Relationship. Relevance. Service.

I firmly believe these are the keys to designing and maintaining a thriving practice. And, when we go the extra mile in each of these areas…well, like I tell my patients in preparation for the first time they use an oral irrigator — it will blow your mind! I’ve discovered three exciting products that I’d love to share with you as they will support you in having your mind blown. Oh! And, they just happen to have Relationship, Relevance and Service in common. Heads up…this is some powerful, creative, out of the box stuff. So, if vanilla is still your flavor of choice you may not be ready for this. Bookmark and revisit or allow me to plant a seed for you. However, if innovative and engaging thrills you…then you’ll definitely want to stick around.

What if you could put your practice in the palm of a patient’s hand? That is what Dental Anywhere asked and answered with their mobile application which serves as a direct communication link between the practice and the patient. It is a fast and convenient download to the patient and provides 24-hour access to:

• direct website access
• entire family access
• review treatment notes
• emergency notification
• refer their contacts directly to you
• appointment requests and reminders
• write and post reviews to social media outlets
• immediate GPS to the office from where ever they are
• complete office contact information without searching

Smartphone apps are here to stay. In fact, according to a recent article based on Flurry Analytics, ‘Today, the U.S. consumer spends an average of 2 hours and 38 minutes on smartphones and tablets. 80% of that time is spent inside apps and 20% is spent on the mobile web.’ Tapping into the app world is a wildly exciting way to not only stand out from the rest but to stand out by making a difference for patients. Learn more by checking out Dental Anywhere.

This is Smile Reminder’s way of going the extra mile for you in developing that relationship with your patients. This is a simple sync that is compatible with any software system you may be currently using in your practice. What I love about Smile Reminder’s model is you are never alone. You are assigned an account manager who will hold your hand through the integration process and educate your team and train your patients on how to use this system effectively — no kidding! This is a direct portal for your patients to have access to your front office services from any internet connection, even when your office is closed. Services include:

• account activity – complete viewing of when and what the insurance has paid, patient portion and the ability to make payments with the same security as online banking
• secure messaging – sending and receiving secure messages allowing for patients to communicate as needed and for your team to respond promptly and efficiently without tying up phone lines
• user preferences – messaging preferences managed and updated along with their device numbers, addresses, etc.
• appointments – can be requested, viewed and even added to their Outlook or iCal calendar with one click
• images and forms – can be posted along with important documents, post-op instructions and insurance documents for patients to view
• newsletter access – allowing patients to access and read at their convenience
• personal memo service – allows your patients to send personal reminders to themselves about important dates and upcoming events

This service lets your patients know that you get how busy they are and care about making you and your services available when it’s convenient for them. Now, that’s service! Service that gets people talking about who you are for them.

Wendy Talley of Smile Reminder wants to offer you a brief online interactive demo and a $20 Starbucks gift card — only by calling Wendy direct and letting her know you got her name and number from Hygiene by Design. Wendy can be reached at: 801.331.7176. (MUAH! Thank you, Wendy! )

The Viva Referral System is an attractive and unique way to stimulate new patients, increase marketing efforts and add to the branding of your practice — all in one of the most cost-effective programs available. Viva has crafted the most stylish, eye-catching cards that I have ever seen. These are custom-designed for you and packaged into any or all of the programs Viva offers which include:

• referrals – capture every referral opportunity with the Referral Card 
• new patients – set on auto-pilot by turning every appointment into two with the dual Appointment and Gift Card 
• patient retention – celebrate your patients and stay connected with a special offer and a card for every occasion
• patient reactivation – send a personalized “miss you” message and another reason to return with a special gift card
• treatment plan acceptance – nudge them with a reminder message and a little help with a special gift card to apply toward moving forward with treatment

Viva makes it easy to check out…with video overviews, online chat, option to request a price quote or free sample. I highly recommend, at the very least, requesting a free sample — you will believe me when you see these brilliant cards in your hot little hands.

As always – I’d love to hear from you.

How do you and your team go the extra mile by tapping into some innovative and fun ways to market your practice and engage your patients?

Have you had experience with these or other programs? If so, please spread the love and share with our community.

Thank you for reading and contributing.

Meet you at the extra mile,