Pros and Cons of Communication Platforms

Whereas the phone stays the most well-liked method for dental places of work to speak with sufferers, there is no such thing as a denying that, as the results of many digital developments, the variety of platforms to achieve sufferers has grown. With so many choices out there – from e mail and texting to Fb and Zoom – it’s troublesome to resolve which communication platforms you need to be utilizing at your workplace. Every platform has its personal execs and cons that have to be thought of when deciding what is true on your apply and the sufferers you are attempting to achieve.

Take into account your affected person demographic as you progress ahead with workplace communications. If doubtful, ask your sufferers what their most well-liked technique is when being contacted. That data is extraordinarily worthwhile and all you need to do is ask!

Phone Professionals:

• Getting an instantaneous response from sufferers
• Making a private reference to present or future sufferers
• Workers can reply questions immediately

Phone Cons:

• Some sufferers could have cellphone anxiousness
• Youthful generations are much less accustomed to cellphone calls and would favor e mail or textual content
• Some sufferers usually are not out there for calls throughout the day

Social Media Professionals:

• Can use to achieve and appeal to new sufferers
• By sharing day-to-day actions sufferers can get to know you and your employees higher
• Handy platform to share visuals (workplace design, new gear, before-and-after images)

Social Media Cons:

• Could also be an excessive amount of for workers to handle
• Many various platforms to navigate
• Hiring a social media supervisor could possibly be out of finances

E-mail Professionals:

• Flexibility for sufferers to view and reply once they have time
• Straightforward to ship mass messages to sufferers on updates to workplace (ex. COVID closure)
• Sufferers can immediately add appointments into their calendars

E-mail Cons:

• Straightforward for sufferers to disregard or delete
• Might really feel impersonal
• Might find yourself in spam folder

Textual content Messaging Professionals:

• Straightforward to organize and ship out automated messages
• Assured to achieve sufferers shortly
• Useful gizmo for answering emergency questions throughout off hours

Textual content Messaging Cons:

• Might really feel intrusive to some sufferers
• Some sufferers could not have a mobile phone or know how one can use it effectively
• Like e mail, it may seem impersonal

As seen within the print challenge of Oral Well being July 2021

*In late October and early November, 2020, Bramm Analysis, a third-party unbiased analysis home, carried out an internet survey of lively, working towards non-hospital affiliated dentists and dental specialists on behalf of Oral Well being. Utilizing Oral Well being’s subscription record, a complete of 407 accomplished surveys have been tabulated. With a complete pattern of 407, the margin of error is plus or minus 4.7 share factors on the 95 % confidence stage. If, for instance, 50% of the pattern indicated that agreed with a press release, then we may be fairly certain (19 instances out of 20) of an accuracy inside +/- 4.7%. Which means a complete census would reveal a solution of not lower than 45.3% and no more than 54.7%.

Sponsored by 

See more Data Driven Dentistry here!