Dentaltown June 2013 - (Page 64)

product profile Make It Personal with Dentrix Communication Manager Take advantage of a more unified, integrated, and high-tech approach to patient communications It’s difficult to overstate the importance of developing strong relationships and maintaining consistent contact with patients. These close connections keep patients coming back for regular checkups. They help build the trust and confidence people need to follow your recommendations and complete their treatment plans. And they reduce the number of missed appointments and eliminate costly empty chair time. But today, building and maintaining these productive relationships requires more than occasional handwritten reminder postcards and follow-up phone calls. Thanks to email, smartphones, and the Internet, people communicate differently than they used to. They have higher expectations. If you’re not taking full advantage of the latest communication tools and technologies, you’re probably not communicating with your patients as effectively as you could be. Of course, these new ways of communicating introduce both opportunities and challenges for your practice. On one hand, e-mail, texting and the Internet offer faster, more interactive ways to reach out and stay in touch with your patients. On the other hand, they can complicate your communication efforts, which, can lead to more busy work for your staff and confusion for your patients. For example, it’s simply not realistic to expect your front office team to manually print and send postcard reminders, type e-mails, send text messages, and make reminder calls for every appointment. So how can you leverage all of today’s best communication tools and technologies to build stronger relationships with your patients – without adding busywork and complexity? And how do you make all of these different communication options work together, so they become part of a unified, seamless communication experience rather than a confusing barrage of disjointed messages? The most promising answers to these questions revolve around a new kind of patient communication strategy that focuses on automating, managing and unifying all of the different communication tools at your disposal – from basic postcard mailers to emails and two-way text messages. This centralized approach allows you to combine and leverage the unique strengths of many different communication methods. And it allows you to improve the quality, professionalism, and consis- tency of your patient interactions. Of course, there is a wide range of different patient communication options available to you, but there are a few key characteristics and capabilities you should always look for and insist on. Moving Beyond Manual, Text-only E-mails Text-only e-mail reminders that you create and send manually are time consuming, static and thoroughly forgettable. Your patient communication solution should start with professional, visually appealing and interactive e-mails you generate and send automatically. Your patients should be able to confirm their appointments, update their calendars, set reminders, and even get driving directions to your office by simply pointing and clicking within the e-mail. This rich, dynamic approach to reminder e-mails can significantly reduce no shows and lower your costs by grabbing your patients’ attention early, making it easy for them to respond without calling your office. Quick Connections with Two-way Texting Text messaging is fast, convenient, and nearly universal. In fact, on average people read and respond to text messages in less than one minute. This makes texting an ideal method for sending quick reminders to patients before their appointments. It’s important to find a communication management solution that gives you the ability to send automated text reminders on whatever schedule you decide is best for your patients. Also, make sure your texting solution gives your patients the option to confirm their appointments by simply sending a reply. A Fresh Take on Traditional Postcards Traditional postcard mailers still serve a valuable purpose – even in the Internet age. But creating and mailing them doesn’t have to take a lot of extra time and effort. The right communication management solution can simplify the process by autocontinued on page 66 64 JUNE 2013 » dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown June 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: You Need an Associate Now
Professional Courtesy: All of Your Patients Are Famous
Continuing Education Update
Virtually Unlimited Free Domestic Coach Tickets for Two People
CPR – Thank God My Staff Were Trained or I Wouldn’t Be Here to Post This
Townie Tips: Pedo Simplicity with Fenderprime
New to DT – Thought I’d Give This a Try
Industry News
New Products
Corporate Profile: Keating Dental Arts
Office Visit: “Twitter”pated by Teeth
Focus On: Dentures
Successful Practice Acquisitions
Product Profile: Dentrix Communication Manager
Do-it-Yourself Finance, Part VII: You Are Not Immortal
To Bonus or Not to Bonus?
You Should Know: Brightsquid
Handpiece Essentials: Knowledge to Help You Maximize Your Tools
A Dynamic Website and an Equally Dynamic Front Desk Team
Continuing Education: Technique for Use of Stainless-Steel Crowns in Primary Molars
Ad Index
In This Issue: Child’s First Dental Visit
Continuing Educatio:n Window of Opportunity for Prevention: Health Benefits of Early Xylitol Use
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown June 2013