SARKANY FAMILY DENTISTRY
Our office had been using non-Kelkom ‘wireless’ light systems but it was clear that we urgently needed a replacement.
We run a busy, well-established general family dentist office. Our family-owned and -operated practice has been running and growing for over 35 years. When I took over management and operations, the office cared for over five thousand active patients, and we continue to grow. We have a strong hygiene program, and often face demanding emergencies and fully booked schedules. It is not uncommon to see up to fifty patients per day. We run two full-time dentists and three hygienists out of seven operatories, which means that each dentist often has more than one patient seated at any given time. We cannot afford to waste any time. Effective and efficient communication is vital.
“We would be lost without our KelKom system.”
T. Mark A. Sarkany, B.M.Sc., D.D.S.
London, Ontario
Time For Change
We are a state-of-the-art facility. We have computers and dual monitors in every operatory. One monitor is devoted to the day’s schedule. It seemed natural to try an integrated, PC-based com system. However, pointing and clicking with a mouse or even hitting hotkeys proved vastly more time-consuming and complicated compared to the simple push light system (to say nothing of being far less hygienic). We needed a system that could run virtually all patient flow with a clear message broadcast to all staff, with messages taking less than a second to initiate, understand and confirm. The computer-based systems could not begin to compete.
In a search for a replacement system, we came across three other ‘light’ communication hardware providers. Only Kelkom was able to provide the system we needed. In fact, the others had virtually no flexibility and didn’t seem to be investing in keeping their systems current (they looked like and probably were relics of decades past). Kelkom was able to provide EXACTLY what we needed with a modern-looking, easy to clean and space-efficient design.
In less time than it would take to speak (or type) the same message, the Kelkom system allows us to manage virtually all patient flow and get staff where they need to be, when they need to be there.
What Kelkom Brings Us
UNIQUE CAPABILITIES
We made an extensive review of products and services claiming expertise in dental office communications. This included PC-based, stand-alone applications, as well as communication modules available for several popular practice management products. We also surveyed several hardware-based systems that, aside from KelKom, appear not to have changed in 20 years.
We decided to stay with the dedicated wired KelKom system version with low profile panels, because the overall design of communication saves time compared to all the other approaches. We especially did not want our team wasting time with the text message-based “communication” required in the PC platform software products—even with “user-defined” text messages. Also, the panels can be placed anywhere in the practice to be easily seen and heard, versus limited to the PC workstation display locations.
KelKom allows us to communicate, but also manage the process steps for each patient—yes, even merely a hygiene visit—because we want to blend a calm office environment encouraging the highest level of service with high performance revenue and profit production.
Summary
They say time is money. Efficiency creates time. Fast and effective communication is the key to efficiency. The Kelkom system allows for a level of fast and effective communication that is indispensable in our busy practice. The system has paid for itself with increased productivity many times over and, more importantly, has reduced stress and made us happier. In my opinion, there simply is no other way to achieve this level of communication in a busy dental office, and we would be lost without our Kelkom system.