How To Make Your Clinic A Patient Magnet?

How To Make Your Clinic A Patient Magnet?

 Our clinics are supposed to be healing spaces rather than fear creating spaces. Patients are more scared to walk in a dental clinic than walk in a general hospital. Are we not ready yet to break that stereotype of being painful clinics??

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What’s in name??

 

Who does not like luxury? Add that extra x factor to your clinic. Have a nice innovative name. Now a days “spa” and “boutiques” are trending. Small addition may add that “chic” factor to your practice. Of course when you write spa…you need to do justice to the name. Have that kind of ambience that will confuse the patient if he in for a real spa!!

 

So what things incite fear in a patient and make our dental clinics an unpopular place to visit?

1. 1. Pain, of course.

2. 2. Hearing somebody cry or yell due to pain.

3. 3. The typical hospital smell.

 

Painless dentistry- is not difficult to practice. Conscious sedation, oral sedation, magic wands for local anaesthesia….there are countless ways to do it!

 

 

Sound proofing??

 

Your dentistry may be painless for the mouth but you have to make it painless for the ear too! Some patients do complain of the hand piece noise that makes them irritable than any dental procedure. I have had to put on some earphones for few patients to calm them down and prevent them from hearing the hand piece noise. So what can we do??

 

1. 1. Sound reduction hand pieces are available. They may be expensive but if you have clientele that demands such kind...why not??

2. 2. Sound reduction headphones...they absolutely cut off any outside noise.

3. 3. Scaring other patients?- You may use sound proof door and windows to prevent any chair side noise that may scare the patients in the waiting room

4. 4. Increased insulation of walls and doors to absorb sound.

5. 5. Planning a waiting area away from treatment room.

 

 

I smell fear!!!!!!

 

Leave alone patients, until I became a dentist, I would also relate going to a hospital with smell of spirit and I would feel nauseated. Most patients relate lot of situations with the smell. Many "people have a fight-or-flight reaction" to the sights, sounds, and smells of a dental office. This is the beginning of the fear development. To break that negative thought, air fresheners can be used. They not only create a pleasant environment but also reduce patient’s anxiety by calming the nerves. You can have orange, rose and lavender flavours which have shown to improve the patients mood and reduce anxiety levels (Trying to create a spa! Remember!)

 

 

What more??

 

Show an Waiting area-you can have some soothing photographs and music to relax the atmosphere rather than patient and procedure photographs.intra oral view of teeth to a normal regular non dental person. Most feel disgusted. I was once removed from my own family group for posting an intra oral picture of great work I did. But your patients don’t care about your good work in bold fully blown up pictures. So save them for consultation.

You can add in trendy magazines and board games for fun and this will be a distraction and help them pass time in the waiting. Fresh flowers or plants also help relax patients. Having plants or greenery around reduces pain perception. If you are an aquarium person, make sure your aquarium has clean water and no dead fish!

 

 

Temperature of the clinics- the patient should neither feel too cold nor too hot. The temperature should be well adjusted for them to feel at “home feeling”

Declutter your reception of unwanted stuff. There are so many things like pamphlets . These will help your area look neat and clean giving an impression of a well maintained hospital. There are many more simple ideas that can help you to make your clinic a patient magnet, for more of such innovative yet simple ideas stay tuned for part 2…………….Coming soon

 

 

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How To Design A Digital Marketing Plan For Your Dental Practice?

 

How To Design A Digital Marketing Plan For Your Dental Practice?

In this blog, let’s see things to consider while setting up marketing plan for your dental practice?

 

 

1. Budget

 

The rule of thumb says that you should invest at least 10% of your annual revenue in all the possibilities that has potential to grow your dental practice but if you have started your practice recently then in that case you can even start with zero budgets.

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2. Media

 

Let’s consider your 10% yearly revenue as your 100% marketing budget. Now you have to make sure that you use this budget in multiple activities throughout the year & not on just any one activity.

 

Your activities may include staff training & development, CSR, Internal marketing, Digital Marketing but make sure that all of these activities are within DCI guidelines.

 

Now let’s understand which activities you should focus more?

 

The mode of activity will completely depend on
Your location
Differentiation of practice
Stage of your practice
Treatments you offer
Education level of your potential patients etc.

 

 

Let me explain this with an example,
 

Suppose if you practice in a rural area then what’s the use of spending money on digital marketing as there will be minimum chances of getting ROI. This doesn’t mean that you should refrain from digital marketing but try to use only the free tools and spend your budget on other activities. 

 

Let’s take one more example, if you practice in tier I city and have differentiated your clinic for Painless dental treatments then most of your budget should be allocated to digital marketing. 

 

In upcoming blogs I’m going to tell you about platforms that you have to use specifically in digital marketing, but till then make sure that you have a complete clarity on your basic marketing plan.

Source : DentistFriend

How To Decide Which Practice Management Software To Buy

 

How To Decide Which Practice Management Software To Buy

In this blog let’s see what to look in good Dental Practice Management Software?

 

Friend’s, the purpose of practice management software is that it should help you to manage your whole practice easily. If you are based in tier I or tier 2 cities and still not using practice management software then probably you are lagging behind.

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There are hundreds of practice management software available in the market and many are free of cost but when I say good software then the number shrinks to 3-4. Even out of this 3-4 software, every software has some or other drawback.

 

For example: If one software helps in branding it doesn’t help in marketing or vice versa. One will have a multi-practice option but will miss on some other feature.

 

Now, as a consumer you have to decide what you want and which software fits in with your requirements.

 

 

Here are some insights on how to decide which software to buy?

 

Before you go ahead reading this blog make sure you have read,  “Life-cycle of your Dental Practice” otherwise you won’t understand what I am going to tell you.

 

1. If you are in your introduction stage of your practice then probably you need to take support of other big brands to become a brand but if your practice is already into a maturity stage then instead of relying on third-party marketing, you can have your own marketing budget and use the software that helps in branding your clinic.

 

2. Here is something I want you to think about, let me put this in simple words, suppose you have subscribed a paid version of the software and using it to send messages to your patients then ideally all the messages should go by your clinic’s name and not by the software’s name. If messages are being sent by the software name then it means that the company is branding themselves & charging you for it.

 

3. Second important aspect is that, some companies promise to list you on their portal but what’s the sense if there are already 10 dentists listed on the same page no matter above or below me coz at the end of the day it’s not killing the competition but creating a competition further.

 

So be careful before you get trapped in to this marketing jargon.

Source : DentistFriend

How To Design Your Dental Clinic - Part 2

 

How To Design Your Dental Clinic - Part 2

The main reason we all want to have successful clinics is for a better future for our self and our families. It is important to design clinics in such a way that they can accommodate any future additions and changes. It is very important to understand the clinician’s idea and patient’s idea of a clinic. A patient may want a clean, nonsmelly, private chamber clinic where as the clinician will want a more functionally stable, well-equipped operatory. As both the needs are different, we need to have a balance between the two and create that balance in our clinics. From a clinician’s point of view, one must have a vision of his future clinic and ideas to execute them. Some may wish to expand; some may wish to make it more functional.

Let us start with basic planning…

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Floor plan

 

There should be smooth flow in work. There should be continuity from the reception till the working area to the restroom and to the laboratory room. The size of each room can be decided on the needs of a clinician. He may have a big reception and compromise on his chamber/ laboratory room or vice versa. The size of the treatment rooms should be such that the clinician, patient and the assistant get enough space and none of them feel claustrophobic. Some clinics have really small treatment rooms probably by no choice. For such rooms, concentrate on colours and lighting to make it look bigger.

 

 

Flooring

 

It can be different in different sections of the clinic. The reception can have a nice wooden or marble flooring to add that classy effect. Now days we have tiles which have wooden effect given to them. They look really good and are low maintenance. Carpets can be used in reception but not in treatment room, considering the difficulty to clean them and maintain infection control. The treatment and the cleaning room can have tiles which can be cleaned easily. Make sure your tiles are anti-slippery.

 

 

Colours and lighting

 

The lighting and the colours should be soothing and create a harmony for the mind to relax. They should complement the surrounding and make it look peaceful and serene. Having windows and natural light also soothes the mind and helps in better shade selection. Shade selection is an important often ignored aspect. Finally it’s all about the end result of an aesthetic case, however, beautiful your teeth preparations are, shade match has be to perfect. The treatment room should have ambient lighting with no shadows or dark areas. Colour theme for the flooring, walls and equipments can be in sync. Cool colours, pastel shades of green, blue and purple can be used in the treatment room. Warmer colours in shades of red, yellow and orange can be used in the reception.

 

 

Working/Treatment area

 

This is the area that should provide the clinician with peace. When you work, it should increase your productivity. It should not fatigue you and make your mind and body tired. There should be enough room for both the clinician and the assistant to work freely. The range of motion should be greater than 180 degrees. This area should have maximum space for all the instruments and equipments.

 

 

Photography section

 

Turn in one of your walls for photography. Documentation is a very important and forgotten aspect of our practices. There are various advantages of documentation. The first is you have a legal record of the work done. Secondly, one can learn so many things from pictures. The patient also feels special and that glamour quotient is added.

 

 

Latest equipments

 

Dentistry is going through lot of digital development. Though one may not have the finances to have better equipped clinics today, but surely things will be different in future. One may then wish to have an in house OPG machine or CBCT machines. One should plan for space accordingly in the present to accommodate in the future. Many people now can afford such machines but due to lack of space are unable to have them.

 

 

Professional Looks

 

Looking professional and appealing is need of the time. There should be architectural and design balance with clinical needs, ergonomics and technology. Patients would like to go to a clinic which is well organised, equipped, provide quality service and excellent presentation. If you do not have such a vision to design and plan, hire professional designers and architects who will help you to execute your needs in a better and planned way.

 

 

Stay tuned for part 3………..where we discuss various sections in a dental clinic and their designing and importance in detail.

 

You can contact us if you need help in designing your clinics.

Brand and Logo Designing.

Designing the clinic according to your needs.

Ergonomically designed clinics.

Improve your existing dental clinic.

Construction specifications for a dental facility.

 How To Make Your Clinic A Patient Magnet? - Part 1

Source : DentistFriend

4 Considerations To Make Before Finalizing Location For Dental Practice

 

4 Considerations To Make Before Finalizing Location For Dental Practice

We’ve compiled a list of some important criteria that a good dental clinic location should have. We understand that there won't be many locations that scores well on all the parameters; so you should try to weigh in all the factors before taking a decision.

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1. Location

 

Visibility & Accessibility

 

The clinic should be easily visible to passers-by so that they can remember it when they are in need of a dentist. A space with best visibility might cost you a little extra, but you can take it as your long term investment in marketing of clinic. Also, ensure that the space comes with ample provision for displaying required signage.

 

Your clinic should be very accessible with multiple transport options from across the city. It would be ideal to have a practice in the center of the city as long as it meets the remaining criteria. If you could get a location that needs as minimum time as possible to commute then nothing like it; as it will save your as well as the patient's time.

 

 

Neighborhood & Locale

 

A clinic is expected to be an absolutely clean place which stands for hygiene and good health. Adjacent and nearby shops, offices and hospitals play a very important role in building an early impression. Having hospitals in the immediate vicinity not only increases the number of referrals but also attracts patients who are looking for an expert opinion.

 

It is crucial to setup your clinic in an area that has a decent reputation among your target patients. Setting up a clinic in a substandard area could get your patients disinterested while setting up a clinic in a way too opulent location could keep your customers away thinking your services are too costly. You can use your consultation fees as a reference to help you determine the right area for your practice.

 

 

2. Demographics 

 

Check for the Average Income, Age & Population of your demographics and make sure there is no shortage of the right audience in your area. The average household income of the population in the neighborhood will serve as a benchmark for you to decide your consultation fees. In case you are looking for a class practice then make sure that you set clinic in an upscale locality so that the patients could afford it. Based on your expertise make sure that your practice is situated between the right age group. For example, it would be a good idea to set up a pedo practice in a residential location instead of an industrial location. 

 

Try to study & understand whether the population in that particular area has decreased or increased and if its composition is likely to change. It would be a clever move in the long run to set up a clinic in a location that has rapid growth potential.

 

3. Competition

 

Too many dentists in the vicinity with the same specialization can hamper your practice as the patients in the neighborhood have multiple options. Also, setting up a practice in the middle of established clinicians could mean that you have to put more time and efforts in order to create your own identity. 

 

A healthy competition might help you to grow with competitive advantage, however you should take the decisions wisely..

 

 

4. Infrastructure

 

Exterior & Interior

 

The external appearance is one of the first things that gets noticed and makes an early impression which is followed by the interior. So make sure that the building looks descent externally and also you have enough space for waiting room, operatory and good ventilation. 

 

We would advise to go for a relatively larger sized place than your current requirement. It will help you when your practice picks up and you want to accommodate one more dental chair, the extra space will come in handy or else you would have to do same exercise few years down the line.

 

 

Facilities

 

If your clinic is going to be in a popular location then make sure it has ample parking for visitors; inadequate parking space can turn off patients especially who drive a car. There won't be a need of an elevator for a clinic at ground floor, but otherwise there should be the facility or else you might lose out some geriatric prostho patients. It is very important to have a clean washroom for your patients; this will also be useful for patients who might constantly need a washroom.

 

It is very likely that you might not find a place that scores well on all of the above parameters,

 

but make sure that you compromise wisely...

 

Cover Image Courtesy: Google Images

Source : DentistFriend