What does it take to grow a dental clinic or a chain of dental clinics effectively? One well-organised system. We share an 11-point strategy that produced solid results after a CRM rollout and process automation across a network of dental clinics.
Why a single system
A dental network is several branches, dozens of doctors, treatment rooms with their own schedules, laboratories, suppliers, insurance companies and thousands of patients, each with an individual treatment history. As long as this data lives in separate logbooks, folders and the heads of front-desk staff, the clinic spends its time looking for information instead of working with the patient.
The patient and their history
Point 1. All client records in one place
When a patient calls, the network's call-centre operator or the front-desk administrator opens a record that holds the patient's history: which clinic treated them, when they last saw a dentist, which doctor carried out the treatment and what has already been done.
Point 2. A single database of documents and files
Everything is stored electronically. There is no need to keep patient histories and other paperwork on paper — outpatient charts, files, X-ray images, visit history, treatment records and payment documents are all held in a single database in electronic form. Where necessary, documents or information can still be printed.
- Outpatient charts and visit history.
- X-ray images and other diagnostic files.
- Treatment history by doctor and by clinic.
- Payment documents.
The clinic as one connected operation
Point 3. Bringing the different areas of medical service together
In any medical facility, diagnostic laboratories, suppliers of equipment and consumables, medical insurance systems and other participants all interact. A CRM system unites every area of medical service within the clinic (or the network of clinics) into one connected operation.
Point 4. Client notifications
The CRM handles the client base — informing people in good time, reminding them about an appointment or about the need to see a dentist. An automated system frees staff from routine work with visit reminders, notifications and the like, leaving them more time for quality service.
The doctor, the schedule and the rotas
Point 5. Information for the doctor from any device
Doctors and staff can sign in to the system from any device — a PC, a smartphone or a tablet — and see up-to-date information about the patients booked in with them, along with outpatient chart history, images and other data.
Point 6. Schedules and rotas kept current
At the front desk, booking a client with a doctor or for a procedure takes 1–2 minutes. The treatment-room schedule and the doctors' availability are always up to date across every branch of the dental network.
Accounting and responsiveness
Point 7. Accounting for services and their cost
In a CRM system for dental clinics, management can see which services are provided to clients most often by each doctor and by the clinic as a whole. Accounting for services and their cost matters for running and growing a dental network effectively.
Point 8. Faster task turnaround
The mobility and simplicity of the system — adding new employees, signing in from any device — solved the problem of how quickly tasks are assigned and completed. Now all it takes to start work is a computer or tablet with an internet connection.
Reporting for the manager
Point 9. Daily reports for any period
The CRM system gives the head of the practice daily reports (or reports for any other period) across a range of indicators. It is a convenient way to keep track of how effectively the facility is performing.
Income and expenses
The clinic's financial figures for the selected period.
Doctor performance
How many services each doctor provides, and which ones.
Treatment-room utilisation
How working hours and premises are being used.
First-time and repeat visits
How many patients come for the first time and how many return.
Marketing and related products
Point 10. Marketing activity
The system makes it easy to track how regularly clients visit. On the strength of that data, you can invite them in for hygiene procedures and preventive check-ups. Running marketing campaigns became simpler: SMS campaigns, messages on Viber and WhatsApp, promotional information by email. The results of such campaigns can be measured.
Point 11. Accounting for related-product sales
Deals for related products are recorded in the CRM. Products are easy to add to the catalogue, sort and find by attributes or price. Running interactive product presentations from the catalogues increases a practice's sales by 30 % on average.
In brief: how it all works together
- Data. Every patient, document and image sits in one electronic database available to all branches.
- Processes. Booking, reminders and notifications are automated, so staff spend no time on routine.
- Access. Doctors and administrators work from any device with an internet connection.
- Control. The manager sees reports on income, doctor performance, treatment-room utilisation and visits.
- Growth. Marketing campaigns and related-product presentations rest on real patient data.
