Flex Learning Hub

“Let me think about it.” 

These are five very common words that are used routinely when any of us are asked if we would like to move forward with a purchase. I’m the king of “Let me think about it.” Often, I want to put off a purchase because I didn’t really understand the need for the product or service I was being offered. The "sales pitch" may have sounded good but the details weren’t explained well enough or I just didn’t feel a sense of urgency to move forward. I also have a notorious habit of trying to avoid payment discussions, preferring to do pricing research independently. Later on, when I have finally made the purchase, I often wish I had done so sooner. 

Our team has worked with thousands of dental practices over the years and one common challenge the majority face is increasing their case acceptance. Usually, the patient has concerns about what exactly is being recommended, doesn’t understand the treatment being proposed, or has financial questions that they may be too timid to ask. Let’s take a look at how the treatment plan presentation module in Flex helps address these issues, facilitate conversation, and keep your patients engaged so that your team can boost acceptance and keep those ops full. 

Normandy | Lakewood Dentistry is a two-location practice in Jacksonville, FL that has been using Flex for over two years to automate their patient communications in Open Dental. With a total of 9 doctors and 32 ops between their two locations, Flex has helped Normandy | Lakewood Dentistry boost their efficiency in managing their rapidly growing number of patients. 

Jenny Martin is the practice’s regional manager and sat down with our team to talk about their Flex journey.

What Makes Flex’s Paperless Forms So Smart?

Flex’s online forms for Open Dental are smart. Like, REALLY smart. In fact, if our forms were any smarter, they could write this article themselves.

Exaggerations aside, there are some very intelligent features that we’ve designed for our online forms that make a big difference in your practice’s workflow and in ease-of-use for the patient. And, while there are many options out there for online paperless forms, there are some considerable differences between Flex and other technologies. So what makes our forms so smart? It boils down to our team’s understanding of how forms affect the user experience of both practices and patients while developing features that simplify key workflow challenges.

Adopting new technologies can be intimidating for any dental practice, especially when they involve changes to established routines or require alterations to processes the practice is comfortable with - in our business, we see it every day. Of all the products and services Flex has to offer, the one that continues to generate great success stories also seems to inspire the most hesitancy from practices to implement - online scheduling. 

From reservations about allowing patients to book appointments on their own to concerns over practice management integration, we’ve heard it all. And, because we have years of experience implementing online scheduling, we have a good bit of insight we can share - free of charge!

Flex is a powerhouse for improving efficiency in dental practices while helping you grow your business. Feature by feature, we designed Flex to supercharge your workflow in Open Dental, from automated patient communication to online scheduling. And, we love contributing to your practice's success.  

Dulce Gonzalez is the treatment coordinator with Lakeview Dental Arts, a Chicago-area boutique-style dental practice that began using Flex in 2019. Here’s what Dulce has to say about their Flex-perience (see what we did there?), favorite features, and Flex’s ability to drive efficiency while bringing new patients through their practice doors.

Fun Fact: Ashley loves to sew and has even made her own pair of jeans.

One of our goals at Flex is to deliver a customer experience that is memorable and unique among patient communication solutions for Open Dental. We know that there are moments when our team has the opportunity to go that extra step. You know, that step from “good” service to an “I’ve got to tell all my friends about this” experience. 

How do we supercharge your customer experience and create Flex fans for life? By scouring the dental industry to find people like Ashley Palen, one of our customer experience managers and an expert in dental practice efficiency. Let’s meet Ashley!

Online appointment scheduling is on the rise, with 44% of respondents in a recent survey stating they would choose a healthcare provider that offers online scheduling versus one that does not. It’s no surprise that demand for online scheduling is growing in a society that demands immediacy and does just about everything online - from grocery shopping to buying cars. 

Fortunately, our team has years of experience implementing online scheduling via our FlexSchedule solution, so we have some insight into the trend of booking appointments online and what kind of return you can expect on your investment.

Who doesn't love a good list? They're great for getting information quickly and efficiently, just like Flex. 

We spend a lot of time talking with practices about patient communication and creating efficiencies in Open Dental, so our team has a good bit of insight into the topic. After all, patient communication is our specialty - we even tend to get a bit geeky when it comes to the subject. 

Flex was designed in an Open Dental practice, so it’s little surprise that there are some really cool patient communication features in Flex that add to your Open Dental experience. In the spirit of brevity, this will not be an exhaustive list of every Flex feature. Instead, we’ll focus on the top functionalities of Flex that make your dental life easier and your processes move faster.

You’ve been shopping around for the best patient communication solution for Open Dental and have decided that Flex is the right fit for your practice. What’s next? I'll walk you through the 4 steps you’ll take from Flex newbie on your path toward becoming a Flex-pert.