practice management Archives -

How to brand your practice

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 13:26:27 +0000

Which supermarket is your dental practice like?

We’ve been working in PR for the dental industry for two years now – you may have seen some of our work with brands such as Pearl Dental Software. During that time we’ve had the privilege to study many dental businesses and practices across the country.

It is fascinating how dental practices are perceived by professionals and patients. This perception derives to a very great extent from the efforts that owners to create ‘a brand’. It is true that all the clever marketing in the world won’t create a great ‘brand’ without any substance, but you can at least set the direction. After that, it’s up to you to create substance by living the values you have ascribed to your brand.

This article offers some ideas on how you might shape your practice brand.

The supermarket test

A simple example of how people think of your dental brand might be to consider which supermarket chain it is most like.

For example:

{my}dentist = Aldi. Low cost, high volume, limited range, no-nonsense and highly efficient
BUPA = Sainsbury’s. A little confused. A reputation for being expensive and luxurious while stacking it high and selling it cheap in places to compete with Aldi
Portman = Waitrose. No compromise, personal, classy and with the flexibility to meet the needs of the local market – so long as they are rich enough to go private
JDRM = Booths. Family owned and run, with great staff involvement and customer loyalty, but very definitely regional.

Open all Hours Arkwright (Ronnie Barker) and Granville (David Jason)

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of ‘Arkwrights’ out there. Open all hours, but providing a great experience for neither patients nor for poor little Granville.

So which one are you? And if you are an Arkwright, will you plod on in the same weary way until Granville grows a pair and sets up his own corner shop down the road?

Analysing the players in detail

{my}dentist

Even though the huge practice portfolio is made up of some very diverse properties, and even though practice sizes vary greatly, {my}dentist has done a fantastic job of creating a unified brand.

{my}dentist – excellent presentation and signage

Their practices are visually crisp. They have a well organised corporate back office and a rational practice/area management structure to take the admin load off clinical and nursing staff. They are efficient and friendly and effective. I will state now that I (Chris) attend a {my}dentist practice, and I drive an hour each way to do so.

However, they can be a little stingy on pay for some staff, and when they have a resource gap it all falls apart. And that is the weakness in their brand. It works better for patients than it does for staff, and they struggle to recruit in some regions as a result.

Our verdict: 8/10. Feels very efficient. Clever naming. Still working on improvements.

BUPA Dental – Camberwell

BUPA

Having built THE pre-eminent private healthcare brand in the UK, BUPA decided to go into dentistry by buying and extending the Oasis dental business. But we don’t think they realised how different dentistry is to their normal areas of operation. As a result, they are balancing too many diverse staff contracts, and therefore have a lot of unhappy staff – never good for great patient experience.

There is a real conflict between BUPA’s carefully crafted private health image the mix of dental services they offer. As a result, many NHS patients feel like second-class citizens. And we’re sure many potential new NHS patients assume that the BUPA brand means a private only practice.

On the plus side, they have done a good job on the visual elements of the brand and updated many practices with new imagery, decorations and furniture. And they do have that very well know private healthcare reputation to fall back on.

Our verdict: 6/10. The positioning of BUPA’s dental offering is very confused. The BUPA healthcare brand is both helpful to recognition and a hindrance to execution.

Portman Dental and Implant Clinic – Maidenhead

Portman

They are growing organically, and take on new practices after a very careful evaluation process. It’s not about acquisition price; it’s about potential and fit. As such, Portman’s brand is all about consistent high quality.

Portman has also eliminated the conflict that plagues BUPA – they don’t offer NHS treatments. That means they can be 100% focused on offering quality private treatments. And that focus results in happier staff and happier patients.

Our verdict: 7/10. Well thought through positioning reflected across the company’s operations, but not a very visible brand.

JDRM

JDRM recently won an NHS emergency treatment contract in Leicester, and the business has created an impact by keeping it local and concentrated.

They have a real focus on their services. However, because this focus is around a single service in a single area, they have been able to use it as a central point around which they can offer other services: it’s a concentric strategy, not a just a bunch of tangential ideas.

They have also invested sensibly in creating a strong visual image for their seven practices and implemented the latest software to help create a single, integrated business. The software enables them to make savings through shared back office services.

JDRM also take the trouble to exploit PR opportunities (such as case studies by suppliers) to tell professionals about what they do, and so make recruitment easier.

Our verdict: 8/10. Visually exciting. Feels fresh, but also personal and friendly.

So Arkwright, what about a new till?

In Arkwright’s case, a new till and a small van would have made Granville much happier. And in today’s competitive market for dental associates and nurses, having better equipment and systems might well give you an edge. But what can you do about patients?

What do you do to advertise your presence in the area? If patients and potential patients don’t know about you they won’t book appointments.

JDRM Dental Care – invested in creating a strong local presence

Visuals

And when they do come in, what is their first impression? What does your signage look like? Is it reflected in the way your practice is decorated or do you have random colours and mismatched chairs in the waiting room?

Do your documents look like they’ve been printed professionally or at least on a professional office printer, or do they look like they’ve been churned out on one of those Gestetner devices they used to make school teachers suffer?

Do you have a practice logo, and if you do, is it used consistently?

And talking of logos, does yours look like everyone else’s anthropomorphic molar, or is it a bit ‘different’?

Does your business name suggest ‘dentist’ or could it be equally applied to a greengrocer or funeral director?

Online

What does your online presence say about you? Do you know what websites list your practice, let alone what they say about you? Have you created social media channels and then forgotten about them? And when was the last time your own website was updated?

Patient interaction

How do your reception team deal with patients? Do they have the right tools to manage your book (and training in how to use those tools)? How do they sound on the ‘phone? How long do patients have to stand at the reception desk before someone deals with them? How do the reception team deal with the pre-treatment paperwork? And how well do they handle the tricky and uncomfortable process of taking payment?

How we can help

Every single one of these things shapes the perception of your brand, and every single one is in your direct control.

Chris Webb is an Accredited Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and director of Precision PR Limited with a background in digital imaging technology and all its applications. Cary Cray-Webb is a practising dental nurse with a degree in Fine Art. Our company, Precision PR, has been working in the dental industry since we started in 2017, writing, creating websites, developing social media, web and media strategies.

Chris has nearly 30-years experience in marketing, marcoms, PR and social media, and 35-years experience in IT. Opinions and analogies about the brands discussed are based entirely on our personal observation and experience since, in branding, the perception of others is everything.

We can help you define your brand, and execute your marketing communications plans. If you would like to discuss how, please get in contact by emailing chris@precisionpr.co.uk or calling 07432 189149.

So let me ask you again? Which supermarket chain is most like your dental business?

Note: All opinions in this article are those of the writers, and are based on nearly 30 years of PR practice and personal observations of the UK dental industry.

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How to waste money on advertising

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 13:26:08 +0000

It’s easily done

The adage “Fail to plan and you plan to fail” couldn’t be more true of advertising. But we’ve all done it. You know what happens – the friendly advertising rep from your favourite magazine rings you and tells you they can give you a half-page at a 75% discount, so you buy your bargain space and feel pleased with yourself. Great! Except you’ve broken just about every basic rule there is in marketing.

Computing

1. Audience

Opportunities to see, circulation, impressions – call it what you will. It matters not a jot how many people can see your advert. What matters is how many respond. So a huge audience is not in itself the RIGHT audience.

For example, if you sell dental software, is there any point to advertising in Computing with its 115,000 readers? Yes, it’s relevant to software. But how many dentists are included in that 115,000? On the other hand, if that same business were trying to recruit a software developer, would it make sense to advertise in a Professional Dentistry e-Bulletin? Choose the platform that suits your audience, not what suits you or your advertising sales rep.

Professional Dentistry

2. Message

What are you actually trying to achieve with your advert? It has a huge effect on where you advertise, but it also affects when you advertise and what your advertisement should say.

For example, if our software company were advertising its products in Professional Dentistry it should explain how its products will make your practice run more smoothly and maintain compliance with regulations. However, in a Computing recruitment advert, it should talk about the interesting work, employee benefits and culture.

Equally, in Professional Dentistry they should perhaps focus efforts around a new product launch, whereas their Computing adverts should obviously be placed when they need to recruit.

3. Presentation

Artwork. Sounds trivial, but how an advert looks is what gets people to read it. It has to be ‘eye-catching’. So spend time finding and briefing your designer or advertising agency. And give them time to develop their ideas properly. A last-minute brief will produce last-minute work.

Done right and done well, advertising is an investment every business and dental practice should make. Done wrong and you are not just making a poor investment; you are wasting your money.

For more information about the role advertising plays in an integrated marketing and PR campaign, please call Chris Webb on 07432 189149 or email chris@precisionpr.co.uk

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Did you see ??? Cary in print

Cary Cray-Webb — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 10:18:03 +0000

Cary Cray Webb – recently published in the BDJ-Team magazine

Cary Cary-Webb in BDJ-Team

We’re very proud to be able to share an article from BDJ-Team. BDJ-Team is part of the British Dental Journal magazine series from Springer Nature. These titles are published on behalf of the British Dental Association.

https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam2018164

This is the FIRST article that Cary has written for a magazine in her own right. It deals with issues around staff retention and career development. She has since been commissioned to write another article which will appear in print early next year.

Please note – you may need to sign-up to BDJ-Team to read the full article, or you can find it on the BDJ page of LinkedIn.

For more information about our PR and content marketing services, or to commission articles by Cary, please call us on 07432 189149 or email cary@precisionpr.co.uk

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Two great articles on Pearl’s site

Cary Cray-Webb — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 23:42:29 +0000

Oh My Lord! They use our articles

We recently wrote two new articles for our client BHA Software which have been posted on their Pearl dental software site to fuel their ongoing social media campaign.

http://www.pearldentalsoftware.com/oh-my-lord-they-use-pearl/

http://www.pearldentalsoftware.com/nurse-training-retention-time-act/

If you are looking for specialist content that sounds special but doesn’t necessarily sound ‘specialist’ please get in contact.

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Dental lab work and patient care

Cary Cray-Webb — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 22:28:44 +0000

The Lab Man cometh

The arrival of the courier bringing the day’s lab work causes mild excitement in every dental practice. In many practices, the appointment book is organised to take advantage of this; we usually take impressions before his/her arrival, and carry out fittings afterwards.

Lab work – it can make a dental nurse jump with joy or swear like a trooper

For the patient, this looks like so much admin. For the dentist, this is (often) just delivery of materials. For the nurse it is STRESS!

The reason is simple – nurses are the interface between the ‘lab man’, the patient and the dentist. Lab work not dispatched or didn’t arrive? Blame the nurse. If the lab work doesn’t fit or is some other way defective it’s the nurses fault. If it means an extra appointment it’s the nurses fault. If it hasn’t been labelled and packed correctly it’s the nurse’s fault; actually, in that case it really is the nurse’s fault.

Much ado about huffing (and puffing)

So what? You might well ask, but actually I think this is important. Lab work not fit for purpose (or that arrives late) seriously impacts both patient care and dental practice working (and profitability). The same thing applies to internal systems that don’t accurately track the whereabouts of lab work – but that’s a different story.

I would argue that management of lab work is critical to running a successful dental practice. I would also argue that reducing reliance on external laboratories would boost practice efficiency and improve patient care. So how should we do this?

CEREC to the rescue

Last summer I moved to a new practice that uses a CEREC system. I am thoroughly impressed by its capabilities. Even though we use it for only some types of ‘lab work’ I can see the benefits. We have greater control over when we produce the work and more importantly, when we fit it. It makes it easier for patients to book a convenient appointment and reduces our expenditure on lab work.

Ceramic blocks – used in CEREC milling systems

Most importantly, it also improves the quality control over the appliances we manufacture. We can track exactly where, why and how faults have occurred – there’s no need for finger pointing, just constant improvement. Reduced cycle times are within our control, so we can also correct or rework defects, usually without any impact on the patient.

For me as a nurse, this gives a huge benefit. I nurse because I’m interested in oral health and because I like being helpful to my patients. If I wanted to spend my time apologising and re-booking appointments I would work in a customer service centre. Reducing the amount of work we send to laboratories benefits me by reducing the amount of time I spend placating patients and increasing the amount of time I spend making them happy.

I see a future – in digital lab work

As digital imaging and on-site manufacturing spread (both milling and 3D-printing/additive), I believe that the quality of patient care will increase. Although the capital investment in such systems is still quite high it is easy to see how they provide a financial return.

The NHS is currently introducing changes to patient care. These will probably increase the demand for appointments, and dental practices will need to respond by improving their efficiency if they are to be successful. I believe that introduction and expansion of on-site CEREC manufacturing systems will provide significant efficiency improvements. Working for a practice already using this amazing technology is a great experience.

If you are interested in digital dentistry and patient care you may like to read an article by Dr Iulian Popescu. If you would like advice on marketing dental practice management or CEREC systems, please call us.

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Using imaging technologies to enhance patient care

chris@precisionpr.co.uk — Mon, 08 May 2017 14:02:16 +0000

Don’t forget the patient

(by Dr Iulian Popescu)

Modern dental imaging technology is amazing.

We now have digital x-rays that throw an image to the dentist’s computer screen in seconds. ‘OPG’ machines can create a panoramic radiograph (a 2d image of the patient’s whole dentition). We even have digital scanners that can create a 3-D map of the inside surfaces of a patient’s mouth.

Behind the scenes, the latest generation of computer aided design software (CAD) help develop digital models. These can drive milling machines and additive manufacturing devices (3D-printers) with the near-perfect accuracy needed to create the tiny veneers, inlays and even crowns that we use.

The advantages to dentists and dental practice managers are obvious; quicker diagnosis, reduced lab-costs, faster turn-around, better throughput. But what does this mean for patients?

Appointments need to be convenient for the patient as well as the dentist (photo: MyDentist – Edinburgh)

Booking a visit to the dentist

For a patient, a visit to the dentist starts with booking an appointment. Now believe it or not, some patients have other things to do. Yet at the moment, many practices set times for different types of appointment based on the type of work required. This is often driven by when the courier calls to deliver and collect lab work.

A patient with young children at school may have to fit appointments around available child care. Or maybe that patient has a long commute (two hours is not uncommon for people working in London), so even the first appointment in the morning means taking at least half-a-day off work.

A practice that can break the link between the arrival of ‘the lab man’ and the appointment diary will give patients far greater flexibility in when they can attend.

Fewer visits

What if the prosthetic were created on the same day it was prescribed? Wouldn’t it be a good thing for a patient to have a crown prep and fit on the same day?

While it’s unlikely that many practices will be able to create the device while the patient is in the chair, it is possible to create many the same day. A patient could have the prep in the morning and the fit in the afternoon. That would indeed make a huge difference to patients with long commutes – a large part of the population near big cities such as London.

For the dentist and practice this also has the clear advantage of quicker patient turnaround and therefore both improved cash-flow and potentially higher patient volumes.

Sirona CEREC inLAB MC XL Milling & inEOS Red Scanning Dental Units (source: Novadentals.com)

Convenience and imaging

Today’s society is very ‘convenience conscious’. We see it within dentistry, not only as patients struggling to find time in their diaries for appointments, but also as demand peaks just before Christmas, Easter and the summer holiday months; people don’t want the inconvenience of toothache during theses festivities.

Dental professionals we get very excited about our fabulous imaging technologies, and all credit to the manufacturers such as Kodak, Carestream, Dentsply Sirona and Roland (and others) for their fabulous inventions and developments.

However, since 1980 when CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEramic REConstruction) was first developed by W. Mörmann and M. Brandestini at the University of Zurich, the ultimate beneficiary should always be the patient.

As use of advanced imaging and CAD/CAM technology becomes more widespread, dental practices will need to remember this if they wish to be successful. I believe strongly that our convenience conscious society is already moving to a position where it expects patient care to extend beyond the dental surgery into all aspects of the relationship – and that includes appointment and treatment management.

We would love to hear your opinions and experiences about the differences being made by advanced imaging and modelling technologies. Or call us if you have a technology that you are bringing to market in the UK.

About the writer

Iuian Popescu is a registered dentist, currently practising in Sudbury, Suffolk in the East of England.

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