Journey to the future

After visiting one of Hague Dental’s UK showrooms, FMC’s Carlotta Eden demonstrates how the company seem to have just about every aspect of practice development under one roof.

The first thing I noted about Hague Dental’s Horsham showroom was its woody, secluded location, offering a calming influence on customers looking to make their first purchase, or those returning to a homely, welcoming atmosphere for advice and opinion.

Hague Dental offers showrooms across London and the south of England, but the Horsham showroom is probably the largest in the UK at 5,000 square feet. It’s an opportunity for customers to ‘walk through an experience’, as new general manager Eugene O’Malley explains.

Hague’s Horsham showroom is designed to create a journey for customers. Adopting a ‘try before you buy’ ethos, customers can explore the most suitable options available to kit out their dental practice and tour the showroom room-by-room, exactly as a dental practice might look.

Eugene O’Mally (left) with Jim Hague (managing director). Eugene came to Hague Dental after having worked at A-dec for 16 years and has worked in the dental industry for 35 years
Eugene O’Mally (left) with Jim Hague (managing director). Eugene came to Hague Dental after having worked at A-dec for 16 years and has worked in the dental industry for 35 years

‘We want to offer a journey for customers,’ Eugene says. ‘The multitude of decisions and choices when designing and equipping a surgery can be overwhelming, and how each element impacts on the other is crucial.’

Hague Dental was also on hand at this year’s BDIA Dental Showcase, exhibiting an entire dental practice room-by-room, with two consulting rooms as well.

Though the company believes its showrooms to be the most suitable and recommended way for customers to explore its options, Showcase was a practical first step to find out more about creating or maintaining a contemporary, ergonomically designed and highly functional practice.

Test-driving

IMG_3919Beginning at reception, Eugene explained to me the advantages of being able to experience a potential purchase firsthand, compared to simply making purchases at exhibitions or online. By exploring the range of options that are available to all dental practices – from low end prices to high end purchases – customers can appreciate the sight, sound and feel that patients will also be experiencing.

You wouldn’t buy a car without test-driving it first – and that’s exactly what Hague has adopted in its philosophy. ‘We have a multitude of stools available for customers to sit on in the reception area for a reason’, Eugene explains. ‘Firstly, they can see all the colours and textures available. They can sit on each stool and make their own mind up. No one can advise you as to what makes you feel the most comfortable – but experts are available if you need them.’

IMG_3954A surgery room was next on the tour, complete with a full chair unit and cabinetry choices. The room offered customers the chance to imagine various types of room sizes; the chair could be moved so that the room became smaller and closer to cabinets, or placed centrally with added space to manoeuvre.

Next, Eugene walked us through the decontamination room. I was beginning to see the aim of the showroom’s design; Hague was modelling its showroom on reality, with its own team of experts, bespoke cabinetry and dental equipment from the likes of A-dec and Belmont on hand.

Hold steady

At the end of the tour, after a sneak peek into the engineering behind how some of the products are made, such as syringes and handpieces, we met a financial adviser from Vector Finance.

Nestled in a private office, the aim is to provide customers with the privacy, security and time that goes into making a multitude of decisions and choices.

And this underlines Hague’s principle philosophy: keeping customers’ downtimes to an absolute minimum and helping them along their journey to rejuvenating their practice, searching for independent advice, or for those who are new to ownership and wondering just where to begin.


To visit one of Hague Dental’s UK showrooms, visit the website at www.haguedental.com, call 0800 298 5003 or email [email protected].

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