Taking Practice Support to a New Level
With expertly trained service technicians, Patterson Dental helps dental teams make the best use of their technology
Sometimes, the superhero of the dental practice isn’t actually on the dental team—it’s the service technician. Called upon to solve any number of problems that can occur in the practice on any given day, the service tech must act quickly in the face of significant stakes. Many times, if a situation goes unresolved, such as if a key piece of equipment or technology is down, the office may have to cancel appointments or close for the day.
Patterson Dental ensures that its service techs are trained to get the job done—anytime, anywhere. “We had over 400,000 service events during the last fiscal year, and each one of those events involved a Patterson tech arriving at a dental office to save the day,” said Larry Fox, Director of Technical Services.
A dental industry leader in providing products, services, and technology, Patterson employs over 800 TechEdge service technicians who are at the ready to arrive at a practice in a moment’s notice. Deployed for any issue that can’t be resolved remotely, the service techs are trained on how to fix just about anything that could possibly go wrong.
For example, a tech was recently called to a practice that had a mundane, but significant problem—a dental chair was not working right. As usual, the stakes were high. It was a Friday, and the doctor was overseas but would be returning to a full caseload on Monday. He would need to be up and running. A dental assistant met with the tech, whose handheld device showed that a part had been replaced on this unit months earlier. Further investigation revealed the vacuum had an irrepairable fault. With the immediate help of an equipment specialist at the warehouse and coordination with the doctor overseas, the Patterson team arrived at a solution that would be delivered and installed by two techs over the weekend. The practice was back in business on Monday.
“This is a typical type of event. Whether it’s technology or what seems to be simple—a vacuum—it’s also the heart of the office. If the vacuum is not working correctly, the office is down," Fox said. "So, it may not be the most complex piece of equipment, but we deliver the same results. We go out of our way to ensure that we have the right parts and the right person onsite.”
A Lifecycle of Support
A reliable infrastructure of support is crucial for any practice—but not just when there’s a problem. With Patterson, support begins with the relationship between the practice and the territory representative, who works with a practice to realize its long-term vision. From there, equipment specialists can provide solutions that meet the practice’s unique goals.
“Not every dental office wants to do implants and chairside milling,” said Brad Fromm, Director of Partner Management, Commercial Software. “Doctors have different strategies for where they want to focus or specialize, and part of our job as a distributor to dental offices is to make sure what we’re putting in front of them aligns to their goals.”
Once an investment is made, a practice needs ongoing support—from making sure systems are installed and running properly, to team onboarding and training, to being there for remote or in-person service, if needed. Any call for support will first go to the Patterson Technology Center (PTC), a 100,000-square-foot support center in Effingham, IL. While many calls deal with equipment, others involve issues with software in the practice, whether Eaglesoft or Fuse practice management software, imaging software, or other programs.
“They’re there to answer the doctor’s call, walk them through it, and get them up and running as soon as they can with the technology that’s in their office,” Fox said of the PTC.
Next-Level Training
When an issue cannot be addressed remotely, the PTC will dispatch a service technician to the office in question. With an average tenure of 17 years, Patterson’s techs are expertly trained in equipment maintenance and repair. They first undergo manufacturer training and then work with seasoned peers as part of a rigorous onboarding process.
"We're working with the manufacturers and our techs to build our own channel that helps techs learn as they go."
-Larry Fox, Director of Technical Services
In a show of commitment to its customers, Patterson recently took that training to the next level by employing Axiom, an interactive platform for ongoing training and education. Through engaging, webbased modules, the service techs learn and relearn how to address a wide variety of issues. They also gain an understanding of new technologies and techniques that emerge in the dental industry. Fox likened this new tool to a more sophisticated version of a YouTube DIY video.
“We’re working with the manufacturers and our techs to build our own channel that helps techs learn as they go. So, if they know they’re going to go out and work on a CEREC machine, for example, and they’re going to do an alignment, one of the trainings we have is, ‘How do you do an alignment on a CEREC machine?’ So, they can brush up on it if they haven’t done one for a while, or if it’s only their first or second one,” Fox said.
In the end, it’s all part of driving practice success. According to Fox, Patterson’s job is to make sure the practice is up and running with the latest technology so that it can offer the highest-quality care to their patients. “If you don’t have patients in your chairs, you’re not making money, and we are here to make sure you get patients in your chairs and that they have a great patient experience.”
Driving Practice Growth with Education and Support
Dentsply Sirona may be the world's largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, but at its core is a simple commitment—providing healthy smiles through healthy practices. That means serving as the practice’s partner for procedural workflow solutions, ongoing support, and growth.
The company spends $150 million per year on R&D to provide innovative products that push dentistry toward greater efficiencies and better patient outcomes. Those advancements are backed with the education needed to drive practice success; Dentsply Sirona offers almost 15,000 courses, training 470,000 dental professionals annually.
But when it comes to supporting the practice, the company also is focused on equipping its own employees with the knowledge and experience needed to help practices achieve their visions. Dentsply Sirona recently introduced an electronic application enabling its entire selling organization to better understand where customers are in their journey back to growth and deliver uniquely relevant support personalized to each customer's needs.
"The service that we provide post-sale is just as important as pre-sale."
-Eric Bruno, Dentsply Sirona
“We’ve trained all of our representatives that they are not salespeople—they are support for the practice to help it grow,” said Eric Bruno, Senior Vice President of the North America Regional Commercial Organization.
Likewise, the company’s technical support team receives the training needed to provide support as a long-term partner to help practices get the most out of their investments. This includes the use of Axiom’s interactive training and education platform.
“The service that we provide post-sale is just as important as pre-sale,” Bruno said. “We’ve trained and we continue to train our technical support team on our equipment and technology so we can provide the support that practices need.”
Click here to find out how Patterson Dental makes sure you get the most from your dental technology.
