Because the Dental Observe Accelerator attracts to an in depth, Hannan and Daniel Saleem replicate on a unprecedented journey of development, studying and transformation.
Initially of the Dental Observe Accelerator Programme, Hannan and Daniel had been looking for readability and course. Their purpose was to determine a transparent roadmap for the expansion and enchancment of their apply. They hoped to realize actionable steps from seasoned mentors – Justin Leigh, Sandeep Kumar, Sameer Patel and Shaz Memon – uncovering the ‘secret sauce’ behind their successes. And that’s precisely what they achieved; a framework of insights and methods which have enabled them to ascertain the way forward for their apply with newfound readability.
Overcoming challenges
Like several transformative journey, the programme posed its fair proportion of challenges. Hannan and Daniel needed to steadiness the calls for of scaling their enterprise whereas sustaining day-to-day operations. They confronted the complexities of increasing chairtime, managing sources, and renegotiating workers expectations with out disrupting affected person care. T
hese challenges had been notably pronounced within the context of adapting an present apply reasonably than ranging from scratch. As Hannan defined, they needed to ‘unpack’ entrenched points and ‘repack’ them right into a sustainable, environment friendly construction.
The journey of overcoming these hurdles was anchored in clear communication, robust management, and a tradition of fixed enchancment. The programme mentors – Justin, Sandeep, Sameer and Shaz – performed a significant position in reshaping their strategy to management and administration. Insights from these consultants enabled Hannan and Daniel to concentrate on their priorities, interact their staff, and construct a apply rooted in shared values. The emphasis on suggestions – each from sufferers and the staff – emerged as a key driver in navigating modifications efficiently.
Greatest wins
Reflecting on their accomplishments, Hannan and Daniel highlighted their strongest wins – elevated affected person engagement, staff cohesion, newfound readability, and an aligned course for his or her apply. They’ve constructed a implausible staff and instilled a tradition of development and accountability. Moreover, their apply’s transformation has gained exterior recognition, as they turned finalists for Most Improved Observe – London on the 2024 Non-public Dentistry Awards.
‘Our biggest win? Clarity,’ Daniel affirmed. ‘We now have a clear vision of where we’re heading, and that’s a useful end result.’
The mentors
The programme’s mentors turned pivotal figures in Hannan and Daniel’s journey, providing experience and inspiration throughout a number of sides of their enterprise and private development.
Described as a game-changer, Justin Leigh’s classes basically altered how Hannan approaches staff administration and management: ‘Justin has completely changed my leadership approach. I find that the team are much more engaged. I’ve been capable of get them to grow to be extra accountable and likewise maintain me accountable on the similar time. The steering and recommendation that he supplies me across the enterprise, has additionally actually helped me in my day-to-day life, and actually modified who I’m.’
A guiding gentle in advertising and affected person engagement, Shaz Memon’s recommendation revolutionised their strategy to reaching and interacting with their viewers. Daniel defined: ‘Shaz is an absolute pillar of the dental industry. The way he thinks about businesses within the dental industry is unlike anyone I’ve ever seen.
‘His concepts, and his capacity to provide you with methods is phenomenal, and he offers us actually actionable and spectacular recommendation that we’ve utilized in a few of our advertising, our web site, and even simply the way in which we work together with sufferers. It’s actually modified the sport for us.’
Sandeep Kumar’s knack for prioritising and streamlining operations empowered the Saleems to deal with challenges head-on and concentrate on what really mattered. Hannan mentioned: ‘The way I’ve seen Sandeep function his enterprise and his community is basically spectacular. It’s undoubtedly one thing I aspire to be. He has this actually good strategy of whittling down the issues to the important thing priorities after which pushing me to concentrate on these. Earlier than this programme I’d get misplaced within the weeds however Sandeep actually helped me knuckle down on what I actually wanted to concentrate on and what the principle priorities had been.’
Along with his dedication to delivering excellent dental care in a harmonious working atmosphere, Sameer Patel impressed Hannan and Daniel to steadiness enterprise development with their core mission of outstanding affected person outcomes. Daniel: ‘Samir is a fantastic leader and dentist, his ability to create a culture within his team that is high achieving and to motivate them, I think that’s actually one thing that we might like to rub off on us and we will begin instilling in our staff as properly.’
Surprises alongside the way in which
One of the vital surprising but rewarding points of the programme was the sense of neighborhood inside the dental world. Daniel expressed his astonishment on the openness and generosity of different professionals in sharing their experience and experiences: ‘What really stood out was the willingness of everyone to help each other succeed. It didn’t really feel aggressive; it felt collaborative,’ Daniel remarked.
Improvements and development: the highlights
The apply has embraced vital modifications, together with:
Expertise integration: the adoption of the Itero Scanner has revolutionised workflows, making a extra interactive and fascinating affected person expertise
Model overhaul: from the brand to the web site, the rebranding captures the essence of their household’s journey and imaginative and prescient
Operational excellence: streamlined processes and clearly outlined roles have empowered their staff, enhanced customer support, and freed up time to concentrate on development
Affected person-centred care: a renewed emphasis on affected person relationships has deepened belief and loyalty, incomes heartfelt reward from long-term purchasers.
This spirit of collaboration and mutual encouragement was a revelation, reworking the often-perceived aggressive trade right into a supportive community. By way of the programme, they related with friends, FMC, Align, and different key gamers, widening their horizons and establishing lasting relationships. This camaraderie has reshaped their view of the career, reworking competitors into collective empowerment.
Constructing on a legacy
Hannan and Daniel’s journey is deeply related to their household’s legacy. Their story spans a long time – a story of resilience that started with their mother and father’ dream and continues to encourage immediately. In 2010, their mother and father took the brave step of opening a squat apply in what was as soon as a comfort retailer. ‘It was a massive risk,’ Hannan recounts, ‘but it was the start of something extraordinary.’
Constructing upon their mother and father’ work, Hannan and Daniel have launched into a mission to remodel and modernise the apply. The Dental Observe Accelerator programme has performed a pivotal position on this evolution, equipping them with instruments, methods, and a newfound sense of course.
One of the vital vital updates has been within the apply’s branding and identification. Fairly than outsourcing to exterior corporations, Daniel took it upon himself to create a model that displays the center of their story. ‘Our family’s journey is embedded in each facet of the apply,’ he explains. This authenticity resonates deeply with their sufferers, a lot of whom have remained loyal for over 14 years – some even touring from distant areas to proceed receiving care at London Dental Centre.
A imaginative and prescient reworked
Hannan and Daniel entered the Dental Observe Accelerator Programme with a want for readability and hope for stability. They sought actionable insights from mentors and hoped to unveil the methods that would set their enterprise aside. This aspiration was met and exceeded, because the programme supplied them not solely with strategic steering but additionally with the boldness to dream greater than that they had earlier than.
The mentors have been integral to this transformation. Justin’s management steering has not solely formed how Daniel manages his staff but additionally influenced his interactions with household and buddies. ‘Justin has changed my life,’ Hannan says, ‘from how I handle difficult conversations to fostering engagement both personally and professionally.’ Shaz’s advertising experience, Sandeep’s operational insights, and Sameer’s scientific excellence have all contributed to a apply that’s extra environment friendly, revolutionary, and patient-focused than ever earlier than.
Now, they goal of boundless development – including extra chairs, onboarding new workers, and increasing their attain. Whereas the journey forward entails steady acceleration, they’re assured of their capacity to steer the apply towards even better heights. ‘Previously, our vision was to simply stabilise the practice,’ mentioned Daniel. ‘Through this process, we’ve fully reimagined what we will obtain.’
A yr of development
Reflecting on the previous yr, it’s clear that the Dental Observe Accelerator programme has been a useful expertise. Hannan and Daniel haven’t solely achieved their preliminary purpose of readability and actionable steps but additionally found the facility of neighborhood and the resilience wanted to beat operational hurdles.
Because the programme concludes, they’re excited to hold ahead the teachings discovered, the relationships constructed, and the imaginative and prescient solidified. Hannan concluded: ‘All my expectations have been exceeded. The position we are in now is completely different to where we were when we started and it fills me with joy. I’m additionally very grateful for the staff at Align for a way a lot assist they’ve given me, and likewise to the mentors, Shaz, Justin, Sandeep and Sameer, have been fully instrumental to the apply’s growth and my private growth. It’s been a very life-changing expertise.’
If you want to speed up your apply and scientific development, Align Expertise may also help you get to the following degree, leveraging the Invisalign system, Itero intraoral scanners, and the Align Digital Platform.
For extra details about its schooling and development assist programmes go to www.invisalign.co.uk/gp/become-a-provider.