When most dental practices want to grow, they usually turn their efforts to increasing their efforts at marketing outreach. According to Dr. Scott Leune, experienced dental educator and Founder and CEO of Breakaway Seminars, there’s a simpler, less expensive way to grow: improving your practice’s phone process.

 

According to Dr. Leune, “Today, more than 95% of new patient appointments are made through the phone. Not online: by phone. So we can look at your phone system as a gate. Are you letting people in?” Additionally, out of every 100 new patient calls received, the average dental practice ends up booking only 29 appointments. “Practices can literally double their new patient flow overnight if they realize how to change their phone system.”

 

Dr. Leune sees three keys to upgrading phone processes. The first seems obvious: phone calls must be answered. “If we don’t answer the phone, then no matter how much marketing we do we don’t let people in.” But Dr. Leune recognizes that for a busy dental practice, it’s not always easy. Setting up the phone system to allow missed calls to roll over to a virtual scheduler or call center is a first step. 

 

The second fundamental is less dependent on technology: the development and communication of patient-friendly office policies. Refusing to treat children, for instance, can cause entire families worth of new patients to take their treatment elsewhere. The potential for lost growth is enormous.

 

Finally, language and phone manners play a significant role in successfully landing new patients. “If we answer the phone and we have patient-friendly policies but we don’t say the right things, we won’t be able to book new appointments.” Establishing an authentic and welcoming voice is crucial.

 

On Tuesday Aug 23, 2022,  at 1pm EDT, Vyne Dental will host Dr. Leune will present  an engaging and informative webinar designed to help dental practices upgrade their phone process. “It’s much easier for a practice to improve new patient flow by upgrading phone systems and processes, rather than spending more time, money, and effort on marketing.”

 

Upgrade your phone process to grow your practice, without investing in time-consuming and expensive marketing campaigns. Join Vyne Dental and Dr. Scott Leune on August 23rd to discover how. Register today.

 

About Dr. Scott Leune

Dr. Leune helps dental professionals across the country start, run, and improve innovative and prosperous dental practices. A dynamic and sought-after speaker, Dr. Leune has equipped thousands of dental professionals with the tips and tools they need to succeed. For more information, please visit: Breakaway Seminars.

 

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When it comes to payment changes in the dental industry, patients are leading the way. Consumers are setting the pace, adopting new technologies and processes with remarkable ease. Smart dental practices want to keep up.

 

Decades ago, cash and checks made up most payments at dental offices. Next, credit cards began to make inroads, eventually becoming dominant on the payment landscape. Then cell phones arrived and the payment process shifted again. Now mobile payments are becoming a more significant proportion of monies received every quarter.

 

Mobile payments give you the option to send your patients an invoice by text or email. Patients click the link, and pay by completing three brief fields. It’s simple, fast, and very effective. Text messages have a remarkably high click-through rate: 95% of texts are read and responded to within three minutes. 

 

“You never want a patient to say ‘Why is it so hard to pay my dentist?’”, says Teresa Duncan, dental insurance expert and educator. “The goal is to make it as easy as possible for your patients to pay their balances, to offer them as many payment choices as you can. Mobile payments are an incredibly effective option.”

 

Mobile payments were gradually gaining ground until 2020, when the global pandemic suddenly made them an immediate necessity. As consumers grew used to the new technological options, need gave way to convenience. Growth of mobile payments exploded: in 2022 alone, the global mobile payment market is expected to reach $4.23 trillion. 

 

Teresa encourages practices to adopt the technology. “Integrating mobile payments is not as difficult as you might think. Your patients will make it easy for you – and in return you’ll make it easy for them.”

 

Schedule your consultation with our solutions experts today to learn how your practice can start getting paid faster. 

 

© 2022 Napa EA/MEDX, LLC. All rights reserved. All third-party trademarks and tradenames (including logos and icons) referenced are and remain the property of their respective owners.  Hyperlinks included are provided for convenience and may lead to resources located on servers maintained by other persons or organizations. Vyne is not responsible for the privacy practices of the third-party websites.

 

The term “digital dentistry” refers to the use of “any dental technology or device that incorporates digital or computer-controlled components in contrast to that of mechanical or electrical alone.” This includes the tools used for diagnoses and procedures in dental care, such as digital image tools, and extends to areas within dental practice management, such as scheduling, patient records, and payments.

With the emergence of the pandemic in early 2020, the use of digital dental technology increased with the shift to telehealth appointments. An August 2020 survey of dental providers found that 75% of providers who use telehealth services expected telehealth encounter volume to stay the same or even increase during the next 12 months.

With this shift to telehealth, ISVs need to offer dental practices a practice management software that can handle not only dental payments, but also all those digital practice management tasks. Here are some of the latest trends in digital dentistry that ISVs should ensure they offer within their software solution.

Online Appointment Booking

When it comes to booking appointments, patients don’t want to be limited to only doing so during office hours. Online appointment booking allows them 24/7 access to making an appointment. In fact, a recent survey of dental patients showed that 79% of respondents felt online appointment booking was better than booking over the phone. Patients say they prefer online booking because it saves time and is easy to use.

Further, 51% of the survey respondents said they had already booked a dental appointment online. Of those who had not, 37% said the reason why was that online booking was not offered by their dentist. This statistic further illustrates the need for dental practice management software to include online appointment booking functionality.

Online Forms Management

Having new patients fill out forms when they come in for their appointment can leave appointments running behind schedule if the patient doesn’t arrive at the practice early enough. Putting forms online alleviates this problem – practices can text or email patients a link where the patients can fill out the forms online prior to their appointment. Practices can even provide this functionality in conjunction with online appointment booking.

Another method of online forms management is for dental practices to provide an option for patients to complete forms electronically upon arrival at a designated device such as a tablet.

In either option, online forms are automatically submitted to the business software application and tied to the customer record. This improves office efficiency as well as preventing possible errors due to manual data entry.

Streamlined Check-In

Digital dentistry can now even extend to patient check-in. Patients can self check-in via either a QR code or an “I’m Here” button sent to their mobile phone before their appointment. This creates greater efficiency in the office and less crowding in the waiting room as patients don’t have to wait for the dental office staff, who may be busy helping other patients at the time of check-in.

Versatile Payment Methods

The pandemic and the shift to telehealth necessitated new dental payment options. An August 2020 survey found that telehealth users are 34% more likely to be familiar with alternative payment models and 45% more likely to have an increased interest in learning about them.

Many dental practices began to offer contactless payments for in-person appointments. For telehealth appointments, practices can now request credit card payments with a simple link sent via text or email. They can send outstanding balances anytime or automate the process completely. They can also set up automatic reminders to customers of unpaid balances by sending another statement on a configurable schedule.

Some patients prefer to pay for larger dental treatments or procedures on dental payment plans, so practices also need the ability to offer alternative financing options that allow their patients to pay in installments, such as monthly payments.

Analytics and Reputation Management

In this era of digital dentistry, dentists need to have an online presence. One survey noted that for 40% of respondents, a recommendation is the most important factor for choosing a dentist. However, research also shows that 53% of survey respondents have never been asked to write an online review of their dentist.

Dental offices can now easily send a quick text to patients after their appointment, with a direct link to a site where they can leave an online review.

Innovative Phone & Text Communication

Dental office staff members have to juggle a lot of tasks, a feat that is often made more difficult by having to switch through multiple software applications at once. Phone intelligence software now provides front desk employees with detailed information about incoming callers – before the receptionist even picks up the phone.

They can see patients’ appointments, history, insurance details, outstanding balances, and more, all in one place, making their job easier and more efficient, and allowing for more personalization of the patient experience.

Originally published at globalpaymentsintegrated.com.

Content was created by Global Payments Integrated and is provided for convenience as general information. Vyne Dental does not endorse, support, represent or guarantee the accuracy or reliability of any communications shared in this article. Hyperlinks included are provided for convenience and may lead to resources located on servers maintained by other persons or organizations. Vyne Dental is not responsible for the privacy practices of the third-party websites.  All third-party trademarks and tradenames (including logos and icons) referenced are and remain the property of their respective owners.

Vyne Dental is participating and sponsoring Dykema’s Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations. Please join us at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora, Colorado July 13-15 2022.

Vyne Dental is pleased to announce it will once again join the Definitive Conference for Dental Service Organizations, hosted by Dykema, this coming July 13-15. Organized by the leading law firm in dental services, this conference, the 9th annual of its kind, is one of the industry’s most eagerly awaited events, bringing together the most exciting, experienced minds in the DSO space. Experienced and aspiring DSO professionals can learn from the best about industry-specific subjects like legal regulations and compliance, tax and consumer finance, billing and operations, mergers and acquisitions, fiscal reporting, and much more. 

We’ll be on the exhibition floor with Vyne Trellis®, the revenue cycle management platform for companies who want smart digital solutions to streamline their workflow and build economies of scale.  Connect with product experts to learn about Vyne Trellis’s many time-saving and revenue-forward properties: online forms, automated reminders, unlimited attachments, and now mobile payments for patients.

“Billing without boundaries means you don’t have to submit your claims through your practice management software. You can separate yourself and move your billing into a specialized, dedicated platform,” says Amy Mendoza Leonor, head of marketing for Vyne Dental. Leonor states “Dykema is a good partner in the DSO space, and the Definitive Conference is an excellent place to network.”

Be inspired by celebrity speakers Lyndsay Vonn, Olympic gold medalist, and Michigan State University Head Basketball Coach and Naismith Hall of Fame Inductee, Tom Izzo. Learn the latest techniques and strategies from top business and dental thought leaders who’ll share their insight and lessons in sessions and panels. Most of all, connect with your trendsetting industry peers.

Vyne Dental continues to advance the dental industry by providing technology solutions to streamline electronic claims, manage revenue cycle, enhance patient engagement, and improve workflow.

© 2022 Napa EA/MEDX LLC. All rights reserved. All third-party trademarks and tradenames (including logos and icons) referenced are and remain the property of their respective owners. Hyperlinks included are provided for convenience and may lead to resources located on servers maintained by other persons or organizations. Vyne is not responsible for the privacy practices of the third-party websites.

Alena Williams was a busy student at Florida State University, pursuing a double major in Business Marketing and Business Management. In her final year, she reached out to her alumni association for advice, and was fortunate to be mentored by Lindy Benton, President and CEO of National Electronic Attachment, Inc. dba  Vyne Dental, and a member of the National Alumni Board of FSU. The mentor/mentee relationship they forged led Alena to being offered an internship with the Marketing Department at Vyne Dental. 

The internship, which began in February 2022, encompassed both long-and short-term projects for branding and strategic marketing initiatives. “I like the balance, it really allowed me to learn,” Alena said. Analytical and data-heavy, her internship gave her the chance to improve her entire suite of abilities. “I could put my skills into practice: maintaining and correcting data sets, making visuals from data, scrubbing data – all of that and more.” The mix of ongoing objectives and immediate tasks taught her to manage her time, a valuable and lasting skill.

“My internship allowed me to gain confidence, and learn independence, and what a real-world working environment is like. I learned to trust my instincts and get things done.”

Vyne Dental promotes a work-life balance and in-turn supports the healthcare industry with work-from-home initiatives. Since her position is both part-time and entirely remote, Alena deeply appreciated Vyne Dental’s adaptability during her student days. “Vyne Dental has been very flexible with my schedule, so I could work around my courses and exams.” She also valued the faith the Vyne Dental team placed in her, and the way it taught her to trust her own instincts, and hopes others looking for internships or employment will consider Vyne Dental. The internship provided Alena with invaluable personal and professional development as well as practical employment opportunities. “They’re a great company to help you learn to be confident within yourself, and really encourage you to excel when it comes to working independently.”

“My internship is the reason I got that position.”

Working as an intern for Vyne Dental did more than just help Alena sharpen her skills: it also helped her land her first full-time position. After graduating at the end of April 2022, Alena applied for and has accepted the position as an Associate Analyst in the Regulatory Compliance team at Ernst & Young. She’ll begin her work there in mid-July. “My internship is the reason I got that position.” Her employment at Vyne Dental galvanized her professional development and gave her the confidence to apply. And her participation in brand-building and using data answer determination questions expanded her credentials in a way that allowed her to relate every problem Ernst & Young put to her back to real-world conditions. 

Amy Mendoza Leonor, Senior Director of Marketing at Vyne Dental, recognizes Alena as a valuable member of the team. “We could hand off demanding assignments and know that Alena would complete them. In between, she worked on ongoing large-scale projects that will benefit Vyne Dental in the months to come.” 

When it comes to her future career, Alena hopes to grow and excel within a company, eventually moving into a leadership position. She wants the chance to increase her skills, to build on the foundation she got at Vyne Dental, and also to offer help and guidance to others, to pass on the generosity and direction she herself has received. Her opportunity with Vyne Dental will help her get there. “My internship allowed me to gain confidence, and learn independence, and what a real-world working environment is like. I learned to trust my instincts and get things done.”

Vyne Dental is proud to have been the start of Alena’s career, and wishes her continued success in the future. Her time with the Vyne Dental team is proof enough that her exceptional skills and hard work will take her wherever she wants to go.