Your dental practice may be using the latest dental technology to diagnose and treat patients. You’re rightfully proud of the innovative technology you’ve implemented, such as 3-D printers, intraoral scanners and laser cavity detection tools. But is your marketing and patient communication technology keeping pace?

All the high-tech dental equipment in the world won’t matter to your patients if the patient experience is outdated. Consumer expectations for personalized service are rising, and as the dental industry is being disrupted by trendy oral hygiene startups, keeping current in all aspects of your practice is more important than ever to keeping your patients happy. Is your practice keeping pace in these four areas?

A modern website

Chances are new patients find you by searching online. Most likely, they’re searching on their smartphones. Will they find a current, mobile-optimized website that’s easy to navigate, or an outdated, 2002-era website they can barely read on their phones? Which one do you think will make a better impression? Make sure your practice website is streamlined and modern, with fonts, design and graphics that lend a modern look. Your website is your practice’s “digital storefront,” so it’s worth investing in a professional designer’s services here.

Robust online reviews

Online reviews are equally important as your website in attracting new patients. Can patients find your practice on different review sites? Are there plentiful (and current) reviews on each? Lighthouse 360 makes it easy to encourage patients to review your practice; it also automatically collects and publishes positive reviews to key review sites such as Google.

Convenient automated messaging

Are you still relying on phone calls or postcards to send patients appointment reminders? While both of these methods are perfectly good ways to communicate, for some patients, they aren’t the most convenient. If your patients prefer text messaging, getting phone calls may annoy them. Look for patient communication software that offers you multiple options, such as Lighthouse 360. You can use Lighthouse 360 to call, text, email or mail patients their appointment reminders, so your message is sure to get through. Plus, you can text back-and-forth with patients directly from the Lighthouse 360 dashboard, for even greater convenience. Practices that use Lighthouse 360 find automated messaging reduces patient no-shows by 40%. (If you already use practice automation software, find out if your practice automation software is really doing its job.) 

Mobile patient registration

These days, we do everything on our phones—from looking up restaurants to shopping and getting driving directions. Shouldn’t your patients be able to complete registration forms on their phones, too? With Lighthouse 360, they can. The software’s Patient FastTrack paperless registration feature saves you and your patients time. Patients can fill out paperwork on their phones when it’s most convenient for them. You can edit registration forms to suit your practice’s needs. Plus, information from registration forms can be written directly into select practice management systems.

Time for a change?

With 43% of dentists spending less than $3,000 annually on marketing, clearly there’s room for improvement at many practices. If the technology your practice uses for marketing and patient communication needs an update, why not take a free demo of Lighthouse 360?