Posted by: Dental Design 13th December 2018
Next to the acquisition process, embarking on a refurbishment is one of the biggest (and most expensive) tasks you are likely to ever undertake when it comes to your practice. In order to ensure that you do it well and get it right on the first attempt, there are a number of measures that you will need to take before you get started. If you skip a step or rush into the renovation too quickly, then you might find yourself in a spot of bother later on down the line, leaving you wishing you’d made the necessary arrangements beforehand. Here are some top tips to get you off on the right foot:
- Figure out what you want
It might seem like an obvious place to start, but figuring out what you want –even down to the smallest details – will put you in good stead for when you come to start the actual refurbishment. This includes layout, colour scheme and décor, and equipment purchases. You don’t have to have everything figured out, but if you approach a refurbishment company with no idea about the direction you want to go in, it will make it much harder for the team you’re working with to draw up a design. This could cause delays to the project – or worse – result in a blueprint that you’re not altogether happy with.
It’s also a good idea to give thought to some of the practicalities. For instance, what is your budget? Can you afford to potentially lose some of your profits due to downtime? Do you have permission to carry out the refurbishment? This leads us on to the next step: consent and planning.
- Consent and planning
Before any work can begin you must have a site survey carried out by a qualified professional and obtain permission from the appropriate authorities. If you’ve recently purchased a practice – or are in the process of buying – it may be that you need to secure D1 planning consent, which sanctions the premises as being suitable for use as a dental practice. Or it may be that you need to get permission from your landlord to carry out your proposed changes, if you have a leasehold contract. Whatever your situation, it is of paramount importance that you comply with all the rules and regulations before jumping into any kind of physical work.
- Consider your options
It’s also important that you speak to a number of refurbishment companies before you make up your mind who you want to go with. This will not only give you a general rule of thumb in regard to costing and timeframes, but allow you to make an informed decision that gives you complete peace of mind that you’ve put your faith in the right team. The other benefit of shopping around is that if you’re not entirely sure what approach you want to take, you can find the rightteam by eliminating those that aren’t.
If you can, arrange a consultation with each company where you can converse face to face. First impressions count for everything and there’s a lot you can learn from meeting someone in person that you can’t learn from emailing or talking on the phone. It’s also a good idea to do a bit of digging on each company’s reputation. Feedback from people you know that have used the company is best, but if you don’t know anyone personally then testimonials and reviews are a good way to gauge their performance, reliability and service.
- Attend an event
Of course, the other way to see how each company compares to one another is to attend exhibitions where you’ll have a chance to meet the best in the business all in one place. Not only does this provide the perfect opportunity to get to know more about the services available and ask questions, but also to discover the latest equipment through live, hands-on demonstrations.
The upcoming British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2019 will be the perfect place to do all of this, with more than 400+ stands expected for the upcoming show. Held over two days, you’ll have plenty of time to connect with the product specialists there and make your way round the exhibition – and who knows, you might even come away with a bargain! After all, there will be plenty of exclusive deals on offer.
Refurbishment ready
It might seem like a lot to do, but by doing all this before you refurbish your practice you are sure to streamline the process and optimise the final outcome – and who knows, you might even have fun along the way!
The British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2019 will be held on Friday 17thand Saturday 18thMay at the Birmingham NEC, co-located with DTS.
For further details visit www.thedentistryshow.co.uk, call 020 7348 5270
or email dentistry@closerstillmedia.com
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