Dental clinics were some of the first businesses to shut down for a period of time when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. Since then, many safety precautions and changes have been made and dental offices are opening back up across the country.
Dental practices were considered high-risk in the early days of the pandemic, but new research indicates that 80% of adults are comfortable revisiting the dentist. Practices are increasing COVID-19 testing to ease these concerns. Some even require patients to be screened twice before an appointment.
Some offices took advantage of the shutdown to implement tools to increase efficiency and improve productivity, and are turning to technology to:
- Enhance patient communication. Recall reminders, appointment confirmations, post-procedure follow-ups take a long time when done manually. Software with SMS and email capabilities can help lighten the load.
- Go paperless. Everything from e-receipts to scheduling appointments and even digital patient forms can now be done online.
- Streamline patient registration and check-in with virtual waiting rooms. For example, many practices require patients to wait outside to respect social distancing guidelines. They can use text and will send patients texts when they can come into the office for their appointment.
Dental practices are also embracing teledentistry to remotely provide dental care when possible. Not only does this mitigate the risk of transmission, but it also allows dentists to tend to more patients.
The COVID-induced economic slowdown has changed the business landscape forever. Relationships and customer engagement has more to do with the survival of a business than ever. Businesses that aren’t working to keep customers happy and coming back are at risk of failing.
This is why it’s critical for businesses in the post-COVID landscape to put more resources into relationship building by meeting customers where they are and becoming digital-first, no matter what industry they are in. Businesses in any industry can do this by leveraging technology to keep in constant contact with customers and ensure that the customer experience is stellar from the moment they first visit your website to when they purchase one of your goods or services. If you make a great impression, customers will keep coming back regardless of the economic situation.
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