Dental News - Curve Dental offers simplicity, efficiency, flexibility and fun

Kristine Colker, DTA

Sat. 19 December 2009

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NEW YORK, NY, USA: As the story goes — or at least as the story goes according to the folks at Curve Dental, a relatively new entry into the dental software field — at the age of 16, whiz kid Matt Dorey started and grew a successful IT company that helped dental practices install computers, networks and software. When he was 19, he asked a pivotal question: “If you can shop online, bank online and book travel online, why can’t you manage your practice online?”

Of course, the only answer he heard was, “That’s a wonderful idea, Matt!” Thus, in 2005, Dorey founded Curve Dental, a Web-based company that prides itself on being simple, flexible, efficient, cost-effective and, just as important, fun (for instance, employees don’t wear suits or ties to work).

Dental Tribune sat down with Vice President of Marketing Andy Jensen to find out more about Curve Dental.

Tell us a little bit about Curve Dental. What are the main things the company offers to clinicians?
We offer Web-based dental software that delivers three key benefits:

1. The software is simple. It’s Web-based. How difficult can the Web be? Almost anybody can navigate around the Web and complete many different tasks. Simplicity also means less training. If the dentist is closing his or her practice for two or three days to train the staff, how much is that costing? Software is supposed to deliver a return on investment, not create another barrier to increasing production.

2. Flexibility. Our dental software is an extension of the staff’s lifestyles because it is Web-based. Everyone is shopping online. More and more people are banking online. More than one-third of all travelers are booking online. And the number of online traders is increasing exponentially. Why? Because people like convenience and simplicity. If you can shop online, bank online and book travel online, you should be managing your practice online, too.

3. Boosting efficiencies. Reducing the amount of time required to accomplish any one task results in an increase in efficiency. The key test is accomplished by asking this one question: “Can I do it faster with paper?” If the answer is “yes” then what is the point of using the software? From charting to scheduling to billing, you’ll see that Curve Hero passes the test.

Bonus benefit: Outstanding customer service. Our dental software is no better than our customer service. Our software is a subscription service, so we have to exceed our customers’ expectations every month. That’s pressure to perform, and we love to make our customers happy.

How does Curve Dental differ from other dental software/office management companies? What advantages does it offer that other companies don’t?
Two differences: First, our dental software is Web-based. People use the Web because it offers a level of convenience, flexibility and simplicity that can’t be found anywhere else. All that’s needed is a Web browser and an Internet connection.

Expensive HW, servers and IT assistance are not required. Web-based means universal access from anywhere, without special software and the configuration that goes with it. Google, Amazon, Travelocity and your local bank don’t provide training on how to use their Web sites because training isn’t required. Curve Hero does require training, but half as much as what legacy, client-server software requires.

Second, because our software is Web-based, it is more intuitive. Our customers find that charting is much simpler, scheduling is more flexible and generating reports is easier. When developing the software, we can approach certain tasks with a completely different perspective not generally available to legacy software developers. When you see a demo of Curve Hero, you’ll be very impressed by the less-is-more design.

For those who are used to their office management software not being Web-based, how does Curve Dental’s work? Is it something that would be hard to pick up for those not used to it?
Anyone who has visited Amazon, Travelocity or their local bank will admit they were able to understand how to use the service with no formal training. Of course, managing a practice is much more complex than shopping online or booking a ticket online; but the concept is still very much applicable. Legacy client-server software requires the dentists to close their practice for at least two days — or more! Our customers are completely trained and using the software live with half as much training as legacy client-server software requires.

What are some of the features Curve Dental offers and what do dentists need to know about them?
Curve Hero is dental software that provides all of the necessary features for a dentist and staff to manage the practice, from billing to scheduling to charting. We also provide bridges to a number of different imaging systems.

What generate the most amount of comments and praise from dentists and staff are our scheduling, charting and reporting features. Our scheduler looks simple and is very easy to use. Because we’re Web-based, our charting features operate much differently than legacy software. While other charts are packed with numerous icons and buttons, ours is clean and refreshing. And our reporting features let you access and build any report you want — on the fly — and let you generate letters, e-mail messages or text messages from those reports with surprising simplicity.

Besides dentists, what benefits does Curve Dental offer to other members of the dental team?
Staff members are looking for simplicity, flexibility and efficiency. In other words, they want to accomplish their tasks with the least amount of required training, they want to accomplish their tasks in a manner they feel is the best way to do it, and they want to accomplish their tasks in the least amount of time. We feel Curve Dental delivers in all three areas.

What about price? Is it comparable to other practice management options?
The cost of legacy software is deceptive. According to a study by the Gartner Group, the licensing fees represent only 9 percent of the actual costs of purchasing the software. Implementation, hardware, IT services, maintenance and training make up the remaining 91 percent. We use a subscription plan. If you compare the two in price, legacy software has an enormous up-front licensing fee with monthly technical assistance and service fees — plus training and data conversion fees. In contrast, a dentist using Curve pays a low monthly subscription, which provides the doctor with the software, technical assistance — in many different forms — and updates, which are installed automatically. The dentist will also pay a comparatively low, one-time implementation and training fee.

If someone were to ask you why he or she should consider Curve Dental above all the other options out there, what would you say?
Moving to the Web is moving with the flow of technology. Switching from one legacy dental software to another is moving against the flow of technology and an investment in tired, dated technology.

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