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Educated Buyer Guide

Online Communications 101

So, you're one of those smart people who do their homework! It's a good idea to list your needs and objectives before researching options in online communications. That way you can make educated choices about which product best fits your practice.


Here are some of the ways that online communications can benefit your practice. We suggest that you rank all of these that you consider important (High 5 ‹ - - - › 1 Low):

  • Maximize patient referrals (Internal marketing)
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  • Web site (External Marketing)
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  • Patient convenience
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  • Treatment plan/case acceptance
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  • Automate appointment confirmations
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  • Reduce no-shows
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  • Efficient handling of routine questions
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  • Effective scheduling
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  • Online case collaboration for efficient multidisciplinary treatment
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  • Automate collections
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  • Keep up with the competition
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  • Invisalign® promotion
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  • SureSmile® promotion
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Once you have clarified your goals, it's time to get the straight scoop! You've probably found that the most valuable information about a product comes from other practices that use it. If you are comparing two different systems, you can learn a lot by talking with doctors and office managers who have used both systems and can tell you how they stack up.


Request references from the vendors you are comparing.


Print out this checklist and add any questions specific to your practice concerns. Start calling! You'll be glad you took the time to do your research.


Checklist

  1. How many of your patients actually use it?
  2. Do you receive patient surveys? How do patients rate their experience with your online communications system?
  3. How much work is involved for your staff? Do staff have to field phone calls from patients requesting help logging in?
  4. How is the customer support?
    Sometimes when companies are sold to big corporations, the customer doesn't win…
  5. What is the per year, per patient cost?
    Simply divide the number of patient users by what you paid for the system.
  6. How much do you pay for delivery of text messages?
  7. When you request changes to your web site, how long do you wait for them to be completed?
  8. How do your patients confirm that they received the email appointment reminder?
  9. Are your digital images automatically available online for sharing with dental colleagues? Are these images of diagnostic quality?
  10. How do you use the system for marketing, outreach and public relations?
  11. Other

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Is your practice management software vendor your favorite charity? Your practice management software company may try to steer you towards a company with which they have a marketing alliance. If they tell you "you'll get tighter integration," that usually means that your software company gets a cut of your purchase. The "endorsed" product may well have fewer integrated features. You're better off requesting references of fellow orthodontists or dentists who use the same software as you do. Ask them about any integration issues. Read the advice of Dr. Keith Hilliard.


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