Küster Dental Weblog

Bike Racks, Where Are They?

One of the key elements of the LEED rating system is to evaluate a building’s access to and accommodations for alternative transportation. The system awards points for buildings that provide such things as preferred parking for alternative fuel vehicles, recharging stations for electric vehicles, preferred parking for carpooling, and even something as mundane as bicycle racks. Yes, bicycle racks.

With the wonderful summer weather we’ve been having I’ve been trying (since getting a new bicycle after mine got stolen last month – another story for another time), to ride my bicycle more for running errands and getting to appointments around town. Perhaps since I’ve recently had a bike stolen I’m more sensitive to the need to lock my bike, now, but what I’ve been finding is just how few places have bicycle racks, or any form of reasonable accommodation to lock a bike anywhere near their facility. So, this got me thinking what about the dental offices around town? How many of them have installed bicycle racks for their employees or patients that would want to bike to the dental office?

Well, I got in my car (not enough dentists within a reasonable bike ride from the office) and cruised past a couple of dozen dental offices to check them out. Guess what I found. Not a single one had a bicycle rack anywhere near their office. Was I surprised? Not really, but I was disappointed. This is such a small thing to do to encourage people to get out of their cars, get some exercise, and to start lowering their carbon footprint, yet not a single dentist I found had made this effort.

So, even if you’re not currently considering an office relocation or a remodel of your dental office, consider tipping a nod toward your more “green” patients and staff and adding bicycle racks at your dental office. If you are working on or considering a new dental office design definitely find a way to incorporate them into your dental office design plan, even if you’re not working toward LEED certification. Your children’s children will thank you.

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Live or Memorex®?

Posted in dental design, dental office design, green dentistry, interior design with tags dental office design, interior dental design, office design, dental design, dental interior design, interior design for dental clinic, interior dental office design, green design, HIPAA, OSHA, LEED, USGBC, green dentistry on 28 July 2010 by James

In addition to designing dental offices and creating wonderful new spaces for my clients, I really enjoy talking about dental office design. I speak regularly to audiences about the challenges faced in remodeling or planning a new dental office and the importance of paying close attention to not only the colors used, but also the implications of HIPPA, ADA, and OSHA regulations. Having recently become certified by the USGBC as a LEED Green Associate, I have added a discussion on green design to my repertoire.

I have a question, though. Do you prefer attending live sessions or would you rather have the option of viewing a recorded presentation on-line, in the convenience of your home or office on your schedule? I’ve been asked and am considering whether posting my various talks on my website would be preferable to attending one of my live sessions. I’d appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!

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My Favorite Starbucks® has New Furniture

Posted in branding, dental design, dental office design, interior branding, interior design with tags ergonomics, dental office interior design, interior dental design, dental practice marketing, marketing, branding, dental office branding, emotional branding, interior branding, office design, dental design, dental office ergonomics, dental cancellation rates, client experience, dental experience, customer experience on 27 April 2010 by James

My favorite Starbucks® has new furniture. One would think this would be a good thing, right? Well, I’m not so sure. Being located in an older building, the space has very few electrical outlets available for patrons to use. That was a problem with people scrambling to get a seat near the single electrical outlet. To address the issue they’ve installed a long bench and extended the electrical all along the length of the bench. Now, many more can plug in their laptops while drinking their favorite latte.

“So, what’s the problem,” you ask? The bench is not comfortable at all! I’m not sure who designed the bench, but I don’t think they’ve ever sat on it. It isn’t even comfortable for a little while, let alone for an hour or more while drinking an iced mocha and trying to get some work done.

This leads me to my question for every dentist out there. When was the last time you sat in your Reception Area furniture? Is it comfortable? Did you and your dental office designer work together to pick out comfortable, commercial seating that will provide value and a good return on your investment along with a great sitting experience? Now, I understand the automatic response is that you don’t keep your patients waiting long enough for the comfort of the seating to be an issue. That’s all well and good, but what about those that are coming along to help drive the person home after an extensive procedure? So, the friend or family member is sitting there, in your Reception Area in uncomfortable seating, waiting impatiently for the procedure to finish. Is this the impression you want them to walk out of your dental office with?

There are so many tiny little factors that all work together to create a positive dental experience and consequently, a positive brand. How comfortable the Reception Area furnishings are in your dental office is just one of these. Just like Starbucks® pays close attention to the design of their coffee house experience, knowing that the experience is the real reason people pay $4 for a cup of coffee, every dental practice needs to be paying close attention to the design of the dental office experience. They need to be working closely with their dental office designer to find the best commercial seating for their branding message. People may need their dentist more than they need a $4 cup of coffee, but the experience they have while in your dental office will dictate whether they keep their next appointment and how frequently they tell their family and friends about you.

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When Should I Hire My Designer?

I’m often asked, “When should I hire a dental office designer for my project?” My response is always, “Sooner rather than later.”

Think to yourself, “When do I want to be open and seeing patients in my newly remodeled or built-out space?” Then, back up from that date at least six months. So, for example, if you want to start seeing patients January 1st of 2011, then your project needs to get under way no later than 1 July of this year. Since the number of working days drops around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, adding some more time in doesn’t hurt, so realistically you’d best be hiring your designer and getting your remodel or build-out in design by 1 June! That’s just around the corner!

Why does it take so long? Well, here is a rough breakdown of the 26 week timeline:
6 weeks for design
2 weeks for construction bids and contractor selection
9 weeks for ordering materials, state plan approval, and permits
8 weeks for construction
1 week for move in

The above timeline assumes that everything goes smoothly, all questions are answered promptly, and there are no major revisions or redesigns necessary. Think about it, how often do you think that happens?

If you are leasing a new space I recommend that you get your designer involved with the project while you are still looking at space options. As soon as you think you’ve narrowed your selection to a couple of spaces, take your dental office designer with you to look at them and get some feedback on what challenges and opportunities exist in the various choices to effectively communicate your interior branding message in the spaces. Your designer should also be able to discuss space planning issues and traffic flow issues for your various choices to help you make a final leasing decision. In a new lease situation time is of the essence, so the more involved your dental office designer is with the selection process before the clock starts ticking on when you have to start paying rent on the new space, the quicker a design can be created and the farther down the timeline you can be before this happens.

So, I’ve outlined an ideal situation above and that is just for a dental office remodel or build-out, if you are building a new building then you obviously need some more time. Also, since we don’t live in an ideal world, additional time is nice to have so decisions don’t have to feel rushed to keep the project on track.

So, if you’ve been thinking it would be nice to start 2011 in a new location or in a freshly remodeled dental office, “Have you hired your dental office designer yet?”

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Designing for a Cause

Posted in general, interior design with tags decorators showhouse, interior design, marketing, show house indy, st margaret's guild on 20 April 2010 by James

Well, today’s post doesn’t exactly deal with dental office design, but I still had to share. Each year the St Margaret’s Hospital Guild puts on the Indianapolis Decorators Show House to raise money for Wishard Hospital (the local public hospital). Even though it isn’t dental office design I decided to participate this year and design furniture for the back patio. The area was originally names the West Terrace by the ladies of The Guild, but after seeing my plans for the space last Fall, they renamed it Outdoor Dining. Cute.

Anyway, here are some quick shots of the table and chairs that I designed. My theme for the space is reclaim and reuse. I’ve made heavy use of found objects; an old door, old dining chairs, 150 year old crocks, an antique ironing board. You get the idea. I rebuilt the chair seats using outdoor foam and outdoor fabric. The chairs and the ironing board have been coated to protect them from the weather.

I don’t have a shot yet of the antique butter churn that I will be using as a centerpiece on the table. My florist is working on the flower arrangement.

The show opens on 24 April and runs through 9 May. If you’re going to be in Indy, be sure to check it out. The money supports a very worthy cause.

Long view of the table and chairs.

End detail of chairs and table legs.

Another view of the table with fountain in background.

BBQ Prep Table

Close up of prep table

Another prep table close up

Pickle crocks as flower planters

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Technology Musings over Coffee

Posted in dental design, dental office design, interior branding, interior design with tags interior design, dental office design, dental office interior design, interior dental design, office design, dental design, dental interior design, interior design for dental clinic, interior dental office design, cancellations, dental cancellations, dental cancellation rates, client experience, dental office technology, dental experience, customer experience on 14 April 2010 by James

Yesterday morning I had a great meeting with a representative from a technology firm and during the course of our conversation I was reminded of the pending conversion requirement for all dentists to adopt paperless records. I have worked on a few dental office design projects recently where the digitization of records has played into the reutilization of space and traffic patterns. Being able to reclaim floor space that was once used for nothing but file storage and put it to more productive use is always very satisfying – not to mention helping to boost the top line revenue of the practice.

In addition to the obvious regulatory requirements to adopt new technologies, this morning’s conversation reminded me, too, that there are a large number of options available to dental offices to enhance the client experience. As part of the dental office design, any time we can incorporate something into the design that improves the patient experience we are helping to reduce cancellation rates and increase the referral rate. By working on this combination of expense item and revenue driver in tandem, we can make a positive impact on the practice’s bottom line.

The technology vendor and/or consultant are key members of any dental office design team and the value of their participation should not be overlooked. As you begin laying the plans for a new office or a remodel of your existing dental office, be sure not to forget to invite them to the party.

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Using Graffiti as Color Therapy

Posted in branding, dental design, dental office design, interior branding, interior design with tags interior design, dental office design, dental office interior design, interior dental design, branding, dental office branding, emotional branding, interior branding, office design, dental design, dental interior design, interior design for dental clinic, interior dental office design, cancellations, dental cancellation rates, client experience, dental experience, customer experience on 12 April 2010 by James

I like color and am not afraid to use it in my dental office designs. Colors affect our mood and emotions and consequently are a key element to creating a strong Interior Brand. We want every one of your patients to walk away from your dental office with a strong, positive emotional response. In other words, we want them to think “happy thoughts” every time they think of you, their dentist. In doing so they will tell their friends and family about you and your dental practice and encourage them to choose you as their dentist.

A current trend in interior design is the use of graffiti art and graffiti artists to pull more bold and lively color into spaces. Kelly Porter writes about this trend in her recent article for STIR. In her article she quotes the well-known spray paint artist Chor Boogie whose work has been commissioned for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in China and other public work in Australia; Dubai; Mexico; and Washington, D.C. Chor calls his work “color therapy.” “Consciously or unconsciously, color has an effect on you,” he says.

While I’ve created color palates for projects that have had upward of 22 different colors in them, I’ve yet to involve a graffiti artist or spray paint artist on any of my projects. With the goal of making a strong Interior Brand for each of my dental office design clients, I’m thinking this touch will certainly bring a differentiating element to a client’s dental office.

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How Good Is Good Enough?

Posted in dental design, dental office design, interior design with tags interior design, dental office design, dental office interior design, interior dental design, office design, dental design, dental interior design, interior design for dental clinic, interior dental office design, dental cancellation rates, client experience, dental experience, customer experience on 9 April 2010 by James

Does it really matter? That little tear in the upholstery in your Reception Area or that chipped paint in the hall leading to the Operatory. Does anyone really notice? Do they really care? I take really good care of their teeth and my staff is friendly, isn’t that all that matters?

Have you ever said any of these things to yourself or to your staff or colleagues about your dental office? Do you feel that your dental office design is “good enough” to attract and retain patients? Well how good is good enough? Most people would say that if a business had 99.9% success or approval rating they’d be doing pretty darn good. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples and see if you agree.

If 99.9% of the time the doctor delivering a baby in the U.S. did not drop the baby, that would mean we’d have 4,247 dropped babies every year. If you are the parent of one of the ones that is dropped would you agree that 99.9% is good enough?

If 99.9% of all flights into and out of O’Hare Airport in Chicago landed and took off without crashing, that would mean we’d have 881 plane crashes per year in Chicago alone. Do you want to be on one of the flights that weren’t quite good enough?

It’s hard to measure the impact of your dental office design in terms of percentages, but if your office design is better than 90% of the dental offices in your market is it good enough to attract and retain the patient level that you want? How many patients are saying to themselves, “Well, if he/she doesn’t take care of the furniture in the Reception Area then how well are my teeth being taken care of?” They are probably asking themselves the same thing about the condition of your walls, cabinets, exam chairs, lights, artwork, restrooms (that’s always a biggie!), too. Again, I ask, how does your dental office design stack up? Is it in the 80th, 90th, or 95th percentile? Shouldn’t it be?

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New Completed Dental Office Design Project Pic’s!!!

Here are some new completed remodel project pictures of a dental office design in Kokomo, Indiana. This 4500 square foot office had a complete transformation. Take a look!

Reception - before

Reception - After

Check In/Check Out - before

Check Out - After

Kelly's Office - before

Kelly's Office - After

Staff Lounge - before

Staff Lounge - after

Operatory - before

Operatory - after

Lab - before

Lab - after

Janine's Office - before

Janine's Office - after

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Even the Smallest Can Do Mighty Things

Posted in branding, dental design, dental office design, interior branding, practice management with tags dental office design, dental office interior design, interior dental design, dental practice marketing, marketing, branding, dental office branding, interior branding, office design, dental design, human interaction, dental interior design, interior design for dental clinic, interior dental office design, cancellations, dental cancellation rates, client experience, dental experience, customer experience on 5 April 2010 by James

Tonight, tiny Butler takes on mighty Duke for the NCAA National Championship. Exciting isn’t it? How is it that this little school (Butler would become the smallest school to win in, like forever, if they beat Duke tonight) defy all the odds and be so successful? Because they know who they are, what they’re about, and they have played their game in each match-up.

So, you’re a small practice, maybe only you and a technician. Maybe you only have one or two chairs, even. How can you possibly compete against the much larger practices with ten or twelve operatories and scads of technicians? By knowing who you are and what you’re about.

“But,” you say, “I can’t afford to spend money on my branding and dental office design like the bigger practices do!” I say you can’t afford not to. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to spend as much, but every practice, no matter how small, needs to have a mission and value statement. From this springs the brand which is then reflected and demonstrated through the dental office design and the human interaction in the office.

The same dedication to defining and executing one’s brand needs to happen in a small practice as well as a large one. Perhaps even more so. The charm and personality of the sole practitioner will only go so far if the office is cluttered, cramped, dark, or drab. Or, if the personality of the office manager/receptionist/dental tech is biting and caustic. (I keep going back to this because I see this a lot, unfortunately.)

So, as you’re looking around your dental office today, the source of your family’s income and your pride and joy that you’ve worked hard to build, does the office reflect your mission, vision, and values? Do the office and the staff effectively communicate the message you want to greet each patient with and send them back out the door with to share with their family and friends? Believe me, your dental office design is communicating these messages every day.

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