surprised at everything that goes into that equation . I spent hours dealing with the same recurring issues . The office was in a good location and it was busy , but growing the practice was allconsuming . Staffing challenges ranged from trying to make the perfect employee match and keeping everyone happy , to suddenly losing a great employee because a spouse accepted a job somewhere else .
It was always challenging to bring in new patients or manage patient referrals . Marketing costs were skyrocketing , and online opportunities made it even more difficult to find prospective patients and communicate our benefits . Then there were the trials of negotiating and managing vendor costs as a one-office practice . When I talked with other dental professionals , I learned they also had similar stories about struggling with these issues . With my IT experience , I knew that a creative , well-designed technological tool could make it easier to overcome these obstacles to growth . That ’ s how DentalSpots . com started , but it has become so much more since then .
Q : What solutions do you offer for staffing challenges ?
A : Staff turnover can be challenging and costly . The obvious solution is to get good employees and keep them , but this is definitely easier said than done . Large dental businesses may have a dedicated team of 25 recruiters who continually search for and find the best and brightest talent , enabling the company to adapt to changes without missing a beat . Individual dental practices , however , don ’ t have that enormous resource at hand , so the impact of a staffing change is magnified . When an employee leaves a practice , there are real business costs . Production goals suffer , payments are not collected in a timely manner , and patients can sense an air of discomfort . The task of replacing any lost team member saps precious time and energy .
Since change and turnover are inevitable , however , the dental practice needs to have a strategy in place to manage it . That ’ s where DentalSpots . com comes in . Not only can dental professionals connect through networking to find qualified applicants , we also created Staff Connect to specifically help dentists address their ongoing staffing concerns . Staff Connect is a subscription service that provides everything dental offices need to deal with staffing issues . Dental employers can post temporary or permanent positions , share a profile that introduces their practice , and explore the profiles of qualified candidates . They can post as many jobs as they need ( only one at a time though ), and network with dental professionals . Things get better as they use the site longer , because they are constantly building connections with other local dental professionals . By adjusting the subscriptions price based on the number of locations , we have even found that the larger , multi-office dental practices can benefit by using Staff Connect to help meet their long-term staffing needs . background , certifications and experience with prospective dental employers using easy-to-complete templates , and upload an audio or video resume to showcase their personality . We provide alerts when dental job openings that match their criteria are posted , assist in making connections , and help other connected professionals share their endorsements .
Q : Can DentalSpots . com help attract new patients ?
A : Patients are highly informed in the digital age , and are not afraid to use searches and social media to obtain information . The individual dental practice needs to understand these trends , and also needs to stand out from local competitors as well as the larger chain operations that can market extensively . It can be cost-prohibitive to attract new patients without a solid marketing plan that includes both online and traditional marketing approaches such as print advertising , direct mail , and community outreach programs .
That ’ s where our patient-facing sister site , ChooseYourDentist . com , comes in . Dental practices build a profile , and can include a practice video . Prospective patients search using specific criteria , and easily communicate with potential matches . Instead of constantly spending money trying to stay at the top of search results , this is an effective and affordable way to target patients looking for a dentist in a specific area , and it should be a part of any office ’ s comprehensive marketing plan .
Registered jobseekers can search a fully customizable database to find available dental jobs in their desired area that match their skills and experience level . They can share their professional
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