Seven Helpful Tips for Dental Practices

Running a successful dental practice is based around more than just providing patients with superior oral care; it means taking a holistic approach to your business and improving elements that improve patient interaction. Here are some tips to boost your business and keep it operating prosperously:

1. Determine and Promote How Your Practice is Unique

To distinguish your business from those of your competitors, your patients need to see how your practice differs and is superior to them. You need to identify, protect and market your practice’s unique competitive advantages. If you offer a specialized service or services, you should emphasize these. Find new and proven methods to advertise your business to connect with high-quality patients.

2. Find Ways to Add to and Expand Your Services

There are always ways to add value to your practice. Expanding the services you offer will attract new clients and retain existing ones. But be careful not to overextend your business or diminish your positive customer experience. If your practice needs to add space to its facilities to ideally add services, take this into account when leasing or acquiring your business’ offices.

3. Provide Flexible Payment Options for Your Patients

The more ways your patients have to pay for their care, the more treatment they’re likely to request. Be sure to accept a variety of payment options, including insurance, credit cards, debit cards, checks, cash and/or financing, so that even those patients who may not be financially well-off can afford quality dental care.

4. Engagement is Everything

Keeping existing patients coming back for additional treatment is nearly always less expensive than trying to attract new clients. However, recommendations from your patients to their family members, friends and relatives are crucial. Give these people reasons to praise your business and tell people about the good experiences they had. Offering convenient hours, superior service and an accessible location all help, but even more vital than these factors are connecting to your patients at an emotional level, earning their trust and creating relationships that last.

5. Improve Referrals

Word-of-mouth referrals are your easiest and best way to grow your patient base. Trusted recommendations are all-important, so be sure to encourage your patients to tell their friends and family about the work you do. Be proactive, and give out referral cards, or offer bonuses to patients who refer others to you; offer incentives to your employees to get them to make their own referrals.

6. Make Sure Your Scheduling System is Up-to-Date

A good customer experience flows from smooth scheduling; making sure your scheduling software is up-to-date will decrease stress for patients and in your office. Maintain a scheduling system that’s efficient, flexible and upgradeable.

7. Have a Well-Trained Staff

The professionalism and attitude of your staff can leave a lasting impression on your patients, regardless of the quality of care they get from you. This impression is critical, as word-of-mouth and recommendations are often formed from the experience clients get from your practice as a whole. Good customer service, whether over the phone or in- person, cannot be underestimated.

For leasing or acquiring dental practice space, get in touch with a dental office real estate professional at Joseph Rossi & Associates, Chicagoland’s expert in the dental real estate market, to find out about your best choices for leasing or buying dentist facilities.