Smilin' Faces

One of my favorite products, Dental Senders, has now moved into the big leagues. Here's the press release:

CHICAGO (July 8, 2009) – These days, many general dentists and their staff spend time marketing their practice, confirming appointments, looking for patient education materials or finding ways to keep their patients coming back. Add to that the duties of completing charts, managing the office and performing dental procedures, and the result is a staff that may be stretched thin. To help its members increase their office efficiency and to add more value to their membership, the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) today launches a new member benefit, AGD Smile Savers, an automated tool that creates e-newsletters, appointment reminders, surveys and more, allowing dentists more effective communication with patients. Members and other attendees of AGD2009baltimore, the AGD’s Annual Meeting, will get a first glimpse of how the system works during exhibit hall demonstrations.

“We realize that, in the present economy, dentists everywhere are looking for ways to save money and increase patient retention,” says AGD President Paula S. Jones, DDS, FAGD. “We are delighted to give our AGD members more tools that will improve the quality of their practice and the services they provide.”

Dentists, in their role as small business owners, will maximize staff time and increase the level of attention given to their patients – for no cost. AGD members who integrate Smile Savers with their current office software will have the capabilities to communicate frequently and automatically. In addition to the cost savings, there are also time savings associated with this tool. The staff who manually confirms the appointments will save about two hours each day.

“This new benefit provides one turnkey solution to service practices of all sizes,” says AGD Secretary Linda Edgar, DDS, MEd, MAGD, who uses the tool in her practice. “It is now very convenient for patients to receive text messages and e-mail appointment reminders, allowing my staff to focus on other tasks around the office. They also send Happy Birthday messages, which our patients love, and the system allows patients to send comments about their appointments for feedback to the office.”

“We are very excited to launch this service to our members, because patient feedback from the dentists who are using it has been extremely positive,” says Carol Wooden, DDS, MAGD, spokesperson for the AGD. “They love it! We are thrilled to offer AGD members a technology that gets patients excited about coming to our office.”