Colgate Professional Direct Makes Patient Compliance Simple

What percentage of your patients use the products you recommend? As every hygienist knows, dental patient compliance isn’t just about convincing them to floss once a day, but it’s also about following through with homecare product recommendations that will help them achieve healthy teeth and gums.

Colgate Professional Direct is a new way to bridge the gap between checkups and your dental patients’ compliance. You’re able to digitally send product recommendations directly to your patients so that they purchase the specific type of items they need to care for their smiles in the best manner possible (regardless of their unique needs.)

Colgate Professional Direct

In short, Colgate Professional Direct is a streamlined channel that facilitates dental hygienists’ recommendations to their patients and makes it convenient for those individuals to buy the products they need (and at a discounted price!) There’s no inventory to maintain, coupons to clip, or wondering whether your patients are using the products you talked to them about. The purchase link is shared through the tap of a screen and straight to your patient’s pocket.

How it Works:

1) You Make Recommendations

You understand your patients’ mouths better than anyone. Select the specific types of dental homecare products that will benefit their oral health, click to add them to a list, and it’s automatically placed into a digital shopping cart for that specific individual.

2) The Patient Receives A Personalized Message

Your patient chooses to get their recommendations via text or email. Once you click submit, they get an instant link that directly leads them to the online cart containing your recommended dental homecare products. That way you can directly improve dental patient compliance without the risk of them forgetting, losing, or ignoring suggestions you discussed during their appointment. Plus, all products are priced at an exclusive rate as an incentive to participate in the Colgate Professional Direct program.

3) Products are Delivered Directly to Your Patient

Facilitate higher dental patient compliance by having products shipped straight to your patient’s front door. When they buy online there’s no inventory to order, track, or sell. The patient purchases them directly and reminders are sent when it’s time to get more. There’s less pressure on you and the patient alike since there’s not an atmosphere of “sales” during their appointment.

Challenges Of Patient Compliance

Let’s face it. No matter how well you communicate your patient’s oral health needs to them, they tend to not care as much about your oral hygiene instructions once they leave the office. Sure, they might act like they understand how important it is to use a specific hygiene aid to clean a particular area, but after their visit it probably won’t seem like a priority anymore.

Plus, there’s the challenge of selling products directly in your practice and convincing your patient to buy them before they walk out the door (talk about pressure.). When you’re trying to get a patient to purchase a specific oral hygiene product while they’re still in the operatory, they may be thinking you’re trying to meet a quota rather than enhance their dental homecare routine.

Patients Care, They Just Might Forget

You may have AMAZING dental patients who always implement the oral hygiene advice you give them during their checkups. But even if you know they’re committed to using the best dental homecare products, there’s a really good chance they’ll get home and just forget about it. Or maybe they’ll run a dozen different brands through their mind trying to remember and still pick the wrong one.

With dentistry, a lot of things are “out of sight, out of mind.” If your patient doesn’t have an issue that’s bothering them, there’s a good chance they’re going to forget about the patient education session you just spent 10 minutes on within a few days. After all, life is busy. Between work, school, hobbies, unexpected emergencies, bills, and everything else that life throws at you, how many people are going to prioritize buying a specific type of toothpaste from the 500+ blends to choose from the next time they stop by the grocery store?

You see what I’m saying… Colgate Professional Direct fills in the gap.

Benefits Of The Program For Patients

• Puts the product directly into a virtual shopping cart.
• Product recommendations are sent to the patient via text message or email (their choice).
• Re-order reminders so they never run out of product.
• Allows the patient to pick and choose from products you recommend.
• Discounted, exclusive pricing. No coupons!
• No stores. Everything is shipped straight to their front door.
• Personal reminders that help them remember which products they need.

Winning Half The Battle

One of the best times to discuss oral care products with your patients is while they’re still sitting back in your chair. And when you’re able to instantly text them what it is that they need, they can tap the message on their phone and buy it while they’re waiting on the dentist to step in for their exam. It’s a win-win for everybody. They can select the size, whether they want automatic refills, and even get exclusive pricing compared to purchasing the same product in stores. But most importantly, they’ll be motivated to invest in the product right then and there, because you will have just shared your recommendations with them and it’s fresh on their mind.

TIP: Send your recommendations right when you’re about to start writing up their notes. It will fill in any “awkward silence” and you’ll be there to answer any questions that they have. At the same time, your patient will probably be more likely to purchase the products you recommended, because you both just had a conversation about the importance of good home care.

Patients Will Appreciate The Convenience

We live in a society that thrives on fast food and 2-day prime shipping. If something isn’t convenient, we probably won’t buy it unless we really, really, reallllllllly want it. So, if you’re trying to get your patients to use a specific type of toothpaste, they’ll appreciate a one-click shopping platform where everything is already picked out for them (and with added discounts to boot!)

Rather than physically listing out each product on a piece of paper and hoping they don’t lose it, sending them an electronic, detailed list where you’ve already done all of the research for them is easier on everyone. And there’s no chance they’re going to forget it (especially if they’re not the one who usually does the grocery shopping.)

Improving Patient Experience And Communication 

As a hygienist, you spend more time than anyone with the patients coming into your office. They frequently look to you for advice, reassurance, and information about the doctor’s recommended treatment plan. That means when you believe in the products they’re using for their homecare routine, it helps build trust.

But let’s face it. Oral care aisles in grocery and drugstores can be overwhelming. Even if you write down what they need to buy, there’s probably a 50/50 chance that your patient may still grab the wrong product. Or worse, they won’t be able to find it at all and just get frustrated. And that’s assuming they don’t lose or throw your list away after their appointment.

So how can you eliminate frustration, improve patient confidence, and increase understanding when it comes to home care? By specifically choosing the best dental products for their individual needs. As you discuss and review what each one does, you communicate the benefits they have to offer and why it pertains to their situation. Any time you add a product in the Colgate app, they can read more about what it does and how it does it. And since they already have a relationship with you, they trust the advice that you’re giving them.

Any time you see patients of different ages or backgrounds, you can easily relay your product recommendations in a streamlined platform that saves them both time and money. It’s exactly what you would want for yourself!

The next time you wrap up your prophy and sit the patient up to review oral hygiene adaptations around their mouth, explain the what’s and why’s of oral care. Then ask them if they want you to text them a list or if they prefer email. As you plug their information into the platform, remind them that these are the specific items that work best for their teeth, and that Colgate discounts the retail price since it’s a direct purchase.

Benefits Of The Program For RDHs

Colgate Professional Direct makes it easy for hygienists to ensure that patients are using the right products for their oral health needs. The convenience and discounted pricing are a win-win for everyone, given Colgate’s proven track record for quality, ADA-approved homecare products. And as an added bonus, you won’t have to keep up with any inventory, place orders, or shuffle around in the closet trying to find that last tube of toothpaste you tucked away for safe keeping.

1) Level Up Your Patient Homecare

Hygienists know how hard it is to achieve 100% dental patient compliance, especially when it comes to the products they recommend. With the Colgate dental homecare plan, it’s like you’re practically putting the items your patient needs directly into their shopping cart - only virtually!

When you use a digital recommendation platform you won’t have to worry about having up-to-date paper coupons in your practice, writing everything down on a piece of paper, and hoping that it makes it home with your patient. The virtual recommendation goes straight to their phone or email account (making it practically impossible to lose or ignore.)

2) Compensation

Bonus: hygienists who participate in the Colgate Professional Direct program can opt-in for a 10% commission on all patient sales. Each time you recommend a specific blend of mouthwash, toothpaste, or other homecare product and the patient purchases it through the Colgate platform, a portion of each sale is applied directly to your professional account.

3) Give Back

Prefer to redirect 10% of each sale to a charity? Colgate can roll proceeds directly into the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program to promote improved oral health in our communities.

Real-Life Scenarios

No two patients are alike. All of their oral health, emotional, financial, and physical needs are different. Not to mention the various personalities you’ll encounter (ahem, including mister “I hate the dentist”).

What Colgate Professional Direct lets you do is tailor the specific types of products you recommend for the unique needs of the patient in front of you. You pick the items, then they know exactly what to buy.

Here are just a few examples:

Tom 47-Year-Old Male with Dental Implants

Scenario: Now that his implants are integrated and officially restored, you know how important it is for him to keep his gums healthy. After all, peri-implantitis is the leading cause of implant failure! He’s brushing and flossing as directed, but you still notice a couple of areas with mild marginal inflammation. It turns out he’s using a stiff-bristled brush that is probably skipping over those surfaces.

Recommendation: You recommend a soft toothbrush and adding an additional antimicrobial mouthwash to his homecare routine (for after brushing and flossing.) Since so many rinses have harsh additives, you suggest that he goes with the Colgate Implant Kit since it’s both gentle and effective. You tap the app and send the recommendation straight to his inbox.

Zoey 21-Year-Old Female Who Wants Whiter Teeth

Scenario: She’s got one more year of college and is about to start a big internship. But all of that coffee she’s been sipping on for the last couple of years is starting to catch up with her enamel. She wants her smile to look its best for a great first impression. You know how important it is to choose a proven whitening system that’s both effective and affordable for a young professional.

Recommendation: Using Colgate Professional Direct, select the Optic White take-home kit and send it to her via text. After reminding her that one of the best times to whiten is right after having your teeth cleaned — and that Colgate offers exclusive pricing through the app — she orders a kit, and has it shipped straight to her apartment back at school.

Maddie 5-Year-Old About to Head to Kindergarten

Scenario: Her mom is having an especially hard time getting her to be a “big girl” when it comes to brushing her teeth. You know her adult teeth are about to start erupting, so it’s important to instill good brushing habits ASAP.

Recommendation: You can recommend the new Colgate Magik augmented reality toothbrush! The brush pairs with a smartphone app to track brushing habits, show her where to brush, and encourage self-care as her smile develops. You click the recommended products and text the shopping list straight to mom. She clicks “buy” and finishes the check-out process before her daughter’s fluoride is even finished!

Jerome 37-Year-Old Male with Tooth Sensitivity

Scenario: Every checkup he tells you about his sensitive teeth. Every time you tell him, “get some sensitivity toothpaste.” He means to, but he always winds up with the one that’s for whitening and his sensitivity gets worse. “There’s too many to choose from at the store,” he says.

Recommendation: Select the Colgate Sensitivity Kit, which includes everything from a soft-bristled toothbrush and sensitivity toothpaste to a special serum he can apply for added protection. It’s like you’re in the grocery store aisle with him!

Overview

The Colgate Professional Direct program makes it simple for hygienists to recommend specific dental homecare products for their patients through a mobile device. And when the individualized list shows up directly in a virtual shopping cart, there’s no risk of them forgetting what you talked about during the visit. They can purchase it directly through their smartphone, tablet, or computer. The exclusive pricing and home delivery make it easy for you to encourage a high dental patient compliance rate. Plus, you can opt to benefit from a 10% cash-back bonus or redirect your proceeds to one of Colgate’s smile charities. There’s no inventory to keep up with! It’s a win-win for patients and hygienists alike.

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