Your 5 Step Guide on How to Stay Open During Renovations

A renovation should not force you to close your dental clinic. If you plan on staying open, talk to your contractor to come up with a renovation plan. The success of your dental office renovation depends on your planning.

Staying open when there is so much work happening around you can create new challenges for your dental clinic; however, when you look at the bigger picture and involve everyone in the process, you can keep your clinic open even when there is ongoing construction work.

 

 

Break down the entire dental office renovation into phases, to help you divide up the work so you can continue serving patients. Depending on the type or renovation, you can break the work into different rooms or into different services, such as plumbing or electrical upgrades. Breaking down the work allows you to barricade the area undergoing renovation, so that the dust or noise does not affect your patients.

 

Additionally, you can also prepare for the effects of each phase in advance. For example, if you are working on the treatment rooms, you might need to designate an alternative treatment room and move equipment. Breaking up the work in phases also helps you decide how to divide up the work to ensure smooth running of the clinic; for example, you can work on different treatment rooms at different phases so you always have a space where your dentists can serve their patients.

 

Inform your clients on the ongoing renovations in advance. Whenpatients are aware of ongoing construction work, they will not feel disappointed or cheated should they have to share the entrance with your construction team. Most of your patients will appreciate your decision to inform them, and are less likely to complain.

During your communication, make sure you inform them of all the safety measures you have in place and how different phases of the renovations might affect their experience at the clinic. Make sure you also advise them to take care of young children in their company to avoid any accidents or incidents. As an extra precautionary measure, space your appointments to reduce the amount of time patients spend in the clinic. Alternatively, consider offering incentives such as a free cup of coffee for patients who would rather wait at a nearby café.

 

Most of the work required in an office renovation will not affect your daily operations if you plan it carefully; however, some bigger tasks such as breaking down a wall may require that you close the clinic. Instead of halting your operations, consider scheduling such tasks at night or over the weekend.

 

For example, you might want to replace your plumbing over the weekend when there is no one at the dental clinic who might need to use a bathroom. However, simpler tasks such as replacing light bulbs or fixing cabinets can take place alongside your normal operations.

 

Start by creating a strict safety code to protect the renovation team, your staff and your patients. While there are standard safety codes by local construction authorities you must follow, consider creating additional safety codes.

An accident during a renovation can affect your reputation and ability to attract customers in the future. Invest in proper containment barriers to protect the air quality in the open areas, create different access points for the constructions staff and ensure proper clean up before opening up any section to your staff and customers.

 

While there are different ways to keep your clinic open, do not open yourself to risks. Evaluate every decision critically and stay realistic. Sometimes you might have to close off the clinic for a couple of days at a time. Just communicate your decision with your staff and patients; they are likely to respect your decision and work around your schedule.

 

During the renovation process, consider working with dental office construction experts such as HJT designs; they understand the unique needs of your clinic and will help you stay open during the entire renovation process. Contact HJT Dental Designs today to learn more about how together, we can create a dental office design that exceeds your expectations