PracticeManagement

Complete

President’sPerspective

Inside This Issue

The Newsletter for Members and Friends of Ortho2January 2014 - Volume 32 Issue 1

Comprehensive Orthodontic Practice Management, Imaging, and Communication Solutions

President’s Perspective 1

Windows XP Support Ending April 2014 2

2014 Users Group Meeting 3

Spotlighted Feature: Scheduled 4Reminders for Edge Reminders

Creating Value in Your Orthodontic 6Practiceby Carol Eaton

Profitability – A Goal for Every Small 7Business Ownerby Char Eash

Protecting and Managing Your 8Professional Online Reputationby Mary Kay Miller

Inside Ortho2 10 –13

Ortho2 = Innovation

President’s Perspective continued on page 15

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Doctor

O�ce Manager

Financial Coordinator

TX Coordinator

There was probably a time when it was fair to view Ortho2

as a conservative development company. For example,

in the late ‘80s when scheduling was considered bold

and innovative, we weren’t the first company to offer it.

(Although when we did, our scheduler feature was truly

groundbreaking.)

But it’s long past time to shake off any residual doubt that

Ortho2 is one of, if not the leading innovator in orthodontic practice management!

Consider recent history:

√ Cloud Development: Before many people were even aware of a computing

cloud, we recognized its potential and committed to wanting our customers to be

able to take full advantage of it. Starting in 2006 we spent four years developing

Edge, which was released in late 2010. It is so much easier to simply port over an

existing product and call it “cloud”, as some of our competitors are still doing today.

But we all know this is simply their way to buy time, as they scramble to develop a

real cloud system. (It takes time!)

√ Dual System Development: We also committed to finding a way to offer many

of the significant features that resulted from our Edge development to all Ortho2

clients. Specifically, Edge Imaging, Premier Imaging, Edge Animations, and Edge

Reminders were all developed for Edge, but in a way that they also integrate with

ViewPoint. This not only allows ViewPoint clients to benefit from these features now,

it also eliminates the need to re-train later, should they fully transition to Edge in the

future.

√ Timepoint Morphing: I described this exciting social networking and referral-

friendly feature in the July 2013 newsletter, you can find it at www.ortho2.com >

Other Resources > Newsletters. This is killer stuff that, to my knowledge, no one

else offers.

√ Innovation as Part of our Daily Development: Comprehensive management

systems like Edge and ViewPoint are so extensive now that it’s easy to lose sight

of true innovation in the sea of features. But look closer and significant differences

emerge. Things like multi-monitor display capabilities, ABO digital case submissions,

Windows XP Support

Contributor Contact Information:Carol Eaton – Carol has been actively

involved with the dental/orthodontic

community for more than 35 years in

various roles, including consultant and

speaker. Carol can be reached at (559)

779-9123 or through e-mail at caroleaton@

aol.com. Reach Carol on the web at

www.eatonconsulting.ws.

Char Eash – As a consultant, Char strives

to create systems that provide a positive

platform for each team member to

contribute to the practice at the highest

level on a day-to-day basis. Contact her at

(813) 891-6002 or chareash@hotmail.com.

Visit Char on the web at

www.pmsconsulting.com.

Mary Kay Miller – Mary Kay Miller is an

Internet Marketing Consultant. For more

information visit www.orthopreneur.com,

or schedule a complimentary Internet

marketing evaluation at (877) 295-5611 or

e-mail mk@orthopreneur.com.

2 3

By now you’ve probably read or heard the news that Microsoft will be ending support for Windows XP

in April of 2014. While many offices have moved on to a more modern operating system there are still

a significant number taking the “if it ain’t broke….” approach and have stayed with the tried and true

software that originally became available in 2001.

If you are among those still using Windows XP you’re probably asking why you need to make the jump to a

new version of Windows. There are several answers to that question.

• Think of what things were like “way back” in 2001 when XP was released. Many people were still using

dial-up Internet. The first smartphones had just become available. There were an estimated 50 million Internet users

who could access 40 million websites. Today it is projected that 1 billion smartphones will be sold in 2013. There are 2.7

billion Internet users accessing 640 million websites. With these changes to the cyber landscape the need for security has

increased tremendously. More modern versions of the Windows operating system have significantly more robust security

controls to protect you.

• Even if things are working fine today, when Microsoft terminates their support for XP it will mean no new patches or

critical security updates will be released. This will leave your network open to hackers and malware. New driver releases

for hardware will no longer be issued which means getting new printers, video cards, etc. may not work with your

existing computers. New applications and software from everywhere in the world of technology will not be tested to be

compatible with XP.

• Perhaps most importantly your practice is required to comply with HIPAA and, if you accept payment by credit cards,

you must also comply with PCI standards. PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) 6.1 require you to “ensure all system

components and software have the latest vendor-supplied security patches installed. Deploy critical patches within a

month of release”. Obviously once Microsoft stops releasing patches and updates you will be unable to do this. HIPAA

regulations are similar to the PCI standards in this area. HIPAA Security Rule section 164.308(a)(5)(ii)(B) states that you

must implement “procedures for guarding against, detecting, and reporting malicious software”. Once again, if you can’t

update your computer against malicious software it is impossible to be in compliance with this security rule specification.

If you’re among the group still using Windows XP don’t wait until the very last minute to plan your move to a new version

of Windows – now is the time! Protect your valuable information and your office by updating to Windows 8. Contact your

Systems Consultant at (800) 678-4644 or a member of the Ortho2 Equipment Support Team (800) 346-4504, Option 2 to

discuss the best path forward to make the switch. –Lowell Davis, Ortho2 Equipment Support Supervisor

Ending April 2014

2 3

Are you the only person in your office who sees the newsletter? Pass

it along! Use the routing slip on the cover to ensure everyone gets the

chance to read the newsletter.

You can also read the newsletter on our website www.ortho2.com >

Other Resources > Newsletters.

If you are planning a presentation or lecture at

a society meeting, university, or local meeting,

we can provide you with any screenshots you

need and can discuss how to best use Edge

and/or ViewPoint in any situations you may be

illustrating. We appreciate the good word you

spread and would like to assist in any way we

can!

2014 Users Group Meeting

It’s not too late to register for the 2014 Users Group Meeting February 20-22 in San Antonio! But hurry, registration deadline is February 1.

You can’t afford to miss this meeting. Gain practical information that you can take back to your office. Classes are taught by Ortho2 staff and industry-leading consultants who have experience in Edge and ViewPoint. Each consultant in this issue of the newsletter will be presenting at the UGM. Check it out, and if you like what you read, get your registration in!

In addition, check out the exhibit hall filled with products and services that will help improve your practice. And don’t forget to have fun at the Spurs, Sombreros, and a Fiesta! Party Thursday night. It’s guaranteed to be the best fiesta you don’t have to go south of the border for.

Ready to sign up? Go to www.ortho2.com > UGM to register you and your staff. Here you will also find travel and hotel information. You won’t regret it!

Already registered, but have yet to receive confirmation? Or have more questions? Contact Kim Barker, Meeting and Event Coordinator, at (800) 678-4644, Option 2, or at ugm@ortho2.com. We can’t wait to see you in San Antonio!

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E dge Reminders is the perfect tool

to easily send out phone, text, and

e-mail reminders. And using the program

just got a lot easier by setting up scheduled

reminders! The new scheduled reminders

feature can be used in both Edge and ViewPoint.

Read through this page for Edge setup, and the

next page for ViewPoint setup.

Setting Up Scheduled RemindersIn the Home ribbon bar,

click Editors in the Tools

tab. Under Integrations

click Reminders.

Optionally, you can type

Reminders in the search

bar. Enter your user

name and password.

Note you will have to

have permissions to

access this page. Click

Edge Reminders under

Plugins.

Click the Scheduled Reminders tab below Settings. To

create a new scheduled reminder, type the name of the

reminder in the Name field. Click Add. To edit a reminder,

click on it in the list to the left.

Under Edit fill in the following fields as needed:

• Name – Use a descriptive name for your scheduled

reminder.

• Toggle Inactive Flag – Records you flag as inactive are

not available for general use. However, they remain in

effect for reporting and other data collection needs.

• Recurrence – Select how often you want the reminders

to be sent: daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

• Day of Week – If you select the daily recurrence,

enable each day of the week that you want the

reminders to be run, generally Sunday–Thursday.

• Message – Choose the message to send when this

reminder is run. If need be, create a new message in

the Messages tab.

• Choose Subgroup – Select the subgroup to use

when selecting who should receive the message.

Only records that fit your selected subgroup will be

included.

• Start Date/End Date – Enter the first date, and

optionally the last date that you want the scheduled

reminder to be activated. If you want the reminder to

recur for an undetermined length of time, leave the

end date blank.

• Start Time/End Time – Enter the starting and ending

times for sending the reminder messages. Message

delivery will be attempted only during the time of day

you set.

• Time Zone – Select your time zone from the drop-

down list to be sure the messages are delivered at the

appropriate local time.

• Choose Delivery Method(s) – Enable each type of

delivery method – telephone, e-mail, and/or text – that

you want to use for this set of reminders. You flag

which phone number/e-mail address to use for each

type of message in the patient folder Contact details.

• Retries – Select the maximum number of retries, and

minutes between retries for telephone messages.

These fields, which are operator-specific, are ignored

for e-mail and text messages. These fields override

the values on the Setup tab of the Reminders editor.

Click the Save icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.

Viewing Scheduled RemindersYour scheduled reminders are now set for you. To see

what reminders are scheduled, click Reminders in the Task

tab of the Home Ribbon bar. Select Upcoming Scheduled

Reminders. Here you can see the reminders that are

scheduled. Click the Details button for each reminder to

see who will be sent a reminder that day. If no reminders

are scheduled for that day, nothing will appear in the

Details window.

4 5

Scheduled Reminders for Edge Reminders

Setting Up Scheduled RemindersFrom the ViewPoint main menu, click Tools & Utilities, and

then Outbound Integration. From the list, select Setup and

Maintenance. Choose the Configuration tab, and then click

Scheduled Job Setup.

Click the Job Schedules tab. Either select a record to

work with, or click the green + to create a new record. If

you create a new record, fill in the details for that record

including: Name, Start/End Dates, Call Start/End Times,

Recurrence. Note that the Day of the Week options are only

available when you have selected either the Weekly or Bi-

Weekly recurrence. Click Save to save your changes.

Next, click the Job Details tab, if not done so. Either select

a record to work with, or click the green + to create a new

record. If

you create a

new record,

fill in the

Details

information.

Custom

date is only

used for

an office

closure

message.

Select either All, Normal, Recall, or Custom for Procedures.

All – Places both normal (scheduled) and recall

procedures in the list of procedures to be included.

Normal –Places only scheduled procedures, not recall

procedures, in the list to be included.

Recall – Places only recall procedures, not scheduled

procedures in the list to be included.

Custom – You choose the procedures yourself using the

left and right arrows.

If you select one of these three options, you can use the

arrows to move individual procedures to and from the

Included and Excluded procedure boxes. After you create

the job, you can optionally put it on hold until you are ready

to use it by simply clicking the Hold Job option.

Finally, click the Service Setup tab. This configures the

workstation(s) that you want to use for sending automated

messages.

Click Enable/Disable to select/deselect this workstation as

an Edge Reminders scheduled service station. Most offices

need to enable only one workstation to run the service.

However, if you choose to run the service on multiple

workstations, Edge Reminders will coordinate all the

services so that only one set of messages are initiated.

In addition, select the Service State. Start will cause this

station to begin checking your Edge Reminders scheduled

job details on an ongoing basis, and process those jobs

as scheduled. Stop will suspend checking for scheduled

reminder jobs. Restart clears and restarts the service. Click

Save.

Viewing Scheduled RemindersYour scheduled reminders are now ready to be sent. To

view upcoming reminders, click Edge Reminders Scheduled

Jobs in the Daily Activities menu. Each of your future

schedule reminder jobs are listed at the top of the window.

Click a job to work with and then Job Date to see a list of

patients that are included in that job.

4 5

Scheduled Reminders for Edge RemindersPart of an ongoing series spotlighting significant features

6 7

Creating Value in Your

A t the core of value lies customer

service. Customer Service is

defined as “the provision of service

to customers before, during, and after

a purchase, customer service is a series

of activities designed to enhance the level

of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling

that a product or service has met the customer

expectation,” according to Wikipedia.

In the orthodontic industry, high-standards of customer

service is spoken about and most often performed at the

initial new patient consultation. However, do we keep

those same high standards throughout the orthodontic

process from that new

patient call to the final

retention appointment?

At a recent popular

breakfast house on the

central coast of California,

I came across a saying on

the menu stating, “Your

experience is our number

one priority. You are the most important person in our

restaurant.”

Can you imagine an orthodontic office printing

those words on their website, all of their written

communications, and perhaps decoratively painted on a

wall in the reception room, and actually supported by each

and every team member throughout the day?

The importance of customer service may vary by product,

service, industry, or customer. The perception of success

of such interactions will be dependent on employees who

can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest,

client, or patient/parent.

Customer service plays an important role in an

organization’s ability to generate income and revenue;

therefore it is a critical part of the overall approach to

systematic improvement. It should be part of our yearly

training as a reminder and motivation to continue to find

ways to provide customer service to our new and existing

patients/parents, including our retention patients. One can

never be over-trained in this area.

A customer service experience can change the entire

perception a customer has of the organization; both good

and bad. Yelp reviews can be your friend or your enemy.

Word of mouth conversations shared about your practice

can create new referrals or keep potential patients away.

Benefits of Creating a Customer Service Protocol• Provide an exceptional customer service experience

• Increase customer

service and customer loyalty

• Retain customers

(expand services to other family

members, friends, etc.)

• Improve profits

• Create new referral

sources

Teaching employees the

knowledge, skills, and

competencies required to increase customer service and

customer loyalty should be a standard training protocol for

new employees as well as seasoned employees.

About the AuthorCarol Eaton is best known for her

expertise in training new patient

coordinators and streamlining the

new patient process for efficiency

and effectiveness and orthodontics.

She is presenting two classes at the

2014 Users Group Meeting.

Value continued on page 14

Orthodontic Practice

Customer Service is not lip service. It’s actual hands-on, day-to-day consistent, above and beyond service extended to

your patients and parents.

Value includes concepts of worth, concepts of quantity, amount, or entity.

6 7

S ometimes it seems like speaking about profit is

taboo in orthodontics today. The word “Profit” is

many times contrived as a means to compromise with

orthodontic care, end result or patient experience. It is

actually the opposite in meaning as the most profitable

orthodontic practices I work with provide a quality end

result and a positive patient experience while creating a

secure team environment. Orthodontics is a small business

which must create a profit to be viable.

There are many systems that contribute to profitability

other than the new patient process. Orthodontists are

spending many dollars on marketing systems that may

grow the practice externally when internally they are losing

money day-to-day on systems that are not being tracked.

I get very discouraged when I hear an orthodontist state

that they have not taken a paycheck for a period of time.

They are the CFO/CEO of the practice and should be

compensated as any employee for their contribution to the

organization.

I would like to address the systems that create profitability

in the orthodontic practice which in turn supports a positive

business plan.

1. Let’s begin with a business plan. Do not be in survival

mode! Every great business has a business plan.

Every time I read the book “Starbucks Experience” I

remember that vision began with the 50 cent cup of

coffee. The business plan was created to get people

paying 50 cents for a cup of coffee to pay $5.00 for a

similar product while enjoying the process.

First there was a business plan and we all know how

that plan played out! With any orthodontic practice we

need a business plan. This plan would include days and

hours to be worked for the year, goals set for each day

to be worked both contracts and receipts, the number

of employees needed to facilitate the goal, a job

description for each team member that outlines how

they will contribute to profitability, the schedule set to

support the practice goals, and the marketing strategy

internal and external to support the plan.

2. Set up your profit and loss statement to reflect the

industry standards. The key items to compare are

staff salaries, clinical supplies, lab supplies, lab costs,

office supplies, rent, and newly added IT/social media

costs. These line items define the profitability of the

practice. Prior to hiring that new team member, you

must review the percentage to income to verify you

have the income to add that position or even replace

that position.

When deciding on equipment purchases ask the

question how will this item create profitability for the

practice, and how will the taxation or depreciation

dollar affect your bottom line? A profit and loss

statement should be reviewed quarterly at minimum!

How many million-dollar businesses do you know of

that do not have a budget for key line items? Not

many successful ones!

3. Treatment times define the profitability of the

orthodontic practice. In a slower economy I have seen

practices choose to see their patients more often just

to fill the schedule. That may or may not affect the

value per visit when reviewing the debond analysis.

Let’s get patients through treatment while at the same

time creating the highest value per visit on a timely

Profitability – A Goal For

Profitability continued on page 14

About the AuthorChar Eash is the founder and CEO

of Profit Marketing Systems South,

inc., a systems and communication

enhancement firm for the progressive

orthodontic practice. She will be

presenting two courses the 2014

Users Group Meeting.

Every Small Business Owner

8 9

I n the brave new world of the

Internet, your professional reputation

is on the line every day. As the Internet

continues to be more prevalent in our

society, savvy business owners understand

the importance of proactively building a strong

online reputation. At a time when most consumers

research a product or service online before making a

buying decision, it is imperative that providers pay close

attention to what’s said about them and their business

online.

Local search has evolved into a diverse research system of

available products and services to be marketed and found

in any given area, on all kinds of devices including laptops,

desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Managing your

online reputation is more important than ever, yet many

orthodontic practices continue to ignore, struggle, or fail

to keep up in a digital world.

Managing Your Online Brand There are two key aspects to managing your brand on the

Internet: information and reviews.

First and foremost, your business information must be

correct and consistent for the search engines to index

your brand correctly. That includes business name, phone

number, address, website, etc. Think of the Internet as

one colossal spreadsheet. Hundreds of different databases

are referencing your business 24/7. If your brand is not

consistent across the board, then such search engines

like Google, and major local databases like Localeze,

Citysearch, and Express Update become confused and

may reduce your ranking in local search.

Over the past decade, a myriad of review sites and

databases have collected business name/address/phone

number (NAP) on the Internet. NAP data categorizes every

business imaginable, including dentists, orthodontists, and

other health care providers.

Consequently, the Internet is inundated with duplicate,

outdated, and erroneous business listings. If your practice

has undergone a name change, buyout, partnership

addition, or relocation in the past 5–10 years, chances

are there’s an issue with your branding. The Internet

is “evergreen” and remembers everything. It is your

responsibility as a business owner to notify the online

world of any business NAP changes.

Inaccurate Info Can Hurt Unfortunately there is no centralized online database

where you can update information correctly everywhere on

the web. Each database and review site has its own system

for categorizing businesses, updating edits and changes,

and handling reviews. There may be a time in the future

when centralization becomes reality, but for now, the

process can be tedious and at times… overwhelming.

Depending on how long doctors have been in practice,

how many locations are associated with their practice

name, and the number of partners and/or business

names that have come and gone, there could be tons of

inaccurate information throughout the Internet.

It may not be your own doing that the wrong stuff is

distributed online. But it is your business to protect your

branded reputation. If you are looking for a place to start,

visit www.getlisted.org. Enter your business name and zip

code to see how your business is represented online.

Keep in mind that the Internet is imperfect by nature and

its perfection is a pipe dream. Rather, it’s an ongoing

process throughout the life of your business. As the

Internet grows, so will the increase in online databases,

review sites, and all the bugs that follow. You goal is to

stay up to date as best you can.

Your Goal: Clean ReviewsAs the Internet evolves and the strength of consumer

opinion increases the momentum of social media, your

practice is increasingly vulnerable to what others say, right

or wrong, in online reviews. A disgruntled employee,

an impossible patient, an unethical competitor — even

criminal extortionists who post bad reviews and demand

a fee to remove them — all can leave a lingering stain on

Protecting and Managing Your Professional

your reputation. When was the last time you Googled your

name or branded business name to check reviews? The

number of business owners that have no clue what’s being

said about them online is extraordinary!

No business ever has a credible 100% satisfaction rate. No

matter how great your treatment expertise, or the quality

of customer service delivered by the team, patients and/or

parents are sometimes dissatisfied. We all make mistakes. It

is inevitable that, sooner or later, someone will share a less

than positive experience online.

At Orthopreneur, doctors and staff often ask us how to

remove a bad review. The reality: the only entities that can

take down such reviews is the reviewer themself or the

site where they’re posted. Since reviews are subjective

opinions, review sites rarely take them down. It can take a

lot of time and money to remedy a besmirched reputation.

So the best approach is to keep it from happening in the

first place.

Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive If you are actively monitoring and managing what is said

about you, there is a better chance of controlling the

dialogue. If you are in the dark about the comments of

others, events can quickly spiral into chaos. I suggest your

office take charge, rather than leave it to someone else.

Third party review programs and reputation management

companies often fall short of the end goal — to build a

well-rounded branding of your business, especially with

Google.

I find the most successful long-term review programs are

managed in-house by the team. And, what worked last

year won’t necessarily work today. After the latest Google

algorithm changes that occurred in August 2013 — the

largest change on Google in 12 years — the branded

online reputation of your practice, both in local search and

on mobile, is directly impacted.

In order to be proactive and not reactive, start with Google

and Yelp. These are the currently two most important

review sites for local businesses. Also, do a few Google

searches to determine which review sites are showing up

on the first two pages of search in your area. Results are

different for every practice.

Always encourage satisfied patients to leave reviews.

However, I recommend holding their hand through the

process to build a well-rounded program for optimum

success. In the event you receive a less-than-stellar review

or are a victim of online extortion, it won’t matter as much.

If you have an abundance of reviews across the board and

the vast majority of them are positive, you can weather any

storm. When was the last time you didn’t buy a product

on Amazon because there were a few bad reviews in

comparison to the positive ones?

It is important to point out that soliciting reviews goes

against the guidelines of Google, Yelp, and most review

sites. The majority of these sites explicitly state that

comments cannot be solicited, and rewards or incentives

should not be offered for reviews. Google and Yelp have

review filters aimed at identifying fake or solicited reviews.

But the filtering algorithms may not be accurate and it can

often be frustrating when hard-earned reviews are lost.

Tips for Reviews on Google• Avoid adding reviews in the office using the same IP

address. Google tracks IP addresses and you risk losing

those reviews.

8 9

Protecting and Managing Your Professional

About the AuthorMary Kay Miller is an Internet

Marketing Consultant for the

orthodontic profession specializing

in SEO, WordPress Website Design,

Exclusive Web 2.0 services, and Mobile

Marketing. She is presenting a class at

the 2014 Users Group Meeting.

Online Reputation continued on page 15

Online Reputation

ViewPoint – Subgrouping

Friday, January 10th, 10:00-11:00 A.M. Central Time

Tuesday, January 21st, 2:00-3:00 P.M. Central Time

Subgroups allow you to work with a select group of

patients to generate reports, forms, labels, and merge

letters for all patients who meet the subgroup criteria.

We’ll walk through creating subgroup templates you can

use many times over. We’ll also discuss options available to

modify existing subgroup templates.

Edge – Appliance Tracking Feature

Thursday, January 16th, 10:00-11:00 A.M. Central Time

Monday, January 27th, 2:00-3:00 P.M. Central Time

You can use the Appliance Tracking feature in Edge to

record the dates and locations of your patient appliance

orders and consultations. We’ll step through how to get

started, how to manage and track patient appliances, and

report options.

ViewPoint – Edge Reminders for ViewPoint

Wednesday, February 12th, 10:00-11:00 A.M. Central

Time

An overview of Edge Reminders for ViewPoint, the easy-to-

use and efficient system for automating patient reminders.

Reminders can be sent via multiple message options

including phone, text message, and/or e-mail for any range

of upcoming appointment dates. We’ll review the setup

steps and daily use of the program.

Edge – Edge Reminders

Thursday, February 6th 10:00-11:00 A.M. Central Time

See how easy it is to implement Edge Reminders, our

automated patient reminders system, into your office. We’ll

review the easy setup, use, and explain how it integrates

with your schedule in Edge.

ViewPoint – Correspondence History

Monday, March 3rd, 10:00-11:00 A.M. Central Time

Tuesday, March 18th, 2:00-3:00 P.M. Central Time

The Correspondence History feature allows you to keep

a record of mail merge documents, e-mail messages,

and other correspondence you send to your patients,

responsible parties, office contacts, professionals, and

employees. Documents and forms you generate from

ViewPoint are automatically added to the appropriate

correspondence history. We’ll show your where to find

this information, how to manually capture and scan in

additional items of your choosing, security options, and

printing. Lastly, we’ll have a short discussion of possible

capture or scan issues, and how to overcome them.

Inside Ortho2Information about the people of Ortho2 and the resources available to you as a member

Free WebinarsWe offer you free, online, real-time webinars. Each month throughout the year we present various topics. It’s a great

solution for training new users, refreshing experienced users, or learning about new features. Webinars are offered

several times each month so you can choose the time that fits best with your schedule. Preregistration, a computer with

a high-speed Internet connection, and a phone are required. For a full schedule, and to register, visit www.ortho2.com >

Meetings and Webinars > Ortho2 Webinars, or contact Judy Brown at (800) 346-4504 or jkb@ortho2.com.

Upcoming Webinar Dates

10 11

For a complete list of webinars, visit the Ortho2 website, www.

ortho2.com > Meetings and Webinars > Ortho2 Webinars.

10 11

Contact UsPhone

(800) 678-4644 (Sales)

(800) 346-4504 (Support)

Fax

(515) 233-1454

Internet

www.ortho2.com

E-mail

admin@ortho2.com

ideas@ortho2.com

info@ortho2.com

orders@ortho2.com

ortho2support@ortho2.com

sales@ortho2.com

Newsletter Submissions

editor@ortho2.com

Social Media

www.facebook.com/ortho2

www.youtube.com/ortho2systems

www.twitter.com/ortho2systems

www.linkedin.com/company/ortho2

https://google.com/+ortho2

On a Personal NoteChristopher Smith, Ortho2 Software Support Representative, and his wife, Griselda, welcomed Benjamin Lee to their

family on September 16. Benjamin weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces, and was 21 inches long. He is joined at home by older

brother Rafael.

Welcome to the world, Penelope Ann Schmidt. Amy Schmidt, Ortho2 Director of Sales and Marketing, and Corey

Schmidt, Ortho2 Internal Services Supervisor, welcomed Penny on September 21. She was 20 inches long and weighed 8

pounds 7 ounces. She is joined at home by sister Izzy and brother Sawyer.

Myles Kellner joined Chad Kellner, Ortho2 Development Manager of Legacy Systems, and his wife Breanne on September

25. He is joined at home by sister Piper.

In addition to all the babies being born, there have been several weddings this year, including:

Brandon Niewoehner, Ortho2 Software Support Representative and Trainer, married Liz Leisinger on June 7.

Jordan Johnson, Ortho2 Software Support Representative and Trainer, married Shannon McCrocklin on July 15.

Derek Dohrman, Ortho2 Software Support Advanced Tech, married Megan Di Cesare on August 10.

Benjamin Shin, Ortho2 Software Support Representative, married Amy Senkbeil on November 9.

Congratulations to all! We wish you many years of wedded bliss!

Benjamin Lee Penny Ann Myles Kellner

Ortho2 AnniversariesCongratulations to these Ortho2 staff members who celebrated anniversaries during the fourth quarter of 2013.

Help Us Help YouPlease be prepared to provide your customer number, practice name, and office location when you call our support teams

for assistance. If you use ViewPoint, you will find your customer number by clicking the Help menu and choosing About.

You can find your customer number in Edge by clicking the Edge button > Help > About. Please be sure to provide

this information—and repeat your phone number—when leaving a phone message requesting support. Having clear

information helps us serve you more quickly.

Log into the Customer Site of Ortho2.comThere are many resources available to you on our website. You will find visual help files, printed documentation, FAQs,

information on upcoming meetings, the ability to register for webinars, and more.

If you haven’t already created an account to access the Customer Site of our website, you will need to do that. Each

doctor and staff member can create their own account. Visit www.ortho2.com, and click Customer Site in the upper left

corner to begin the process.

Next, click the Register a New User Account link on the login screen. You will be prompted for your full name, main office

phone number, and Ortho2 customer number. Finally, enter your individual e-mail address, a password of your choice (at

least five characters), and a display name that will be publicly visible.

Twenty-One Years

Todd Schuelka

Nineteen Years

Michele Eich

Fifteen Years

Lowell Davis

Denise Sargent

Jennifer Shaffer

Eleven Years

Rick Kelley

Nine Years

Corey Schmidt

Eight Years

Derek Dohrman

One Year

Brian Good

12 13

Referral RewardsYou can earn a $500 credit for each referral that results in an Ortho2 system purchase within 6 months. You can apply the

credit toward any current or future charge or purchase — it never expires. We frequently hear from doctors that they wish

we had contacted them before they purchased their current system. We wish we had too, but we didn’t know they were

looking. You can help us help your colleagues by letting us know when they are considering a change in systems. Enter

referrals online at www.ortho2.com > Customer Site > Feedback and Forums > Referral Rewards, or call (800) 678-4644.

Our Feedback ForumOrtho2 brings you UserVoice, a powerful feedback forum that allows you to easily tell us what you think! Now you have

the power to connect with us, make suggestions for enhancements, vote on your favorite ideas, and watch them become

a reality.

Log into UserVoice through the Ortho2 website. Visit www.ortho2.com, and click

Customer Site in the upper left corner to begin the process. Next, log in with your

e-mail and password. Finally, click the Forums and Feedback button and then click

the UserVoice logo. You are ready to go!

There are six product enhancement forums: Edge, Edge Animations, Edge Imaging, Edge Resident, Orchestrate, and

ViewPoint. You can search existing suggestions and enter your own. Vote for your top enhancements and check back to

see which are getting the most votes. You can even add comments to suggestions and read comments from other users

and from Ortho2.

SupportBy Phone: (800) 346-4504

Available 7:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. Central

Time, Monday – Friday

By E-mail: ortho2support@ortho2.com

Response time is usually the same day or

at most within 24 hours.

By Fax: (515) 233-1454

You can fax us support requests. While not required, forms that help identify

these requests are available at www.ortho2.com > Customer Site > Online

Help.

And Don’t Forget Our Website: www.ortho2.com

Our website gives you 24/7 access to our knowledge base, FAQs, white

papers, visual help videos, and more.

12 13

14 15

Value continued from page 6

Is a customer service makeover in your future?

Training Tools Required:

1. Listening Skills

• Listen to the specific expectations of the patient and

parent.

• Clearly explain the next steps in the orthodontic

process and confirm that the patient/parent is on

board and satisfied with this decision and requested

action.

2. Enhance Your First Contacts

• Research has shown that improving first contact

resolution is one of the primary drivers of customer

satisfaction.

• Evaluate your current new patient phone call protocol

as well as the first initial visit to your practice; make a

list of what needs to be improved.

3. Brand the Interaction of Your Team with Your

Patients and Parents

• Make excellent service part of their daily offering,

thereby adding value at every interaction.

4. Invest in Your Employees/Team Members

• Employees feel valued and motivated when you

invest in their growth and training. This can reduce

turnover and associated costs

In his popular book “From Good to Great”, Jim Collins

says, “Good is the enemy of great.”; it is imperative that

we establish standards in our individual practices that

elevate us to a higher level of clinical delivery, customer

service, and perceived value. List what you need to do in

each of these categories to elevate your standards:

1. Clinical Delivery and Efficiency: How does a patient

judge this aspect of your practice?

2. Chairside Customer Service: What do you currently

do that shows signs of incredible customer service in

the clinical arena?

3. Front Office Customer Service: What do you currently

do that shows signs of incredible customer service

from your front office/administrative team when

interacting with patients and parents?

4. Perceived Value: How would a patient or parent

measure value in your practice?

“Satisfied customers (patients, parents, and our referral

sources) are the most important asset of any business. Our

mission is to understand their needs, values, fears, and

goals. We must learn to see through their eyes. If we serve

customers with creativity, compassion, and competence…

the competition may catch on. But they will never catch

up,” Author unkown.

basis. While monitoring treatment time, two services

that kill profit are emergencies and over-extended

retention periods. Have an emergency policy for

brackets off and broken appliances. Once the policy

is established stick to it. Chances of relapse are more

present in practices that have a long retention period.

This, in turn, creates the possibility of retreatment.

Retreatment due to non-compliance burns profit as it is

very difficult to charge what is needed per visit.

4. You cannot grow a practice by lowering or

manipulating fees. Fees need to be set based on

the complexity of the case and the number of visits

you calculate it will take to achieve the desired end

result. After a review of the debond analysis and how

the fees for each case type may play out, it is easy to

calculate what the fees standards should be, based

on a minimum of $250 per visit. If participating in

insurance plans review with the financial/insurance

coordinator how the orthodontic fees may be billed

to maximize the policy and fee structure. Discounts

with fees kill profit in many cases as the combination

of fee discounts exceed a safe 8% threshold. In some

practices fee reductions could reach 20% if a fee is

given that includes a paid in full discount, second

phase discount, and sibling discount. What is the

threshold to treat a case and have it be profitable for

the practice? You should know this answer.

These are just a few systems that create profit and continue

to build the business of orthodontics. If you had to sell your

practice today could you maximize the practices value by

presenting a low overhead and positive cash flow?

Profitability continued from page 7

ClinCheck® integration, direct publishing of custom image

and animation videos to Facebook and YouTube, dynamic

drill-down reporting, customized dashboard views – the

list goes on and on. And all the while ongoing innovations

have significantly reduced computer requirements and

brought dramatic performance improvements to Edge.

√ More Than Just Software: We are also innovating how

features and information are offered – we released Edge

Mobile (our smartphone/tablet app for Android and Apple)

with many unique features as a free enhancement. We

offer Edge Reminders with no contract commitment, no

minimums, and with both per-transaction and unlimited

usage plans. Our data hosting fees have recently been

simplified and lead the industry in terms of value. In

addition to these newsletters, we provide valuable ongoing

information through our blog, blog.ortho2.com. And we

quickly respond to user input via our UserVoice website,

ortho2.uservoice.com.

And the future brings? More exciting innovation! For

competitive reasons, I don’t want to describe our future

plans here, but rest assured we have some things in

development you are going to love! Stay tuned…

14 15

Dan Sargent, Ortho2 President

President’s Perspective continued from page 1

Online Reputation continued from page 9

• Avoid adding reviews too fast, especially with contests

or promotions. Post no more than a few per month,

but do so on a consistent basis. Keep in mind, for

every 10 patients you ask to write a review from home,

on average, only one will comply. Persistence reaps

reward and asking personally always trumps an e-mail.

• Avoid duplicating a Google review on another review

site or on your website. Duplication of a Google review

on the testimonial page of your website is a no-no.

Tips for Reviews on Yelp• Ask the person reviewing if they are a regular Yelper!

Yelp filters reviews from first time Yelpers. Direct them

to another review site if they are newbies.

• Like Google, if it looks like you are soliciting, they

will filter. Unlike Google, you still can find the reviews

within your business listing.

• If it looks like a canned review, whether real or not,

they will filter. Yelp acknowledges their filter isn’t

perfect.

• Like Google, persistence is key.

If it Sounds Too Good to Be TrueBe particularly wary of so-called “reputation management”

programs that do not accomplish what needs doing.

There are many companies out there that offer to take

care of your reputation management for a fee. There’s

a bit of a feeding frenzy by Internet marketers trying to

capitalize on this relatively new sector. When evaluating,

I recommend against setting up a reputation program

and then forgetting about it. All reputation management

programs require staff involvement and due diligence to be

successful for best ROI.

Rather than stacking 40 reviews on one or two sites, try to

get at least 10 reviews across 5-10 different review sites,

with Google and Yelp your highest priority. If you have at

least ten 4- or 5-star reviews as a cushion, you will maintain

a good rating based on averages. Then work on the other

sites and return to Google and repeat the process. Don’t

put all your eggs in one basket. Facebook is now offering

a review area but it shouldn’t be a high priority until your

reputation is managed well first in local search.

Be leery of any service or product that claims to post

reviews for you on multiple review sites. New laws are

being written to crack down on fake reviews. Before

signing up for any online service (for reviews or otherwise),

read the fine print and ask questions. Do you actually own

your reviews or are they stored on a virtual portal? If you

cancel your service, do you lose all reviews accessed from

your website?

As the Internet grows and evolves, the priorities of a

business owner will likely remain the same. Visibility will

always be paramount. Accuracy will always be a close

second. Being proactive is perhaps the easiest effort you

can make. Always stay current!

By staying on top of your reputation, you will reap

immediate and long-term benefits. Neglect your online

presence and you may risk future rewards.

1107 Buckeye Ave., Ames, Iowa 50010 • www.ortho2.com

“Delivering practical solutions for success to the orthodontic profession…”

Poor online reviews can harm the reputation of your

practice. When was the last time you reviewed your online

presence?

page 8

Excellent customer service adds value to

your practice. Read this article to find ways to

enhance your customer service.

page 6

There are many factors to consider to create

profitability in your small business. Maximize

your profitability with these tips.

page 7 ORTHO2Sales (800) 678-4644 Support (800) 346-4504

Local/Intl. (515) 233-1026 Fax (515) 233-1454