June 24, 2019

4 Ways to Prepare for a Dental Practice Relocation

Relocating your dental practice is much more than just packing up your boxes and moving. There are a lot of steps that need to take place before the big move to ensure a successful outcome for both your staff and patients. Here are just a few ways to set yourself up for success.

Review your lease

One of your main goals during an office relocation is to have little to no dark time between your move to ensure revenue doesn’t take a hit. By reviewing the terms of your current lease, you can stay in your current location until your new office is up and running. Most importantly, after figuring out a date for the move, don’t forget to notify your current landlord that you are terminating or not extending your lease.

Office inventory

After choosing a moving company that has experience moving large and fragile equipment, create an inventory of your office contents and a diagram of where you want all equipment and furniture to go in the new space. Your best bet is to plan to be at the new office on the day of the move to oversee the entire process, including the placement and handling of furniture and equipment. Don’t forget to get moving insurance as renter’s insurance doesn’t always cover damage to furniture or equipment during a move.

Enlist help

Delegate responsibilities among your staff and use this opportunity to declutter your office by getting rid of anything you no longer use or need. Additionally, use this time to update your patient records, including removing inactive patients’ records. This is also an ideal time to have your accountant review your budget as not only is the physical cost of a move expensive, but the new location can also skew your current budget in terms of a higher lease rate, especially if you moved to a more desirable area or into a larger space.

Notify patients

To minimize your attrition rate, be sure to notify your patients of the upcoming move by displaying a “We are moving” sign in your waiting room, as well as a banner and accompanying map of the new location on your website. Also, send out a mass letter or email to all patients detailing your move, including the new address, date of opening and highlights of your new location. Staff should also mention the move to patients at every opportunity as soon as the announcement is made. Consider even throwing an “office-warming party” to get patients and staff excited about the change.

What’s next?

Learn about the considerations that need to be made when relocating your dental practice. Then, contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to ensure a successful transition when looking to relocate your dental practice.