5 Ways Ontario Dentists Can Improve Their Practice During Pandemic Downtime
How have you been managing your time while your dental practice is temporarily closed?
It goes without saying: this global pandemic has been hard on us all. But, with this new hardship and commitment to staying home comes an opportunity for many of us to spend more time working toward making improvements to ourselves and certain aspects of our lives.
With that being said, as most Ontario dental practices are closed for safety during this Covid-19 pandemic, many dentists are left with some extra time one their hands (in other words, time that can be used to improve their practice).
So, we thought we’d share several ways that you, an Ontario dentist, can work to better your dental practice during its temporary closing:
1. Respond to your patients’ online reviews
In the present day and age, online reviews play a considerable role in influencing the success of your dental practice. When considering a local dentist, many people will first turn to the reviews to see what other patients have to say about their experience at that practice.
Use this free time to respond to your practice’s online reviews to show your current and potential future patients that you’re a dental clinic that cares. Publicly thank your patients who have left positive reviews, and reciprocate your appreciation towards them for being a wonderful patient. When it comes to the negative reviews, apologize and thank the patients for their feedback. Reassure them that you’ll be working to improve the situation, and ask them if they’d like to talk more about the issue privately so that a proper resolution can be made.
(If you don’t have any public reviews yet, it’s a good idea to start politely asking your patients if they’ll provide you with one after their experience with you).
2. Assess your office for any potential upgrades
Take a look around your dental practice. Are there any improvements you could be making to refresh its look, or make it feel more welcoming for patients? Perhaps a new paint job on the walls, or some new chairs for the reception area? Even small changes can make a big positive impact - and your patients will surely take note once they return!
3. Give your practice website a refresh
Now is a truly great time to ensure your dental practice’s website is up to par. Is your website easy for patients to navigate and find the information they need about your services, and how to contact you? Is it attractive, clean and organized? Is the content well written and without error? Take some notes on what kind of improvements can be made for your web designer to implement. It doesn’t hurt to take a look at other dental websites that you appreciate to get an idea about what you can be doing better, too.
4. Post more regularly to social media
Are your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts looking a little lonely? Now’s a great time to up your social media game.
Your patients are home and on the web with a lot more time on their hands, meaning you’ll likely see a lot more engagement! Use this time to talk to your patients via your social platforms. Answer their questions, provide them with tips. Let them know that their smiles are missed, and that you still have their best interest at heart.
5. Deal with any outstanding insurance claims
As there isn’t a current flow of money coming in, dentists can certainly use this time to check for any unpaid insurance claims and following up with insurance companies that have not yet paid.
Time is the most valuable commodity we have - and right now, the majority of us have a lot more of it to make use of!