If you haven’t already, you should be considering switching your dental office's traditional phone systems over to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution. Leveraging existing Internet data lines, VoIP solutions provide higher voice quality at a lower price compared to other business phone solutions. However, navigating the marketplace for a VoIP provider can be time-consuming and confusing, especially when you’re not sure which package best suits the needs of your dental office.
Based on my experience at Henry Schein TechCentral, a true single-source dental office IT provider, I have learned these 3 things you should consider before making the switch:
1. Simple pricing and services — Switching to a VoIP solution should be simple with a single monthly fee per seat plus the cost of installation. In terms of included services, your VoIP provider should offer features that are helpful to dental offices, including VoIP phone, unlimited calling, visual voicemail, auto-attendants, and soft phones that allow you to make calls from your PC. Also, your vendor should offer mobile apps, enabling calls that come into the office to ring on your mobile phone allowing you to still receive calls if your Internet goes down during the workday.
TechCentral has partnered with Windstream Enterprises to provide VoIP solutions that are able to integrate directly with Dentrix. When the phone rings, the patient’s information can be instantly displayed on the screen, providing office managers access to appointments, treatments, prescriptions, and the patient ledger. This integration can save your staff a significant amount of time.
2. Installation and onboarding — Installation should be a breeze. Your VoIP provider should be able to use an existing Ethernet port that plugs directly into the phone. If your practice is using anything below cable Internet speeds, you may experience dropped calls and a big reduction in call quality. A free technology assessment provided by TechCentral can help determine if your office needs to upgrade to a higher speed to accommodate the traffic. Once installed, a staff memberjust needs to log in and they’ll be ready to make calls.
3. Reliability and Quality of Service (QoS) — Dentists often make the switch to VoIP when they install their Internet, and they’re offered a package by their Internet provider usually with a discount incentive. Because phone solutions are not the cable company’s primary focus, it can be hard to get the right features and technical support to accommodate the unique needs of the dental industry.
That’s why you want to choose a technology provider with experience in the dental industry that has partnered with a national provider who specializes in VoIP solutions. TechCentral partners are focused on VoIP first and have the infrastructure to provide high QoS and monitoring services all over the country. In addition, their dedicated support is based in the U.S., making it easier to resolve any problems quickly.
A True Single-Source IT Provider
While the process of switching from traditional telephone to Voice over IP is pretty simple, choosing the right provider and feature package remains a challenge. At the end of the day, your office's primary focus is patient care—not IT solution shopping. Unlike most retail outlets that simply sell VoIP solutions out of the box, TechCentral works with several manufacturers to help provide the right equipment that will work in a dental environment. With the packages pre-tested and configured, they’ll recommend the right solution for your office. Request your FREE technology assessment now, visit www.HSTechCentral.com/DPS/VoIP.
This article is paid for by Henry Schein TechCentral. Certain components of the products or services described above are provided by third parties. Henry Schein, Inc. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and expressly disclaim, all liability for damages of any kind arising out of the use of those third-party products or services.
About Tim Karis
Tim Karis has worked in product management for more than 10 years in various technology and telecom-related positions. Since joining the Henry Schein TechCentral team, Tim has taken responsibility of a multitude of products and projects. Tim uses his experience and knowledge to continually explore new technology solutions to help dental practitioners enhance their practice productivity and security.