Philips has expanded its team to ensure its dental partners are better supported at every stage of their careers.
Renewed focuses include support for universities, DSOs and strategic partnerships, and Philips now has recruited a larger field team to engage with every member of the dental team. Many of the new recruits come from clinical backgrounds themselves, so they have a clear understanding of the unique challenges dental professionals face.
Jessica Puckett, Philips dental professional lead UK&I, said:
‘We know how important it is to have shared experiences and speak the same language as professionals within the dental sector.
‘We want to ensure we are supporting people before their careers even begin, so have brought on a new education manager. We aim to champion dental professionals from the start to the end of their careers. To help with this, we have expanded our field team. In fact we now have the largest team we’ve had in over three years.
‘This was vital to ensure that clinicians can see us, hear from us and try our products. We know seeing isn’t always believing. We know that trying is believing. We are focused on ensuring that regardless of what a clinician chooses to recommend, it is completely their choice, but we give them the opportunity to try every product to make absolutely certain they are aware of the best solutions for each individual patient.
‘We want to truly embed the Philips field team into your practice, so you know who your person is, and how to contact us. We want to ensure we are available for you whenever you need it. So if you’re not hearing from us, let me know.’
Advice and support
The new and expanded field team is led by Beth Elliot. She shares on how her team is on hand to support busy HCPs:
‘Our team members are all dental educators who are clinically trained to understand the needs and challenges that practices face. We provide business advice to help you harness whitening and power brush sales, supporting your practices’ wider revenue.
‘Our priority is to support dental professionals with education about Sonicare and Zoom Whitening. We have nine new people on the team to help with all your dental needs, at a time that suits you within your practice. We have a full team throughout the UK, and they’re looking forward to meeting you.’
You can now contact [email protected] to arrange an education session with the representative based within your area.
Hands-on knowledge
The rest of the newly expanded Philips team have all also worked clinically before joining the business. Oral health therapist Emilee Walby, who also has a MSc in public health, is Philips’ professional marketing manager. She said:
‘The dental industry is very specific and niche, and it’s important to have a really good understanding of how to communicate with clinicians in a way they appreciate. Having that knowledge is crucial in this role.’
Emilee outlines how she will employ her hands-on knowledge of the dental industry over the coming year:
‘My goal is to ensure dental professionals are much more aware of the extensive clinical research we have undertaken to demonstrate the effectiveness of our products. We have a huge amount of research supporting their efficacy compared with other products on the market. I also want to ensure that every dentist, hygienist and therapist in the UK has the opportunity to try our brushes.’
Philips has also invested in an enhanced digital experience for clinicians. Emilee continued:
‘We are driving many more digital initiatives to guarantee we are available for anyone at any time of the day. We are aware that not everyone has the time to make calls between nine and five, or maybe doesn’t want to send an email. We now have a new web shop which everyone can access. We’re working on ensuring it is even more streamlined and easy to use. It will mean that you can pay your invoices, track your shipments, make orders, do everything online. We know historically it could be difficult to order from us online, and we’re working hard to make the process smoother.
‘We have also created a new digital hub which will be a centre for education, focusing specifically on oral health care and ways Philips can help support patients’ oral health outcomes.’
Sustainability
Sustainability remains a key focus for the expanding team. Emily explained:
‘We know that sustainability is a big priority for many of our customers and their patients, and we’re making it a very significant corporate level focus to support them with our environmentally conscious business model.’
Philips is leading the transition to a circular economy, developing products with sustainability as a priority to extend their lifetime value.
‘For example, Philips has updated the sustainability of its Sonicare toothbrushes and brush heads with 70% of the plastic used in brush heads being bio-based, and old brush heads are recycled back into Philips products. Meanwhile, toothbrush handles, and Power Flossers can be recycled in small electronic depots throughout the UK.’
Professional experience
New to the Philips team since April, Kimberley Lloyd-Rees brings with her a wealth of professional experience, including work as a dental therapist within the NHS, at private specialist practices, the MoD, and as a lecturer in dental hygiene at the University of Sheffield. She shares how her previous experiences are helping to guide her current role as education manager.
‘I continue to stay actively involved in clinical work, working one day a week in practice to stay connected with patient care and maintain hands-on experience. Dentistry is always evolving, and if you don’t stay active, and say yes to opportunities you can end up stagnating. In my role I hope to offer opportunities to fellow dental professionals and students. Dentistry is such an exciting field, my goal is to empower clinicians with the tools and resources they need to better serve their patients, while also exploring innovative ways to make a lasting impact on the future of dentistry. By supporting their endeavours, we can help shape a more effective, patient-centred approach to dental care.
‘As a clinician and an education manager, I have the same goal – helping to change people’s health from the foundations. If we can improve people’s oral health, that is life altering. My main focus with Philips is speaking with universities. Students are the future of dentistry and their role in providing oral health instruction is crucial for their patients’ journeys. It is key that they explore all the options available to their patients, as well as the science and evidence behind it, that way they can provide better care. I loved my time teaching at the University of Sheffield because I could really empower my students, and I plan to do the same through my role with Philips.’
Partnerships
Newly returning to Philips after maternity leave is Emma Galantini, Philips’ strategic partnerships manager. Emma’s career in dentistry started when she joined the army as a dental nurse. She then trained as a dental therapist and hygienist, and worked clinically for 10 years before joining the Philips team. Her new role focuses on professional partnerships.
‘I want to help DSOs feel valued. They are a hugely important part of our business, and the last couple of years have been a challenge as we haven’t always had the manpower we needed. Now, I am a dedicated person that the DSOs can liaise with.
‘Coming from a clinical background, I straddle both sides of the business. I think that is hugely beneficial, especial when speaking with dental professionals. I know what it is like working in practice, and having autonomy over what I was recommending was really important to me. I’m not here to push products, I just want to work together with dental teams more effectively to provide solutions for patients.’
For more information, and to speak with your new point of contact at Philips, contact: [email protected].
This article is sponsored by Philips.
