Patient communications dental software was the topic of a recent blog post. It sometimes means having to integrate multiple software applications to work as one functional solution. But wait a minute. Does it really work that way?
With one CloudPrep member, their experience was just that. This dental practice views the features of their patient communication software favorably and use it every day. But, why three? Justifiably, they were not happy with the monthly costs. Their practice manager of two locations was motivated to find out why their total expenditures were in excess of $2,147 per month. Yes, you heard that right.
THE TRUTH IS IN THE NUMBERS
Both locations started using Dental Intel for reporting, plus the ability to track and easily follow-up on unscheduled treatment. At the time, Dental Intel didn’t have the capabilities of Weave and Solution Reach and vice versa. At this point, they had little choice but to use all three applications to meet the needs of both locations. Dental Intel acquired Modento in March of 2021, and two years later have the features to drop both Weave and Solution Reach. Coincidentally, there’s no telling how long this would have continued if the practice manager hadn’t taken the initiative to contact and question them. High five!
This simple spreadsheet clarifies current cost/month vs. projected cost/month with the consolidation of software. Without seeing and owning the cost impact, this can be overlooked.
- They still use the Weave VOIP phone system but dropped their patient communication software since it was no longer necessary. Result: price drop!
- Solution Reach was no longer needed since Dental Intel/Modento are now an integrated platform. Result: price drop!
- The cost savings were $650/month, $7800/year and a whopping $39,025 over 5 years (highlighted in orange). Is this motivating enough to audit and start making some calls?
CLOUDPREP MEMBERSHIP – ADVANCED DENTAL TECHNOLOGY LEARNING PORTAL
The CloudPrep membership includes “cost control” spreadsheets that focuses on the four pillars to dental technology:
- Dental software
- Digital imaging
- Computers and IT support
- Training
The CloudPrep 6-point plan is the glue that integrates these pillars into something much greater. When it comes to cost control, these powerful tools leave no doubt. The truth is in the numbers. This story spoke to just one part of pillar #1. CloudPrep includes strategies for all 4 pillars.
THE FINAL WORD
In a perfect world, patient communication software applications should have the same features, right? From a distance, you would think this to be the case – but it’s not. Knowing that feature overlap and short gaps exist makes inquiry all the more important. In this case, it took three expensive software applications to do the job of one – in this case with significant overlap. This savvy practice manager asked the right questions of these vendors. If not, this would have costed $39,025.20 over 5 years more than it should have. Having done this for hundreds of clients, this is no surprise.
So, what’s next? They currently use Open Dental PM software with a file server. Soon, they will be remodeling their treatment rooms with a plan to go full cloud. This unplugs the server which limits the need for comprehensive IT support services. Imagine what those numbers will look like on top of these?
CloudPrep includes the 6-point plan, smart spreadsheets, valuable design tips, schematic drawings and photos that will help your dental practice create a blueprint for successful technology.
Recommendation: It pays to audit these software services yearly to verify what has changed and make the necessary adjustments. This practice manager gets an “A+ grade” and deserves a raise! Great job!!
Just another dental software story.
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