Answer Details

| Criterion | Why it matters | SMART goal to measure | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Patient-journey mapping & lead tracking** | Many enquiries (online, phone, referral) get lost; you want the CRM to track from “interest” through treatment acceptance and recall. ([Dental Media - Dental Media][1]) | By Q4, 90 % of new patient enquiries are logged in the CRM and tracked to either booked or declined status. | | **Automated communication & reminders** | Reduces no-shows, improves recall/hygiene visits, and nurtures treatment leads. ([clinicssoft.com][2]) | Within 6 months reduce no-show rate by 20 % via automated reminders. | | **Integration with practice management / clinical systems** | CRM must work with scheduling, billing, imaging systems (not siloed). ([SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk][3]) | By go-live, CRM shares appointment and patient-treatment data with main PMS system with fewer than 5 manual transfers/day. | | **Regulatory/compliance & data security** | For patient data (especially UK/EU) you need GDPR-compliance, secure hosting. ([HubSpot Blog][4]) | Identify and document compliance status of each candidate CRM by RFP stage. | | **Scalability & multi-site capability** | If you plan growth/DSOs, or multiple chairs/locations, you’ll want a tool that scales. ([blog.automatedsalesmachine.com][5]) | CRM must support at least 3 clinic-locations from day one, with ability to add 2 more within 12 months without major migration. | | **Analytics & marketing attribution** | To optimise your acquisition cost per patient, track channels, conversion, lifetime value. ([HubSpot Blog][4]) | Produce monthly dashboard showing patient acquisition cost by channel, by month, within 3 months of implementation. | [1]: https://www.dental-media.co.uk/marketing/customer-relationship-management/best-for-dentists/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Dentists which CRM system is right for your practice? - Dental Media" [2]: https://clinicssoft.com/best-crm-software-for-dental-office-management/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Best CRM Software for Dental Office Management - Clinics Soft" [3]: https://smallbusinessprices.co.uk/crm/dentists/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "9 Best CRM Software for Dentists (October 2025)" [4]: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-dental-crm?utm_source=chatgpt.com "5 best CRMs for dental businesses in 2025 - HubSpot Blog" [5]: https://blog.automatedsalesmachine.com/what-are-the-8-best-crm-software-options-for-dental-practices/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "What Are The 8 Best CRM Software Options For Dental Practices?"