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Are you tired of encountering dentistry technology problems every time you set foot in your office? Has your practice’s need for IT support outgrown your capabilities? Need help wrangling your unruly suite of IT assets but can’t afford to hire your own in-house team? Want to get more out of your practice management software (PMS)?
If any of this sounds familiar, then your practice would benefit greatly from hiring a dental IT support provider. Such a company can get your IT problems under control while simultaneously helping you implement modern automation tools and technologies like Eaglesoft or Dentrix.
With that being said, not all dental IT support providers are created equal. A small-town, local dental IT support provider might not offer the same services as a top-of-the-food-chain team. That’s why you must carefully vet each prospective partner before entrusting them with your digital assets.
To help expedite your search, we have created this guide outlining the top qualities to look for in a dental IT support company. Let’s get to it so you can find the ideal provider for your practice’s needs.
First things first, what exactly is a dental IT support company? Simply put, a dental IT support firm is similar to a managed services provider (MSP). The only real difference is a dental IT support company only works with — you guessed it — dentist offices and dental service organizations (DSOs).
A dental IT support company will act as your entire information technology team. If you already have a few IT staff on payroll, a support company will augment them and resolve challenges that might exceed your in-house team’s capabilities.
That’s the great thing about a dental IT support company — it can provide precisely the amount of service and support that you need at a fraction of the cost of in-house staff.
Another huge advantage is that these companies have entire teams of experts, each of whom specializes in remedying particular types of IT hurdles. This scope means that they can connect you with the perfect person to address the specific challenges you are facing at any given time.
Over 15 years industry experience, our team is comprised of highly experienced engineers that have an immense understanding of dental technology and delivering cutting edge solutions to dentist nation-wide.
Interested in leaving your information technology woes behind you by working with a dental IT support company? If so, then you should find a partner that offers:
1. Transparent Pricing
The last thing you want is to hire a dental IT support company, fully use their services, and then receive a jaw-dropping monthly bill far exceeding the quoted rate.
This entire scenario plays out far too often in IT support. Some businesses include hidden fees in their service agreements and tack these extra charges onto their clients’ bills throughout the month.
The good news is that great dental IT support companies do not resort to these shady tactics. Instead, they offer transparent pricing so that you know exactly how much your bill will be.
Many of these top-tier support providers even offer an unlimited IT support model, which means that you pay a fixed fee no matter how many times you request assistance.
2. A Full Suite of Services
Like virtually every other dentistry business, your practice probably leverages a wide range of IT assets daily. A few examples include PMS technology, email, and WiFi networks.
Therefore, you need a dental IT support company that can assist in maintaining and monitoring all of these assets. Top options will offer a suite of services that include:
You will need all of these services, whether your dental IT support provider offers them or not. If you choose a provider that does not provide each of the aforementioned types of support, you will either have to handle those tasks in-house or outsource to a separate company. Either option will create a logistical nightmare.
To avoid this headache, ask each prospective partner what services they offer. If they do not offer all of the services you need, continue your search until you find a provider that does.
3. Round the Clock Assistance
What good is a dental IT support provider if they are not available when you need them? With that in mind, make sure to find a provider whose hours align with those of your business.
Ideally, you want a provider who opens before your practice and closes after it. This setup will ensure that they are available to provide support before patients come in the door and just before closing as you are preparing for the following day.
The best dental IT support providers are available 24/7. However, as long as their hours extend beyond yours, they should be able to provide quality support.
4. Monthly Reporting
How do you know if a dental IT support company is actually doing everything that they claim to do? The answer is that you don’t unless they are providing you with a monthly report detailing the actions they took during that service period.
When inquiring about monthly reporting services, ask specific questions. Find out what details are included in the report. The report should include information about what vulnerabilities were discovered and how those vulnerabilities were remedied.
5. Offsite Backup Services
Offsite backup services are the best way to protect your data from cyberattacks or natural disasters. Top dental IT support companies offer offsite backups as part of their comprehensive suite of services.
These providers will not only perform backups, but they will also provide daily audit reports. These reports confirm that the backup was completed and that the copy of your files was successfully transferred in a usable condition.
6. A Simple Support Model
Managing all of your various information technology assets is inherently complicated. However, accessing support from your dental IT services provider should be anything but.
Before you commit to a dental IT support provider, find out its procedures for reporting information technology issues. If the process seems overly complicated and convoluted, don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions.
Most dental IT support companies will provide you with a link for submitting service requests, also known as “support tickets.” They should also have alternative ways of submitting requests in case your internet is completely out at your practice.
While you are inquiring about the support model, also ask what the provider’s average response times are. They should be able to confidently answer this question and provide you with some firm data that demonstrates the quality of their services.
7. Vendor Relationship Management
If you have ever wasted an entire afternoon playing phone tag with one of your software vendors, it is an experience that you never want to repeat. We can hardly blame you, as the entire process can be tedious, time-consuming, and downright frustrating.
Speaking with software vendors can become even more aggravating when the agents you are connected with only speak tech and cannot look at things from your point of view.
Fortunately, you can alleviate this burden by finding a great dental IT support company. Such a company will provide vendor relationship management services. In short, they will call your vendors and software providers, so you don’t have to.
Since they too speak the language of IT, they will be able to apply the information that is provided to them to efficiently remedy your technology issues.
8. Scalability
A major concern for most dental practices that are considering outsourcing is growth. In essence, business owners like you want to know what happens if they outgrow the level of support they are currently receiving from their MSP. Will they have to choose a new dental IT support company?
If you take the time to choose the right provider, you should never encounter this problem. Instead, your dental IT support company should allocate additional resources to your practice as your needs grow.
Naturally, accessing these additional resources might require you to upgrade to a higher subscription tier, but that comes with the territory of growing your business.
9. A Great Industry Reputation
Lastly, you want to find a provider that has a great industry reputation. What are other dental practices and DSOs saying about the support team? Have they accumulated dozens of four-star and five-star reviews, or is the feedback less than inspiring?
Anytime you read reviews, make sure to approach the process with an open mind. If a company has hundreds of positive reviews, then it probably provides an exceptional level of service. Conversely, if a business has many negative reviews that cite the same complaints, it may not be the right partner for you.
If you are interested in a provider that exhibits all of these qualities and more, look no further than Zenith Dental IT. Our highly experienced team strives to deliver maximum value to our clients by connecting them with quality digital resources and technology.
Additionally, we provide expert, timely support so our dentistry clients can focus on more important things — like helping their patients achieve optimal oral health.
Interested in learning more about the scope of our services? If so, contact us today. We will gladly provide you with a transparent quote so that you can make an informed decision.
