Many dental practices face challenges associated with labor shortages and high wages. The good news is that with the right processes and technology, you can keep everything chugging along smoothly without increasing costs or missing out on revenue opportunities.
Unfortunately, many dental practices spend enormous sums on complicated software that doesn't solve the problem. Some even create frustrating patient experiences. So what’s the secret to leveraging technology cost-effectively?
Technology is great, but you must use the right tools strategically to make them work for your practice. Here are a few ways to use dental software to solve staff shortage challenges through simplification and automation.
Ease of Use and Employee Adoption
Your dental practice management platform is only as effective as your staff’s ability to use it. Choose an easy-to-use software that doesn’t have a steep learning curve. It should have an intuitive user interface and simple navigation so employees can find the information they need easily and become productive quickly.
Additionally, your vendor should provide extensive support to help your employees get the most out of the software. Besides initial training and onboarding, look for a platform that offers self-service resources such as videos and tutorials to help your staff use the latest features productively.
For example, our customer support includes a dedicated success coach, one-on-one training, self-learning online resources, enrichment webinars, and live and email support to help you drive adoption.
Automated Patient Communication
Why hire someone to be on the phone all day if you can automate appointment scheduling, confirmations, and reminders? tab32’s patient communication module helps you automate all these interactions and more.
For example, you can include links to online intake forms in your appointment confirmation and reminder emails. Patients can enter their information directly into your system, so your staff doesn’t need to spend time transferring data from paper to the computer.
Additionally, our Revenue Discovery module automatically scans all EHRs for incomplete treatments and sends reminder emails with an online scheduling link to patients. Your employees don’t need to spend time on the time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Instead, they can focus on other revenue-generating activities.
Person-less Check-in
Can you really cut out the front desk? People are now used to checking in at airport kiosks and paying for groceries via self-service checkout — while enjoying the convenience and shorter wait time. Why shouldn’t your dental practice be next?
So how to make self-service check-in a reality? First, automate appointment confirmation and reminders to explain the check-in procedure and let patients know what to expect. Include links to secure online e-forms in the email so patients can complete all the paperwork before the appointment.
Then, implement two-way texting capabilities so patients can let your office know when they arrive. Your staff can mark the patient as checked in and pull up their records so the dental assistant and dentist can review them while the patient settles in the chair.
The Right Technology For a Modern Dental Practice
Dental practices must evolve with economic circumstances (i.e., the labor market) and meet patient expectations. Thankfully, the right technology can help you do both without sacrificing profitability.
tab32 is an all-in-one cloud dental software that makes simplifying and automating dental office workflows as easy as getting onto the internet. Request a demo to see how we can help you optimize your resources.
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