Our Top Takeaways From the DEO Summit

As dental service organizations (DSOs) strive to provide exceptional patient care while achieving sustainable growth, staying updated with industry trends and best practices is crucial. The Membersy team recently joined DSO leaders and professionals at the DEO Summit, an annual event that brings together experts, innovators, and thought leaders in the dental industry to share insights and strategies for success. Our team gained some key takeaways from the event that can help dental service organizations enhance their operations and patient experience.

Use Social Media to Showcase Your Practice's Personality

In today's digital era, social media platforms offer a powerful tool for practices to engage with their patients, build brand awareness, and showcase their unique personality. The DEO Summit featured a keynote on the significance of crafting a compelling social media presence.

Here are a few steps your team can take to elevate your practice’s presence on social media:

Define Your Brand's Voice: Develop a consistent brand voice that aligns with your organization's values and target audience. This will help your patients get to know your team before and create a recognizable and authentic online persona for your practice.

Share Engaging Content: Create and share informative, visually appealing, and shareable content that educates and entertains your audience. On short form video platforms, leverage current trends and react to popular videos. Highlight your expertise through oral health tips, overviews of common procedures, patient testimonials, behind-the-scenes glimpses of your practice, and more.

Encourage Patient Engagement: Actively engage with patients by responding to comments, questions, and reviews on social media platforms. Encouraging patients to share their positive experiences can help build trust and attract new patients.

Patients Expect a Seamless Experience Using Technology

In today's digital age, patients have come to expect a seamless experience when interacting with healthcare providers, including dental practices. The DEO Summit emphasized the importance of leveraging technology to meet these expectations. 

Let’s explore a few ways technology can streamline your practice:

Simplify Appointment Booking: Implement user-friendly online platforms or mobile apps that allow patients to schedule appointments conveniently. Ensure real-time availability updates, so patients can get on your calendar without needing to contact the office.

Enhance Communication Channels: Leverage email and SMS platforms or patient portals to enable efficient and timely communication between patients and your practice. This can include appointment reminders, follow-up instructions, easy membership enrollment, and answers to common questions. 

Regularly Right-Size to Enable Sustainable Growth

While growth is essential for DSOs, it's equally important to regularly assess and right-size operations to ensure long-term sustainability. The DEO Summit stressed the significance of aligning resources with patient demand and optimizing workflows. 

Consider the following for sustainable growth:

Analyze Key Metrics: Regularly review key performance indicators (KPIs) such as patient volume, revenue per patient, and cost per procedure. Identify areas of improvement and implement strategies to optimize resources based on data-driven insights.

Invest in Continuing Education: Encourage professional development and ongoing education for dental practitioners and staff. By staying updated with the latest techniques, technologies, and best practices, your organization can retain high-quality staff while remaining competitive in the evolving dental landscape.

Streamline Administrative Processes: Simplify and automate administrative tasks to minimize errors, reduce redundancies, and improve overall efficiency. This may involve partnering with specialized service providers to lower the overall administrative burden.

A Membership Plan Partner for the Future

Our team enjoyed meeting the dental group owners, leaders, and teams who attended the DSO Summit! As you think through these takeaways, one clear way to enhance your business and patient experience is by implementing a membership plan. The right partner should provide the marketing support, patient-facing technology, and communication channels you need for success. And, your team doesn’t have to worry about taking on membership administration — that’s where Membersy can help. Talk with our team today.