How to Run a Successful Dental Office

It’s said that, “Success leaves clues.” As you think about your career, perhaps that statement peaks your curiosity about how to run a successful dental office.

The more you sleuth around you’ll discover why some dental practices succeed and others stay in the status-quo. But you must be willing to ask the simple, yet hard question that every dentist asks before experiencing breakthroughs.

What Makes a Dental Practice Successful?

Every successful dental practice has a unique DNA. And your brand identity helps drive patient satisfaction.

Patients are compelled for a variety of reasons to improve their dental health. That means your case acceptance success partially relies on your customer service.

That combined with your office management strategy and the implementation of ideas to improve your dental practice will produce patient loyalty. Running a successful dental practice is essentially being comfortable with what sets you apart from other practices.

”Being unique is all about giving your potential patients a reason to choose you over other local dentists. It doesn’t matter whether you focus on a particular specialty or you offer different dental services. Creating a unique perspective on quality dental care services has the power to net and retain many clients.”

How to Improve Your Systems with Clinical Proficiency

Fundamentally, every dental practice, including yours, is somewhat equal at the entry level. Clinical skills are expected and certain competencies are required to provide dentistry.

But outside of clinical proficiency is where your practice can and must achieve stand-alone success. Being a successful dentist involves:

• Staying current with dental technology. Evaluate yours and how its use improves and sets your standard of care apart.
• Embracing the business of dentistry alongside clinical dentistry. Create and follow a business plan that increases your production while providing outstanding patient care – including customer (patient) service.

Leverage and Embrace Your Communication Skills

Everything you do throughout your practice communicates something. That’s why good communication skills must be deployed from your front-desk to your operatories to your consult room.

You and your team can reveal active listening skill. But what about your non-verbal communication skills? Lack of eye contact, an eye-roll, or a disinterested posture will communicate as much as what’s spoken.

Training to improve your communication skills is necessary to practice success. Your patient interactions will improve as you give attention to the tone of your voice and your facial expressions. Those two alone will cover a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication issues.

A Good Management System Provides Practice Success

A culture of continuous improvement will improve performance and lead to good management of your dental practice. There’s no shortage of dental management ideas.

Perhaps you’ve wisely handed the management process of your practice to one of your team members. The challenges of daily management and employees can take a toll on you as a dentist.

Performance management across your team(s) is best accomplished by those who are recognized or trained as effective managers. Your dental practice’s management system is at the core of how to run a successful dental office.

Use Your Website for Patient Engagement

Your online presence has in many ways become your dental practice’s first impression. Patient engagement through your website and social media platforms is now a front-door to patient care.

Improving patient access and navigation via your website can close the gap for those searching for oral health care solutions. Your patient portals require useful content with clear (non-technical) answers to their questions and solutions for their problems.

Provide Flexible Financial Options

Financial problem solving will set your dental practice above most.

Why?

Because flexible finance solutions provide your patients access to the dental care they need and desire…often without delay.

Your financing program will give your patients less reason to postpone treatment. For example, a financing plan that includes a monthly payment option can increase case acceptance on the spot.

The more flexibility you bake-into your financial arrangements the more likely your patients are to say “yes.” They win by getting the care they need and you win by increasing your daily production.

Keep Up and Check Up on Your Inventory

In the middle of a procedure is not a good time to discover a shortage of dental supplies. Dental practices like yours function most efficiently with an inventory system in place for ordering supplies.

Inventory management in your dental office enables you to keep a close eye on your supplies inventory control. A management system lead by a detail oriented team member ordering dental and office supplies can eliminate the down-time caused by a supply shortage.

Adopt a Marketing Plan for Your Dental Office

Dental patients like the consumer population are attracted to your dental services by your strategic marketing efforts. Your marketing strategy not only helps build your brand and get more dental patients. It also appeals to the needs of your target audience and improves your online search results.

• Rely on email marketing to promote your services and to share useful, solution-oriented, problem-solving content.
• Engage your target audience through social media marketing. Build relationships and develop loyalty on the platforms that support your dental practice’s brand.

Each marketing campaign will increase your dental practice success. It not only promotes your dental services but it also provides health solutions for your target audience.

The Importance of Running a Successful Dental Office

Again for you, as general dentist, there’s no shortage of information on how to run a dental clinic. What’s up for discussion is how to run a successful dental office.