iceConnect’s Intelligent Dental Phone Systems were a highlight of the recent BDIA Dental Showcases at the Excel Centre in London. The flagship event has returned after its two-year absence due to Covid, and we couldn’t be prouder to showcase our Intelligent Dental Phone Systems to the public.
Continue readingHow to optimise your call queue on your phone operating systems.
Are you struggling to keep up with customer call volume? Are customers getting frustrated with long wait times? Call queue management is an important part of providing outstanding customer service. Optimising your call queue can reduce hold times and improve the overall caller experience. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
Continue readingDental Phone Systems & Dental Software Integration
Are You in the Market for a New Phone System That Has Dental Software Integration?
Dental practice management software has revolutionised modern dentistry. Not only does it take care of all those pesky files cluttering your office, but imagine if the integration with a dental phone system was possible as well.
Well, at iceConnect, having your dental practice phones integrated with your dental software is a reality.
Inbound Calls and Dental Software Integration
iceConnect dental phone systems can talk with third-party software. So when you get an inbound call from a patient, they’ll automatically search your database for the number, and it will be found within seconds.
The phone system will show your receptionist of all the patient information before they pick up the phone.
Desktop and mobile dental practice software has made the process of booking appointments for patients much more effortless. The receptionist can click one button to instantly pop up their records, saving them from asking around or inputting data manually into different fields on an online form.
Streamline your dental phone system the entire process via the following:
- Improving the patient experience over the phone.
- Reducing call time by decreasing admin conversations over the phone. Enabling your receptionist to answer more calls per hour.
- More calls answered per hour ensures new patient enquiries are catered for.
- More new patients mean more chair time and more money in your back pocket.
Outbound Calls and Dental Software Integration
The benefits of outbound calls are very similar to the benefits of inbound calls. Your receptionist will dial the number from the Dental software, and all the patient information will be on the screen. It even allows your receptionist to print out the patient file of an incoming call, making it easier to take notes if they are with a patient.
This action saves time searching for files to reduce the amount of time spent on personal calls over the phone.
Benefits of Dental Software with Phone System Integration.
As a dentist, you want to save time and be more efficient in your practice. One of the easiest ways you can do this is by using a phone system that’s fully integrated into your dental software.
Increase Calls Per Hour Ratio
All of the patient information is available to you in one place, so no more wasting time looking up patient details during calls. You will have the patient record right before your eyes and be able to get straight into solving any queries the patient might have about scheduling an appointment with them.
By saving on admin time during a call, you can save anywhere from 10-30 seconds per call. That may not sound impressive but let’s do some quick maths to see how this time saving can make a difference. So grab a seat and get comfortable.
Your Dental Practice makes and receives a total of 120 calls a day, and each call is 3 minutes 30 seconds on average. This equates to 7 hours of call time in total each day.
If you can shave off just 15 seconds (on average) from each call, that equates to a 30 minute call time saving each day.
That extra 30 minutes of call time equates to a potential 8-9 additional patient enquiries answered each day.
Now you may be thinking, “Yes, but my dental practice phones are only chockablock early in the mornings…”
So let’s re-run the calculation based on; increasing your capacity to service calls during the first 2 hours (120 minutes) of opening the practice and a 3 minute average call time.
if you shave off 15 seconds from each call between 8 am and 10 am your call time savings equal 7 minutes 30 seconds (7.5) divided by a 3 minute call time equals an average of 2.5 extra patient enquiries each morning. This equates to a stonking 63 additional patient enquiries each month. You can guarantee that amongst those 63 enquiries will be new patient enquiries and further enquiries for highly profitable services.
Next time you think about spending money on advertising, ask yourself if you like an extra 63 patient enquiries over the phone each month.
Improving Patient Experience Over The Phone – Improving Patient Journey
When a dental patient makes a phone call to your office, the patient expects their call to be picked up by a professional who can answer any questions quickly and efficiently.
With the patient’s details ready at hand, it is possible to greet callers in the confidence that you have all the necessary information in front of you. For example, you don’t want to be farming for information about the patient once picking up the phone. Being prepared for every patient call will give out the impression that your dental practice is organised and values each patient.
Outbound Call Ease & Efficiency
The integration of your phone system and dental software allows for the automation of everyday tasks like appointment reminders and patient communication and makes calling easy. With a simple click on the screen, calls can be made directly from your dental software, making life easier for receptionists and dentists alike and allowing for easy access and quick calling of telephone numbers in emails or websites.
Concluding Dental Phone System Integration with Dental Software
It’s essential to consider the integration of your phone system with dental software. The benefits are worth it, and we can help you make sense of all the different features available at iceConnect. In a future blog, we will go over how to optimise your call queue management to improve your patient journey and call efficiency.
Click here to speak to one of our experts who will walk through how this type of integration works for inbound calls and outbound calls and give you a list of some great reasons why an integrated solution is better than any other option on the market today.
How We Help Dental Practices Thrive
In our 16 years of operating, we have been helping dentists and their many practices to grow.
We have been fortunate enough to gain the support of the dental community over the years and trusted as the leading provider of phone systems for dentists. This has all been done through word of mouth and recommendations amongst peers, of our team and our service.
To help you (hopefully you’re a dentist reading this!) better understand why practice principles choose iceConnect, this blog post will break down what these phone systems exactly do and why it can enhance a practice’s marketing strategy.
Phone Systems
What are they?
Whether you own/run one or multiple sites, your practices can operate under a single telephone system that connects all locations and every single individual employee’s line.
Features include;
- Silently listening into phone calls
- Listening back on recorded phone calls
- Taking office calls from any location with the use of an app
- Creating on-hold menu options
- Easily adding/removing new lines for employees
- Transferring calls in and out of office easily
How can the phones boost productivity in my practice?
The phones run on a system that constantly records and monitors all activity, which is then compiled into statistical and analytical reports.
Available on a monthly, weekly or daily basis – as often as you choose, these reports offer crucial insights into how your interaction with your patients is impacting on business progression. They can provide answers to questions that could help advance areas of your business you didn’t know needed improvement.
KPIs We Provide For Dentists
- Number of abandoned calls
- Number of new patient vs. existing patient calls
- Average time to answer a call
- Average time spent talking to patients
- Daily list of abandoned calls so they can be called back
- Individual extension statistics comparing receptionist activity.
With all this information, you can begin to see where you could improve and any changes you can start making today e.g. making sure staff answer every single call.
Based on the information you find, the marketing methods you use can be tailored easier to your existing patients or new patients because now you know their behaviours and habits.
Top 5: IT Essentials for Startups
When starting a business, being able to track your growth accurately and protect your ideas and business plans is important. Ninety percent of all start-ups fail within the first year. You should optimise every cog in the machine that contributes to the smooth take off of your business and lands you in that tenth percentile.
Whatever sector you find yourself in, it is highly unlikely you won’t require some sort of IT or tech to get you started. As well as the standard smart phone and emails, here are five IT essentials that will ensure any hiccups in the road, won’t be because of the tech.
1. Computers (obviously)
You’ll need a devise to carry out basic business such as accessing the internet, emailing, compiling reports, etc.
While a phone is handy and can do nearly everything a computer can, sometimes when doing real work you need a bigger screen and the ability to type – so consider portability.
Will you need to access files and emails from remote locations or on-the-go?
If your start-up hasn’t established offices and a permanent working space with monitors and desktops, laptops and tablets are key.
Consider a screen size that works for you. Do you carry bags that will fit larger laptops? Do you need a bigger screen to see detailed images? What sort of job do you have and what features do you require from the device? Are you in a creative field and need touch screen or boosted graphics? Will any portable device with Microsoft Office, suffice?
All to take into account when choosing your brand and size.
As you’re presumably trying to spend money smartly, you don’t have to go for the premium, high range products. Having said this don’t cheap out and opt for unreliable tech with a short life span. Mid-range if perfect for new companies. As you grow and learn what best suites the needs of the business you may find changes with your devices need to be made or replacements and upgrades. It will be the safe option as you haven’t spent a small fortune on a laptop that you decide isn’t for you after a year and you haven’t jeopardised your work with shoddy equipment.
2. Online Storage
More often than not, it is easier and more efficient to store files and important information onto some sort of cloud. The unpredictability of saving crucial documents onto physical devices – with an array of scenarios in which you could lose or break them, is too risky. With all the options on offer there’s no reason not to utilise online storage. It is cost effective and saves physical space.
With apps and sites such as Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud files can be instantly backed up and accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This eliminates the need to rummage through your belongings for the correct USB and the most recent version of a file that you’ve saved five times.
3. Security
With sensitive information and everything you use to track your company’s operations, all stored on a tech device, imagine the catastrophe when you lose it all to a silly virus.
Antivirus software is like an umbrella in the rain. Even if you don’t have a start-up, protecting your device from a virus is just good sense
4. Phone Systems
If your business is customer/client focused, a primary method of communication with them can be via telephone. This can be a tricky process to keep track of and analyse if you don’t have the correct system in place to monitor it.
You mightn’t have ever thought to use your phone line traffic to your advantage and determine key information about your clientele, but in can prove extremely useful in your marketing strategy going forward.
A comprehensive system can track the statistics and figures of your phone lines and offer you reports and insights into how your customer operates. With this information you can inform your staff and alter your business operations to better cater to the needs of the customer. This will help you grow and be seen as a reliable and professional contender in your field of work.
5. Emails
While free emails are great for personal, every-day use, consider investing in an email account provider. Having your company name in the address ([email protected]) gives you the platform to come across as more organised and professional when presented to customers.