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If you’re helping a dental clinic choose a CRM (customer/patient relationship management) tool, it’s smart to start by clarifying what you need in the context of a dental practice — and then look at strong contenders. Below I’ve laid out (1) what you should look for in a dental-clinic CRM, and then (2) a shortlist of some of the best tools in the space, with their pros/cons. Since your business is in digital marketing (for challenger brands etc.), you may also want to consider how the CRM connects to broader marketing/data systems. ⸻ ✅ What to look for in a CRM for a dental clinic Here are the key features & criteria that matter especially for dental-practices: Key features • Patient / lead data + treatment history: Not just “name + contact”, but full patient profile, treatment plan, appointments, recall schedule.  • Appointment scheduling & reminders: Automated texts/emails, links, integration with calendars. Helps reduce no-shows.  • Marketing & lead-nurture workflows: The ability to capture leads (e.g., website enquiries), nurture until they book, and follow up post-treatment for recall/maintenance.  • Integration with practice management / dental-software systems: Since clinics often use separate systems for charting, imaging, billing etc, the CRM needs to tie in.  • Reporting & analytics: Tracking e.g., lead conversion → booked patient, treatment acceptance rate, recall compliance, lifetime value of patient.  • Security & compliance: Especially for patient data, the system must meet healthcare/privac y standards (in NZ this might include equivalent local data-protection rules).  • Usability / adoption: If the team find it hard to use, it won’t get used — so training, support, onboarding matter.  • Scalability & multi-location: If the clinic might expand (or is part of a group) you’ll want something that handles multiple sites or growing patient volumes.  Process for choosing • Map your current patient journey: how do patients come in, how are they followed up, what gets lost?  • Prioritise must-haves vs nice-to-haves (e.g., you might need strong lead + recall management now vs full enterprise analytics later). • Consider cost vs value: Some systems built for large DSOs (dental service organisations) are expensive; smaller clinics may benefit from simpler, more affordable CRMs. • Ensure you can integrate with your existing systems (if you already have scheduling/billing systems) or be ready to migrate. • Consider the marketing side: since you’re in digital marketing, you might want strong lead capture + nurture + attribution capabilities (to tie back to your marketing ROI). ⸻ 🛠 Best CRM tools for dental clinics Here are some solid options, with commentary on how they might fit different sizes/types of dental practices. (Note: some are more “all-in-one practice management” than pure CRM, but still worth considering.) 1. HubSpot CRM • According to a 2025 article its platform is cited as best for dental practices: “comprehensive patient management, HIPAA-compliant, automated workflows, patient portals”.  • Key strengths: very strong marketing + lead-capture capabilities (which fits your marketing agency angle). Free tier available for getting started. • Considerations: Might require configuration/customisation for dental workflows; some dental-specific practice management integrations may require additional work. 2. CareStack • Positioned as an all-in-one practice management + CRM for dental practices. From one review: “integrates prospective patient management with marketing, emails, SMS etc and then feeds all of this data through to the regular patient management software.”  • Strengths: Built specifically for dental workflows, which means less custom setup. • Considerations: Higher price point; may be overkill for a small clinic with simpler needs. 3. LeadSquared • Mentioned in “best dental CRM for dental practices” as offering strong lead-management, automated workflows: e.g., “cut down turnaround time responding to inquiries … increased call-centre efficiency by 60% … increased patient conversions by 5×”.