How can dentists embrace technology for better customer service?

Introduction

The dental industry is known for being slow to change, but that doesn’t mean you should be left behind. In fact, technology can be a huge asset to your practice and help you stay on the cutting edge of dentistry. It can also make it easier for patients to access their records and book appointments with ease—which leaves more time for you and your staff to focus on providing excellent patient care.

Online Booking

One great way to improve your patients' experience is by making it easier to book appointments online. This can be done through your practice's website, or via a third-party booking tool.

Convenience

The main benefit of online booking is that it makes scheduling appointments more convenient for patients. They don't have to call in or wait in line when they want to book an appointment—they just need their smartphone or computer and internet connection. The convenience of this method also means that you save time by not having to take phone calls from clients about their appointments.

Easier Scheduling

In addition, since many people like being able to pick their own times for treatments like dental implants and crowns, online booking helps them do so without having any problems with scheduling conflicts with other dentists in the practice who might normally be booked at those times.

Patient Records 

• Patient records are safe. All patient information is kept in a secure data center and encrypted at rest, on the cloud and in transit. For added security, patients can also choose to sign up for two-factor authentication (2FA) that requires a code sent to their phone each time they log into their account. This extra layer of protection makes it harder for hackers trying to gain access to your personal information.
• Patient records are easy to access. Patients have 24/7 access from their home computers or mobile devices through their secure web portal—no matter where you are or what time it is!
• Patient records are available on all devices 
• Patient records are secure

Secure Messaging

Secure messaging is a good way to keep the patient informed of their treatment plan and schedule. It can be used to communicate messages like:

• "Here's my treatment plan."
•  "I'm going to need your insurance information."
•  "It's time for you to come in for your next appointment."
•  "We found some cavities, but there's no reason to worry – we'll fill them up before you know it!"

Post-Operative Care

Post-operative care is a crucial component of restorative dentistry. Patients who have undergone a dental procedure, such as a crown or root canal, require careful monitoring and treatment long after their appointment. Failure to complete post-operative care can result in complications that may lead to additional visits and procedures. Post-operative instructions should be given before you leave the office so that you are prepared when you get home from your appointment. We recommend sending follow up reminders via email or text message so your patients do not forget about the instructions we’ve provided for them!

We also highly recommend including post-op instructions in patient management plans (PMPs) which are created after every visit where significant work was performed on a patient’s teeth; this way we can ensure that all of our patients have access to vital information at any time they need it!

Social Media

If you've been in the dental industry for a while, you're probably pretty familiar with social media. It's an incredible tool that can help you connect with your target audience and build brand awareness. But it's also important to consider how you use this platform for customer service.

As a dentist, social media can be used to keep people up-to-date on what's happening at your office or practice. You can share information on new services or procedures, offer discounts and specials, talk about the latest news related to dentistry, showcase photos of happy patients enjoying their new smiles...the possibilities are endless! All of these things will make patients feel like they're part of something great—and this is exactly what they want when they come in to see us as patients: good vibes all around!

If we want our customers' experience with us to be positive, then it's important that we're always available for questions or concerns along the way—even if those questions come through via SMS text messages instead of Facebook Messenger chats (which tend not be very useful). If someone needs clarification about their appointment time? They should know who will get back in touch with them within 24 hours so there aren't any worries about whether their appointment slot has changed due to no fault from either party.

A lot of patients want technology to be integrated into the dental practice, but not all dentists know how.

You may have noticed that a lot of your patients want technology to be integrated into the dental practice. You might be wondering how you can make this happen without breaking the bank. The answer is simple: you need to know your patients and what they want, so that you can find solutions that fit their needs while staying in your budget.

The best way to learn about patient expectations is by asking them. A survey or focus group will help put things in perspective and give you an idea of where to start when it comes time for a tech upgrade in your office!

Conclusion

We know that technology can be intimidating for many dentists, but it doesn’t have to be! As you can see from our list of some of the most useful and popular tools on the market today, there are plenty of ways to incorporate technology into your practice without spending a fortune or having to revert back to pen-and-paper methods.