Q. Why shouldn’t I just have a local dental supply company draw up my new office plan? A. Working with your local dental supply company may seem like your simplest -and cheapest design alternative - especially when they throw out an offer for a free design. However, it is said that, there is no such thing as a free lunch and, when it comes to design plans, someone has to pay for that meal- that someone is you. You’ll pay in lost productivity, poor space utilization, increased cabinet and equipment costs, inadequate design documentation, and a lack of esthetic plan - just to name a few. You can’t really blame the supply company. First, they make their big money on supplies - hence the name. Equipment is a headache for them, but they’ve got to sell it, if not - they might lose your account to a catalog. (Hmmm... If you don’t need them for equipment. If you can use anyone for service...) Second, chances are that they didn’t charge you up front for your “design”, which means they have to make money somewhere. So: a) They design for what is easiest-for them. They don’t really know how to increase your productivity through careful layout-and they probably couldn’t care less about meeting your personal goals and expectations. The faster and simpler the job is for them, the better, because doing the job right just costs them more... much more. Remember, they don’t do dentistry for a living. Why should we expect an equipment salesman to understand peak performance when most dentists don’t? b) They make sure to use a bunch of cabinets and accessories you don’t need in order to get paid back for the design. You’ll never hear a supply company telling you to simplify your supply cabinets or to streamline on the variety of products you need - that’s where they make money! In fact, they probably hope your cabinets are a mess-then you’ll buy more supplies when you can’t find the ones you already own. (No, that’s probably not true. It just seems like it, doesn’t it?) Save yourself a bunch of money and pay for your office design. You could hire our firm or someone else - just make sure they truly understand dentistry! You’ll save your money in the long run. Don’t worry, when it is time to purchase supplies, your supplier will still be there.
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