The current economic crisis has clearly succeeded in remaining nonpartisan when it comes to dishing out the doldrums and driving down a business’s bottom line. The professional community has certainly not been spared from its wrath, since a recession has the nasty habit of trickling upward. This past year has done more than tighten the purse strings of our professional colleagues; it’s even put a damper on everyone’s well-earned confidence in their own expertise and success.
As architectural and design professionals serving the dental professional community, we’re not immune to those truths; but we have learned that there are smart, powerful ways to alleviate the affects of the “down season”. Being optimistic and positive is one; the other is being proactive, forward thinking and knowing how to utilize the right talent and resources.
If you feel we are about to turn the corner towards a better economy, it’s smart to be ready for the new marketplace. There are several cost-effective ways to prepare your practice, including design and build-out renovation, space-sharing and creative branding.
This is the first in a series of articles by Miles Design that will help you to prepare for the upcoming recovery.
Preparing For the Economic Recovery Now
Consumers are getting savvier and they’re looking for more value for their hard earned dollar. They still expect professional service from their doctors and dentists, but they also want to feel special. If your office is designed to make your patient’s feel successful, well cared for and even pampered, you’ll have an edge on the market.
We’re not suggesting you add spa treatments to your practice. Although some dental professionals go that route, we believe that you don’t have to attract clientele with feel-good, fee-bearing services. They make you appear more expensive and really don’t promote what you do best. You can make your patients (and your staff) feel that they are special in other, more cost-effective ways.
Positive Perception of Your Practice Begins with Harmonious Design
Your upscale office facility design reflects your professional standards. It tells patients and their families that you go the extra mile when it comes to their personal comfort and well-being.
Our experience has shown that even the most cost-effective office design, if planned strategically, generates an increase in patient attendance and clientele. What’s more, dental professionals find that they are able to maintain current pricing while enjoying a more profitable bottom-line due to increased traffic and publicity. Even after the initial renovation, patients continue to remark that a modern office makes them feel like their dentist is using the most up-to-date equipment and that the facility is cleaner than other dental facilities.
In 2010 we renovated this maxillofacial surgery facility in Atlanta, GA. Shown here are the before and after photos of the reception and waiting areas. Which office would you rather visit? Which office best reflects your level of service and expertise?Moving Beyond the Recession
One powerful benefit to having a strategically designed modern dental facility is that it improves the comfort and productivity of your entire staff. When your staff enjoys their environment, efficiency and loyalty improves. Members of your staff feel appreciated; you have done something special for their own comfort and success.
We mentioned earlier that one of the negative effects of the past recession is many professionals feel less confident in their worth. Medical professionals are certainly not immune to this condition. With business practitioners cutting their fees to match a dwindling demand and one’s personal accomplishments suddenly being perceived as less meaningful, it’s no wonder so many admit to suffering from varying degrees of depression. This can quickly change when you focus on getting beyond the recession; preparing your professional practice for the future - now. What’s more, a little positive forward thinking can put you in the spotlight when everyone else is still in the shadows….and you can do it cost-effectively.
Creating a Harmonic Environment Creates a Harmonic Experience
In our own practice, we’ve demonstrated time and time again that the correct use of space, color and light within an office facility can improve productivity and patient confidence.
Good design shapes our emotional and physical well-being. Everything from the architectural elements and use of space, to the manipulation of natural and manufactured lighting; to implementing the beneficial properties of color; - they all support and help promote the success of your practice and the comfort and loyalty of your patients and staff.
In our next article, we’ll share information about how dental professionals can find greater security and success by forming partnerships and through inter-practice space-sharing.
Award-winning interior designer Cb Miles, ASID allied and Carlos Ostrej, Architect NCARB, specialize in modern architectural and interior design for medical and dental facilities.
For more information, or to schedule a free consultation, visit www.cbmiles.com
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