

Everyone shuffled back to the lobby for the after-after party.

As our pool crew was absorbed into the drier lobby bunch, I pulled an Irish goodbye. It was late, tomorrow was checkout, and I still had to pack.

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

The post Thank You AADOM — Day 2 Recap appeared first on RevenueWell.

When I initially set eyes on writing an AADOM recap, I planned on having only one article.

Yeah, about that …

A recap of Feeding Children Everywhere came out at 840 words, and it became quickly apparent this would be a series of posts.

Here’s what Day 2 to an AADOM newbie looked like.

Champions of the World

Up early.

Our entire team was downstairs an hour before the floor opened, ready to #AADOMinate.

We had our morning huddle, went over roles and locations and what the day would bring.

“Jonathan, you scan badges and talk with every person who’ll listen to you.”

Pffft, that’s what I was born to do.

The first person I spoke with was named Duran. Duran was part of the incredible Hilton wait staff who set up and broke down all our meals. He’s from Turkey and was, himself, seriously vibing on the AADOM energy.

“Everyone is so nice and smiley,” he told me. It was great catching up with Duran throughout the weekend.

As I shuffled over to our main booth, I ran into my coworker and FAADOM member, Deana Zost.

“I hope you’re ready for the energy!” the always bubbly Deana said. “It’s like 1,000 of me, and I’m sending everyone over to say ‘Hi.'”

Fast forward 20 minutes, and it turns out Deana undersold things.

Through the closed conference doors, I heard the sound of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” RIPPING through the auditorium.

Everyone is so nice and smiley

I poked my head in to see a custom rendition of the song being performed by AADOM VP Lorie Streeter.

Let’s just say that Freddie Mercury would’ve been proud. She owned the song, room, and at that moment in time, all of Orlando.

I’m not quite sure that I’m a good enough writer to describe the energy in that room. It was sentient.

After hanging around for a few minutes, I tossed my coffee in the trash. It was completely unneeded. The energy in that room was enough to carry me for the day.

I went back to the booth, grabbed some melon slices, and chatted with some folks who were milling about.

And then a roar normally reserved for sporting events splintered the air.

Out of nowhere, I was in Madison Square Garden, Soldier Field, and Fenway Park all rolled into one.

Dr. Rich Constantine, the dancing doctor, had just been introduced to the packed auditorium.

Game faces on.

Dr. Constantine is a proud RevenueWell customer, and his next stop was our booth for a scheduled photo sesh.

It was about to get real.

Smile on Cancer

Most folks know Dr. Constantine as a viral internet sensation for dancing to a Drake song. Google his name and “hot doctor” comes up in the suggested search terms.

What most folks don’t know is that he’s an incredibly nice and humble man.

As we chewed the fat over his football career at Ohio University and graduate career at West Virginia, I couldn’t help but notice how soft-spoken he was.

I then met Trish Constantine, the doctor’s wife, and could see first-hand just how special this couple truly is.

Trish is currently transitioning over to running their foundation, Smile on Cancer, full-time. They are two wonderful people taking a sudden rush of fame and paying it forward.

It was incredibly moving to see how dedicated they are to their cause of improving the lives of patients and families affected by cancer.

I feel truly blessed that we were able to partner with them. And there was no better venue than AADOM.

The doors opened. A massive line formed. Our team ensured that nearly every single person who wanted a photo got one.

I say “nearly” because there were a few people left without a photo.

You see, Doctor Constantine’s office manager Marjorie was scheduled to receive recognition and he was determined to watch it.

After his video went viral their practice was inundated with phone calls. We’re talking 60 calls an hour. Every. Single. Day.

Without his awesome team, Dr. C told us, he wouldn’t be in a position to enjoy AADOM or further the cause of his foundation.

He left to take in the award ceremony, and we were left smiling knowing that we had just spent a couple hours with a truly genuine human being.

We chatted up the crowd, worked the floor, and then prepared for the latter part of the day.

Friends and Family

The rest of the day played out in two parts: class and dinner.

The class, which several RevenueWell team members attended, was taught by a member of AADOM’s leadership team.

I scribbled notes like a madman all throughout. And if anyone left the course without a serious amount of empathy for office managers then they should probably find a new business.

As a marketer, I thought that I understood my audience completely. While we do a good job, it turns out that I still had a lot of room for growth.

Another great theme for AADOM: acknowledgement and acceptance for growth.

I had one other takeaway from the class: how family-oriented AADOM is. Not like “we’re all the same Tribe” family, but, like, family-family.

Family as in our presenter Lorie (still bringing the thunder after singing Queen earlier in the morning!) had her husband in the back of the room recording everything and her college-aged son passing out materials to all attendees.

There’s a lot of love within the AADOM Tribe, and I really think it comes back to this full investment from the families of its leaders. Truly remarkable.

There’s a lot of love within the AADOM Tribe

I was pretty gassed by the time we hit dinner, but it was nonetheless exciting. Any dinner with Alex Nudel, I’m told, is an event.

Truthfully, I felt fortunate just to be at the table. Along with the RevenueWell crew, there were several of the most recognizable people in dental marketing, staffing, and operations all sharing a private room at an upscale steakhouse.

As tends to happen when you have a lot of powerful people at a table, there was a bit of oneupmanship — tales of beating Richard Branson at chess and rubbing elbows with pre-POTUS Barack Obama.

Then something incredible happened: we started going around the table saying what we were grateful for. It was like a pre-Thanksgiving ritual, only completely organic.

Every person described their path to this specific moment in time. Triumphs (loving relationships and children), tragedies (lost loved ones and health scares), and genuine affection for the present company (lots of smiles, applause, and laughter).

For me, the most impactful was listening to Nudel’s wife, Marina, describe her road to dentistry.

She came over from Eastern Europe and was typecast immediately. She worked and spoke with several doctors who, more or less, called her a Commie, and said she’d never make it in the field.

Fast forward a few years and she was sitting next to them at a conference in Las Vegas reminding them of their lunacy.

Fast forward a few more years and she’s seated at the head of our table with some of the most powerful people in her field, the First Lady of RevenueWell.

I’d never spoken to Marina beyond a casual conversation here or there, so this all blew my mind.

Though a dentist and not an OM, she embodied what I had seen, and would continue to see, at AADOM: a beautiful spirit who, when given a chance, showed the world just how amazing she is.

Thursday was my 4th wedding anniversary, and one of the rare nights I’ve spent away from my wife an infant son. And while I missed them deep in my core, our dinner was a nice salve.

It was the fitting end to a long, emotional day.

Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.

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“Here, you do not shake hands. You hug.”

This was the advice I received on Wednesday from Alex Nudel, or simply “Nudel” as he’s known around the office (and apparently everywhere in the dental world).

As it turned out, Nudel really knows his audience. By Saturday night, I was hugging people who just 72 hours prior I never knew existed in this world.

There are no strangers at AADOM.

Feeding Children Everywhere

Our first night.

Fresh off the plane and ready for Lord knows what, I checked in, changed into my uniform for the weekend (blue RevenueWell t-shirt and black Chuck Taylors).

Truth be told, I wasn’t too excited about this pre-conference event: a rally for the charity Feeding Children Everywhere.

What I really wanted was to float around in Trip Advisor’s No. 1-rated pool, collect my thoughts, and get ready for the upcoming few days.

As I’ve found is common in life, I was wrong and better off for it.

The event was beyond words.

Held in a pavilion tent below the main ballroom and overlooking the golf course, the location was perfect for a warm Florida evening.

Inside the tent, removable wooden floors lended to what would be a raucous atmosphere. Ten to fifteen tables housed boxes of deconstructed jambalaya, baggies, scales, and packing goodies.

I surveyed the crowd, took a few pictures for folks, hugged the RevenueWell crew, and casually waited for the crowd to trickle in.

And then, out of nowhere, music cut through the din of chatter. The floors were shaking from the bass. Somebody had decided to pump up the crowd and kick up the jams.

Looking back, I think it was Nudel.

Next thing I know, my coworker Jeff is circling a makeshift dance floor, pulling anyone in a 30-foot radius onto it.

Cupid Shuffle.

Cha-Cha Slide.

Man! I Feel Like a Women.

It was line dance central with Jeff as the ringleader. Later in the weekend I told him his “I Am …” should be “Nimble.” He was on it.

After the impromptu dance party it was time for the actual event.

Here, you do not shake hands. You hug

Hairnets on. Teams divvied up. Hands sanitized. Directions given. Competitive juices flowing.

An army of volunteers buoyed by positivity were ready to help feed children around the world.

I can’t remember the time, but I remember the moment everything came into focus.

My coworker Jena and I were posted up on our philanthropic assembly line, when the wonderful woman across from us said, “Last year was my first year; I did the ‘I Am …’ campaign; thank you for hosting.”

Jena looked at our team member’s name and, low and behold, knew somebody by the exact same name. Next thing I know, they’re sharing their respective life stories.

It was kismet.

As for me, the team member to my right let me know that she uses RevenueWell and planned on stopping by our booth the next day to recommend a friend.

I was just happy she talked with me.

She was the alpha of our team, having done this event in the past, and coached me up every time I spaced out and forgot to add salt (literally the easiest of all the ingredients) to the bag.