Big or small fish, size really should not matter – Dr Bilal Sheikh explains how one dental supplier made him feel ‘as special as any big dental corporate’ after taking over a new practice.
I think that everyone can benefit from other people’s experience and particularly in dentistry where things run at 100 miles per hour and supreme efficiency is therefore key. I’d like to share my two penny’s worth.
In 2013, I took over a practice in Macclesfield called Roe Street Dental. I did not have any experience of making a capital purchase and like many of my peers, I felt that if I contacted several companies which provided ‘big ticket items’, I would soon get a clear picture of what was ‘out there’ and more importantly what would work for me and my practice.
Special
I eagerly got in touch with several companies which I had carefully selected after some initial research. Bizarrely, nobody bothered to contact me back. It was odd. I was ready to spend money with them and just needed their guidance to be able to proceed with my purchase. Was I too small a practice to be regarded as an interesting customer?
I don’t know, but this did not instil me with any confidence.
When I say nobody, I mean four companies out of five. Pete Higson from RPA Dental was the exception. He called me instantly and sent me a subsequent email with various options to consider. He also offered to come to the practice to see for himself how he could assist me.
I no longer felt I was a little fish in a big pond. Pete made me feel as special as any big dental corporate they might deal with.
So 2015, I bought my first Stern Weber 320TR dental package from RPA Dental. To be fair, I knew nothing about the Stern Weber brand, but I did trust Pete’s judgement. The dental chair was aesthetically pleasing and the amount of technology it sported surpassed any other dental chairs I had experienced.
Bonded for life
In 2016, RPA Dental also helped when I took another practice in Stockport, and again in 2021 when I started another squat practice with the amazing S380TRC unit that has become a real head turner in practices this year. So I now have four Stern Weber dental chairs and it is the brand I am bonded to for life.
I love how innovative the chairs are – they are elevated from most others on the market. I love the fact that everything is built into the chair and has clean and minimalistic lines. Also, I love the fact that it is easy for everyone including my staff to operate and I love the integrated apex locator and the integrated speed increasing/reducing handpiece.
From a service perspective, you soon get to know the RPA Dental engineers very well and vice versa. I have found myself exchanging texts at times when I had quick technical questions, and it made all the difference that they responded to me so fast.
It baffles me when I hear some of my peers painstakingly battling with call centres to get someone’s help. Why would anyone want to go through this?
RPA Dental suits me. On paper they sell, install and maintain equipment. In reality they do an incredible amount of work behind the scenes and often do things in the background that I am not even aware of, just to make things as smooth as possible for me.
I don’t have to worry about whether I am a small or big fish, I am being listened to and that makes me a lot more efficient for everyone’s benefit.
For more information about Stern Weber chairs, and so much more at RPA Dental please visit https://www.dental-equipment.co.uk/dental-chairs/stern-weber/.
