Inside Dentistry Q&A with Serge Longin

Serge Longin
Co-Founder and CEO
RevenueWell

Inside Dentistry (ID): Why is a dental practice's phone system so critical?

Serge Longin (SL): Phone calls in a dental office are simultaneously one of the biggest opportunities and, without proper tools, one of the biggest sources of frustration, pain, and missed connections. A modern phone system needs to be integrated with your practice management system, highly assistive, and reliable. It's how appointments are booked, new and long-standing patients are greeted, insurance questions are answered, and so much more.

Walk into any dental practice any time, and someone will be on the phone. And another line probably will be ringing, so that system needs to work. It needs to be reliable, it has to deliver clear calls, and it needs to be flexible and easy to use so a small, non-technical team can manage it.

When we looked at the phone solutions that were available for dental practices, we saw one-size-fits-all business systems that were either reliable, but lacked assistive features, or had the features, but lacked reliability, ease of use, and support. Since we have been exclusively focused on dental practices since day one, we saw an opportunity to create a system that could deliver industry-leading reliability and dental-specific features, all backed by RevenueWell's obsession with ease of use and white-glove customer support.

ID: Why is a dental practice specific phone system important?

SL: Dental practices have three critical needs when it comes to phone systems.

First, nurturing quality relationships with existing and new patients is essential. Dentistry is a relationship business. Most patients will struggle to evaluate clinical skills. But they know how they feel when they visit or call the office. Anything that makes it easier to create a personalized connection builds patient loyalty and value. Everything we do starts with fostering deeper practice/patient connections.

Second, hard-working staff members need to be able to get on and off the phone quickly while providing amazing customer service. Dental practices have lean teams, high call volume, and conflicting priorities to juggle. The longer one call takes, the more likely it is that another patient call will be missed, setting off a round of phone tag that wastes time and creates aggravation for the practice and the patient. Solving that problem was critical to us.

Third, dental practices need reliability and flexibility. Teams need to be able to access and manage their systems anytime from anywhere. And when they need support, they need it fast. So, a dental practice phone system needs to enable flexibility. Our system management tools are incredibly easy to use, and our app allows anyone in the practice to make and receive calls from their mobile device using the practice number. The system can be managed entirely remotely.

ID: What are some of the ways RevenueWell Phone helps practices serve patients effectively and efficiently?

SL: Screen Pop is the feature that immediately gets office managers' attention. Think of it as caller ID on steroids. As soon as the phone rings, the caller's name and key information are displayed. So, before answering the call, the team already knows who is calling and has the patient's appointments, treatment history, family members, and account balance and aging at their fingertips. Instead of looking up information in multiple systems, office staff can focus on the conversation. The result is a personalized and productive conversation that makes the most of every interaction and gets everyone off the phone quicker.

ID: Why are RevenueWell's solutions all geared around humans rather than pure automation?

SL: We believe practice profitability and patient access to transparent, personalized care are inextricably intertwined. So, all RevenueWell solutions are focused on creating deeper, better-connected relationships while also helping the practice staff operate more efficiently. By combining deep personalization with automation, RevenueWell empowers dental teams to run a more profitable practice with less effort.

ID: What else should dental professionals know about RevenueWell?

SL: It's been an amazing year for us. We just received ADA Member Advantage Endorsements for RevenueWell Marketing Platform and RevenueWell Phone.

Earlier this year, RevenueWell acquired PBHS, which is hands-down the best digital marketing provider for dental practices, and PBHS has been endorsed by ADA Member Advantage for years. For ADA Members, we're now recommended for website design, digital marketing services, marketing software, and phones. It's truly an honor. And it speaks to our team's innovation, total focus on dentistry, and obsession with customer service and ease of use.

With the addition of PBHS and the launch of RevenueWell Phone, we offer everything practices need to enhance every step of the practice/patient journey. Our website and digital marketing services get new patients in the door; RevenueWell Marketing Platform and Phone optimize relationships with existing patients; and it all works together with the practice's existing practice management software to streamline patient marketing and communications workflows.