Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Dental practice employees who feel connected, valued and inspired can become a practice’s greatest promoters—and that all comes down to the team culture. By Cameron Cooper
It’s often said the greatest asset of any business is its employees, and to underestimate their potential to help grow the practice by the way they talk about it—both in and out of the workplace—is not a smart move. While many practices rely on digital marketing to acquire patients and employees, dental industry consultant Angus Pryor says staff advocacy is an often underused resource that can be successful.
“At the end of the day it’s hard to go past a strong endorsement from an employee,” says Pryor, founder of Dental Marketing Solutions.
Whether staff share their positive workplace experiences through social media, at networking events or via word of mouth, their advocacy can be interpreted as a mirror of team morale and support the long-term sustainability of the practice.
Pryor says such endorsements can range from “fairly informal” comments to more formal referrals on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Even so, he cautions against a one-size-fits-all approach, noting that different staff have different comfort levels around being possible brand ambassadors.
Before a dental practice can expect its team to become advocates, it must create a positive workplace culture and shared values.
“Team advocacy happens naturally when you hire people aligned with your values, onboard them properly and support them with ongoing training and communication,” says Michelle Pritchard, founder of Aligned Business Consulting.
“When team members understand how their work impacts patients, and feel part of a larger mission, they’re more likely to speak positively about the practice—both at work and in their personal lives.”
Pritchard says the benefits of such an approach are significant. “You’ll see higher treatment conversions because patients trust the entire team, stronger patient loyalty and even better staff recruitment and retention,” she says. “It creates a positive loop—happy team, loyal patients, healthier business.”
Pryor agrees that culture is crucial to advocacy and outlines three essential steps on that path. First, map out a detailed three-year vision for the practice and involve the team in achieving it. Second, understand employees’ professional and personal goals, and then find ways to align them with the business’s direction. And lastly, offer practical support for employees, such as helping them get financial planning advice.
“You’ve got to establish your values and live them, and then you’ll usually get great feedback,” Pryor says.
Dr Toni Surace, managing director of Momentum Management and principal dentist at Smile N Co, says there is no doubt a strong practice culture can facilitate advocacy and help attract patients and staff. “You need to get good people who want to participate in the vision for your business,” she says.
When team members understand how their work impacts patients, and feel part of a larger mission, they’re more likely to speak positively about the practice—both at work and in their personal lives.
Michelle Pritchard, founder, Aligned Business Consulting
“If you’re not happy and don’t know where you’re going, then your team won’t know either. Teams want safety and security and a bit of fun. It’s not just about being a great clinical dentist, you need to be an inspirational leader at work.”
Providing mentoring and training, recognising staff achievements and assigning team members to lead projects can also build loyalty and pride that results in organic advocacy. Pryor adds that outsourcing administrative ‘grunt work’, especially using AI tools, is another way to free up staff to focus on more rewarding tasks and foster brand champions.
Advocacy should never be forced, according to Dr Surace. “Some people are great at talking face to face. Some are better behind a keyboard. You need to know your team and understand what makes them tick.”
She provides staff with ‘ambassador packs’ that include business cards and branded blazers. “They can wear the blazer down the street, rather than being in their clinical gown. It’s amazing how many people will say, ‘Oh, you work there, what are the dentists like?’ You get so many comments and so many patients from it.”
Dr Surace notes that social media advocacy is not for everyone. “Many dental nurses are quite private and don’t want to get out there on social media to make referrals,” she says.
Pryor says referral rewards can be helpful, but he warns against over-reliance, adding practices should be clear about what kinds of patients and staff they want to attract. “You’ve got to protect your practice’s reputation.”
Referrals should be strategic, not random, he adds. To encourage high quality referrals, Pryor recommends setting targets—for example, 10 new patients in 60 days—and rewarding the whole team with a celebratory lunch if achieved.
Dr Surace believes recognition of a job well done often matters more to employees than monetary rewards. “Staff members often say that they don’t get enough praise. They love being recognised, and they want personal growth and development.”
Instead of setting rigid referral targets, Pritchard recommends starting with open, values-led conversations. She suggests a simple approach, like, ‘We’d love more patients like the ones we already have. What ideas do you have to help make that happen?’ can spark a sense of ownership across the team and generate a wealth of new ideas to make a business grow.
Pryor says not every staff member will be a natural advocate. Some are “walking billboards”, while others prefer not to do referrals.
That is why a team-based approach to advocacy backed by systems, targets and positive reinforcement can be so effective. “I like a system and I like some celebration around it,” Pryor says. “Because effectively, you’re asking a team to establish a new habit.”
Ultimately, the best practice advocates often emerge through inspired leadership, Dr Surace says. “If you are motivating your team, you won’t need to ask them to chase referrals. They’ll do it on their own, and that’s one of the greatest compliments that a business owner can get.”
