When looking around for dental practice management software, there are many features and options you need to consider. The field of dental practice management software can often challenge and overwhelming. There are many options with different features to look for such as the functionality, integration options, reporting, and levels of support. But deciding on the right software for your dental practice doesn’t have to be so stressful. We’re here with 5 sure shot things you have to consider when choosing a dental practice management software.
Functionality
The foremost principle is that you need to focus on creating the best and easy user experience possible for your patients. Consider what you’re doing, what features you want to see in a dental practice management software solution, and which areas you can improve upon by going digital. When you begin your search for dental practice management software, ask your staff which features they would like to see. You and your staff could also test multiple programs to determine the best fit for your practice. Ask colleagues, especially those who are in your dental specialty, which program works for them and how they chose. Don’t forget about scalability. You don’t want to outgrow your software as your practice grows. Choose a service with a good track record of reliability and updates.
Generating Reports
Any business that doesn’t look for the analytics about where it stands in the market has 100 percent chances of falling into the dust. The same rule applies to your dental practice, though reporting and analytics are afterthoughts for most practitioners. But if you don’t pay attention to your practice numbers, what’s the point? The fact is, you need to observe key data, case acceptance, patient retention, billing, cash inflows, etc. This is the only way to determine the health of your practice and to set goals for the future. Dental practice management software will automate this process.
The best practice management software systems will produce robust reports, giving you the information you need in an easily absorbable manner. This allows you to make the right business decisions and operate in the most efficient way possible. Your software should be able to produce a variety of reports, presenting and filtering the data most relevant to you. The reported information can then give you actionable insights into the best business decisions for your practice.
Secure Cloud Data Storage
The security of your business data should be at the top of the priority list when choosing cloud-based dental practice software. Who is storing your data and where is your data being stored? You’ll want to make sure that the host of your data is reliable and robust. Consider discussing the history of data storage and whether the host has experienced any outages causing clients downtime. Be sure that the software can be reliable and secure because that’s where all your data is going to.
Integration
No matter how comprehensive any dental software program is, there may be features you need to add on. Any programs you use will also need to function with the dental practice management software you choose. For example, you may already have digital imaging, patient communications, and marketing tools in place. Consider the new management software’s ability to integrate with what you already use. Make sure you understand how of all this information is shared between systems (how often data is updated, etc.). Look into how fast documents open within the software, such as PDF files and pictures. Any application plug-ins should work seamlessly with the dental software.
Technical Support
New dental software is impressive and there are many new things to learn for everyone in the office once they implement it. What resources are available to you for training? Are there costs associated with additional training? What is the best way to implement and learn your new dental software? You’ll want to make sure that the product you choose provides help and support videos to help with the transition. It’s often helpful to have staff review training videos prior to installation to help get their feet wet before using the program full time. Help and support videos should be readily available to you and your staff within your dental practice management software. In addition, videos on the screen within the product itself can be helpful in the transition. And a competent and technical support team is crucial for any software program.
Finally, dental practice management software is an intuitive tool. This tool is indispensable and should make things easy for you! You shouldn’t have to fight to understand or use the software, it should be easy to use and instinctive. And if there are any troubles, a comprehensive support team and resources should be available. It should solve problems, not cause them. It’s easy to learn for your staff and team. It doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact, if it’s simple, it’s likely a valid option.