All dentists know that a professional image plays a key role in attracting and keeping profitable patients. To that end, dentists invest in advanced equipment and technologies, hire experienced and competent hygienists, administrators and other staff, and take a personal interest in the happiness and satisfaction of every patient on their roster.
Naturally, these commitments go a long way to establishing the right image. But there is another piece of the puzzle that is often overlooked, yet can substantially increase profits; or unfortunately in some cases, diminish them: dental office design.
Below, we highlight the 3 ways that dental office design – perhaps surprisingly — drives profitability:
1. Dental Office Design Impresses Patients
As noted by Dr. Michael Abernathy, DDS, who owns 26 dental practices, patients factor in dental office design (along with whether it smells like a dental office!) when it comes to forming a positive or negative impression of their dentist.
Importantly, patients do not necessarily expect something that looks glamorous or luxurious; which means that dentists who are thinking of an office renovation do not have to go deep into debt to impress their patients. Rather, patients want to feel that the practice is modern, friendly, advanced, innovative, and that it’s best days are happening now (and will unfold into the future) vs. are in the past.
2. Dental Office Design Increases Efficiency & Reduces Overhead
While esthetics are obviously a big part of any dental office design – everything from colors to fabrics to lighting and more – the process is not just about upgrading the look and feel. Good dental office design also improves efficiency by, for example, establishing one-way traffic flows, centralizing sanitization stations, making it easier for staff to access equipment (e.g. printers, shredders, recycling, etc.), and so on. All of this helps increase efficiency and reduce overhead, which means that a bigger chunk of revenues go towards profits vs. covering expenses.
3. Dental Office Design Boosts Staff Engagement & Increases Retention
Dental practices are busy, patient-focused environments that can get stressful; especially during certain times of the year (e.g. holiday party season, before year-end benefits expire, back-to-school, wedding season, and so on). And then of course, there is the basic, unavoidable fact that some patients are quite anxious when visiting the dentist, and as such they can be a bit more demanding than they might be under normal, more relaxed circumstances (though with this being said, a pleasant and soothing dental office design can go a long way towards keeping patient stress levels low!).
In light of the sometimes stressful day-to-day reality in the dental world, good dental office design can boost staff engagement levels, which translates into higher retention rates and, ultimately, happier patients (i.e. inspired staff invariably go above and beyond for patients).
Learn More
To learn more about how dental office design can drive your practice’s profitability, contact the Key Interiors team today. Your consultation with us is free. We’re the proven and experienced interior solutions experts that dentists trust!
