A recent survey suggests many UK dental practices could be losing out on valuable treatment enquiries thanks to their reliance on out-dated (or non-existent) systems.
New research by Dengro today reveals that a large number are still relying on old fashioned pen and paper to note down patient treatment interest, with some practices failing to bother logging the enquiry at all.
According to a survey of dentists and practice managers, more than half fear they are missing out on important treatment enquiries due to a lack of investment in effective digital systems.
In the study, conducted on behalf of online lead management tool, DenGro, most respondents revealed they do not use an online system for managing leads.
Almost two-thirds of practices either resort to old-school techniques, such as a paper diary or Post-it notes, or have nothing at all in place to track follow-up and conversion success, whilst one third are using spreadsheets to log their enquiries.
‘Serious concerns’
The research reveals serious management concerns about practice growth and business reputation as a result.
According to the results of DenGro’s survey, most new patient enquiries come via a practice’s own website, followed by enquiries direct to the practice email inbox.
It was found that many practitioners were troubled by prospective patients’ perception of the practice as a result of slow response times, or even a failure to acknowledge their enquiries at all.
Meanwhile, others were worried their business may be underperforming without a watchful eye on valuable data, such as lead volume and conversion rates.
Less than half the number of practices involved in the survey check daily for new leads, with many leaving a gap of two to three weeks between enquiry and first contact.
Almost half of the respondents were well aware of the need to implement a more systematic process in order to improve the way leads are currently managed in their practice.
With leads mostly handled by the reception team, more than two thirds of principals and practice managers were keen to better understand conversion rates, which marketing sources were working best for them, and how their team was performing, in order to steer practice growth.
Leads falling through the cracks
‘We knew that practices were struggling to cope with the volume of leads they were receiving,’ said Cam Brewer, one of the founders of DenGro.
‘Principals talk to us about their concern at the amount of opportunity that might be falling through the cracks when using offline systems.
‘We created DenGro to alleviate those issues, making following up and converting new patient enquiries simpler for everyone in the practice.
We’re pleased that it’s being so widely adopted by the industry and is helping to influence the growth of so many practices.’
DenGro’s tools and features have been designed specifically to help front-of-house teams nurture and convert leads, while providing managers and principals with the information they need to understand and influence practice growth.
Last year, the innovative system scooped the title of High Technology Launch of the Year at the FMC Dental Industry Awards in recognition of the invaluable gulf it is bridging in the dental practice.
For more information visit www.dengro.com
Reference
1. Survey of 167 UK dental principals and practice managers conducted in May 2017 on behalf of DenGro.
