Unlocking Efficiency: 6 Google Workspace Benefits for Dental Practices – Part One
I have worked in a private dental practice, a dental support organization (DSO), and a dental management firm for the past nine years. One of the most significant administrative challenges I have faced in these environments is finding a solution: “Where do I store all of my important information, and how do I share and collaborate documents?”
Thanks to Google Workspace and its multiple features, not only can that “important information” be stored in one place, but it can also be accessed across all your devices.
HIPAA compliance is a primary concern when using any dental office apps. Under the signed HIPAA Business Associate Addendum for Google Workspace, the applications presented in these articles can be HIPAA compliant. Also included in Google Workspace are many money-saving applications that help dental practices become more organized and efficient, ultimately saving the doctor and staff time.
This two-part article will review six of these Google Workspace options.
Part One:
- Gmail
- Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms
- Google Drive
I. Gmail
Gmail or Google Mail is included in Google Workspace for professional email hosting. Users can access their emails using a custom email address with their domain name, for example, yourname@yourdentalpracticename.com.
Emails can be set up under a domain name that makes it easy for patients to remember, like info@yourdentalpracticename.com or an email can be created for each employee; just be mindful of cleaning up the email accounts if a team member no longer works at your office. Gmail also provides generous storage space for accounts ranging from 30GB to unlimited storage, depending on your chosen plan.
One of the most helpful features is advanced spam filtering.
As we all know, on Monday mornings, we are typically greeted by an office email account to discover over thirty to fifty spam messages from various dental supply companies, which must be filtered before finding the critical correspondence. Gmail solves this problem with robust spam filtering algorithms to keep unwanted emails out of users’ inboxes and automatically uses AI to improve spam detection continuously.
II. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms (similar to Microsoft Office’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) are valuable for convenient and simultaneous collaboration with other team members.
Google Docs
Google Docs, Google’s word processor, allows multiple people to work on a document at the same time. People’s changes can be seen as they are made, and every change is saved automatically.
Google Sheets
Sheets allow the creation of detailed spreadsheets that can be shared with the team. A Sheets spreadsheet can be created for the office team to help with daily tasks. The spreadsheet can have several tabs to separate the task into different categories.
A Sheets spreadsheet can have tabs for:
- Insurance—Create columns for the insurance company, their website address (click this link, and it will go directly to the login, which makes insurance verification easy), and notes specific to the insurance company.
- Daily checklist—This can be beneficial for training a new team member.
- Equipment maintenance schedule—Include a column with contact phone numbers for maintenance contacts.
- Phone numbers—Add phone numbers for labs, referral contacts, reps, etc.
- Doctor License Info—Keep track of license numbers along with expiration dates.
Google Slides
Slides can help keep staff meetings on track. A monthly meeting Slide presentation via email can be shared with the team, allowing them to add any new business or action items that need to be discussed.
Items that need to be addressed due to insufficient time or information can easily be moved to next month’s Slide meeting agenda. This provides a fantastic method to review and assess yearly progress and accomplishments!
Google Forms
Forms can serve as a strategy to track team members requesting time off. Using forms to create a TO Form (time off form) allows adding different questions, such as the requested days off (times/hours), dates, and reasons. Team members fill out the form, which is submitted by email and can then be reviewed and answered with a form response. This can also be exported to a Sheet that allows all the filled-out forms to be in one place for easy reference.
III. Google Drive
Google Drive offers cloud-based storage solutions for files, enabling users to securely store, share, and collaborate on various file types, including documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and videos.
One of its notable features is accessibility from any location. Users can access their files on Google Drive from any internet-connected device, whether a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Additionally, offline access is available. Users can enable it for specific files, allowing viewing and editing even when not online. Changes made offline automatically sync once the device reconnects.
In a professional setting, Shared Drives enhance collaboration.
For example, an office manager can employ a dedicated Shared Drive for accounts payable invoices. This shared drive folder is labeled “invoices to pay,” it can be accessed by the practice owner at a remote location to review and pay the invoices—no more misplaced paper files. After paying the invoices, they can be organized and filed in their respective vendor folders, sorted by month and year.
Google Drive prioritizes security, employing encryption during data transmission and storage. The administrator controls privacy settings, determining who can access the files.
In part two, we will discuss the benefits of Google Meet, Google Chat, and Google Voice, which can save you and your practice money and time.
About the Author
McKenzie Webb, DAADOM
McKenzie Webb graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 2015 with her bachelor of the arts degree business management and marketing. After graduation she moved back to her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma to work as the office manager for her dad’s dental practice for over five years.
During her time at the office, she was fortunate enough to work with two of her brothers who are dentists, her sister who is a hygienist, and her mom who is the practice administrator. She then moved to Oklahoma City to work for a local DSO as a practice performance coach for seven dental practices in the OKC Metro area.
After working in the dental practice setting for almost nine years, she was lucky enough to become part of the Jameson Management and Marketing team as a marketing project coordinator.
McKenzie is a member of AADOM. She received her Fellowship in 2018, her Mastership in 2022, and most recently received her Diplomate designation at the 2024 Conference.
In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her husband and daughter, cook, and travel the world.
