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Smile Makers Dental Center is a multi-specialty dental center with six locations in Northern Virginia. Founded in 2015, Smile Makers’ mission is to provide its community with the best dental care possible through a strong commitment to quality. They sought a comprehensive partnership that would simplify and streamline the patient experience, with a team of individuals capable of supporting the front desk by handling phone calls, tracking new patient leads, and managing accounts receivable.
With SupportDDS as their partner, Smile Makers fills these supporting roles, or insources them, by employing men and women who work directly for the practice. They have been in partnership with SupportDDS for two years, initially connected through the DEO. Currently, Smile Makers has nine SupportDDS team members who provide call center services and other front office responsibilities. Through these team members, Smile Makers ensures that each patient inquiry is promptly and accurately addressed, without overwhelming their front office staff.
Dr. Geith Kallas, CEO of Smile Makers, stated, “One of the key benefits is the creation of a stable team of virtual front office members. With SupportDDS, we have been able to overcome the challenges of hiring in the current climate, where finding skilled and reliable employees can be difficult.”
As many SupportDDS employees are based in Zimbabwe, dental organizations need to establish an effective process for communicating with remote team members. At Smile Makers, they utilize WhatsApp, which provides a simple way to maintain open lines of communication without tying up phone lines. In addition to WhatsApp, Smile Makers has implemented an onboarding system designed to facilitate the integration of remote team members. Kallas explained, “We have implemented an onboarding system specifically tailored for remote team members. This system has enabled new SupportDDS team members to quickly grasp our processes and become productive contributors to our organization.”
Kallas spoke highly of his experience with SupportDDS, emphasizing that this collaboration is a two-way street. In addition to the new onboarding system, they ensure that each SupportDDS team member is acquainted with the doctors and other staff at Smile Makers, fostering a cohesive unit. “We make them feel like they are part of the team. If we assume they can take on everything without proper support, the relationship won’t be fruitful.”
