Digital Readiness Audit: Wake Smiles
Some tools in place, but missing key automation
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Wake Smiles vs. Raleigh Dentists & Dental Practices
| Competitor | Rating | Reviews | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Smiles (You) | 4.7 | 84 | Yes |
| Village Dental - North Raleigh | 4.7 | 1802 | Yes |
| Night & Day Dental | 4.2 | 1790 | Yes |
| Lane & Associates Family Dentistry - Raleigh Wake Forest Road | 4.9 | 1620 | Yes |
In Raleigh: 16 of 29 dentists & dental practices have online booking · 0 have live chat
What Wake Smiles Is Probably Dealing With
The Problem
Wake Smiles has a solid foundation but they're playing catch-up in Raleigh's dental market. At 4.7 stars with 84 reviews, they're sitting at the very bottom of the ranking pile. Number 29 out of 29 dentists in the area. That's not where you want to be when the average competitor has 865 reviews and you're sitting at 84.
Here's what's really hurting them. No online booking system. In a market where 16 out of 29 competitors offer online booking, Wake Smiles is forcing patients to call during business hours or nothing. That's dead leads walking away. The website audit shows they've got the basics covered. SSL, mobile-friendly, contact forms. But they're missing the two things that actually convert visitors into appointments: online booking and a chat widget.
Their digital presence gaps are costing them daily. No CRM means patient data lives in filing cabinets or scattered across different systems. No email marketing means zero relationship building between visits. When 92% of patients read reviews before choosing a dentist, having 84 reviews while Village Dental up the road has 1,802 reviews is a serious competitive disadvantage.
The real problem isn't their quality of care. That 4.7 rating proves they're doing good work. The problem is their systems can't capture, nurture, or convert leads efficiently. When a potential patient calls after hours or visits their website at 10pm, there's nothing pushing them toward booking an appointment. They're losing leads to competitors who have their digital house in order.
Without automation handling appointment reminders, no-shows are probably eating into their schedule. No follow-up system means patients who need recalls in 6 months just disappear. And with no systematic review requests, they're growing their review count at a snail's pace while competitors pull further ahead.
Automation Opportunities
Wake Smiles needs four specific automations to compete in Raleigh's dental market. Each one addresses a gap that's costing them appointments right now.
1. Online Booking with Service Selection
Their website audit shows zero online booking capability. That's insane in 2024. GHL's calendar system fixes this immediately. Go to Calendars > Create Calendar > choose service menu type. Set up different appointment types: routine cleaning (45 min), filling (90 min), consultation (30 min). Each service auto-assigns to available hygienists or dentists based on your team setup.
GHL Automation Opportunities for Wake Smiles
Wake Smiles specifically needs this because 16 of their 29 competitors already offer online booking. Every website visitor who can't book immediately is a potential patient walking to a competitor who makes it easier. Configure the calendar with 15-minute buffers between appointments and set availability to match your actual office hours. The confirmation emails and SMS reminders run automatically once someone books.
2. Missed Call Text-Back System
Go to Settings > Phone Numbers > buy a local Raleigh number through LC Phone. Enable missed call text-back under Settings > Business Profile. When someone calls during lunch or after hours, they immediately get a text: "Hi, this is Wake Smiles. I saw you called but couldn't answer. What can I help you with?"
This matters because dental practices get tons of calls during busy periods. Your front desk can't answer every call while checking patients in. The missed call text-back catches those leads before they call the next dentist on Google. Most people won't leave voicemails but they will respond to a text. It typically recovers 40-50% of missed calls as actual conversations.
3. New Patient Workflow Sequence
Go to Automation > Workflows > Create Workflow. Trigger: form submitted from website. Action sequence: immediate welcome email with patient intake forms > 24-hour appointment reminder SMS > 2-hour post-visit review request > 6-month recall reminder. Each step happens automatically without your team touching anything.
Wake Smiles needs this because their website audit shows they have contact forms but no email marketing system. New patients are filling out forms and then. nothing. No follow-up, no nurturing, no systematic onboarding. This workflow turns form submissions into scheduled appointments and keeps patients coming back for recalls.
4. Review Generation System
Go to Reputation > connect your Google Business Profile. Create review request templates that go out 2 hours after appointments. Set up the review funnel: first ask "How was your visit today?" on a scale of 1-5. If they select 4-5, redirect to Google reviews. If 1-3, send them to a private feedback form so you can address issues before they go public.
With only 84 reviews compared to competitors with 1,800+, Wake Smiles desperately needs systematic review collection. This automation typically generates 2-3 new reviews per week without staff having to remember to ask. That's 100+ new reviews per year, which starts closing the gap with bigger competitors.
| What Wake Smiles Has Now | What GHL Would Add |
|---|---|
| Phone calls only for scheduling | 24/7 online booking with service menus |
| Missed calls go to voicemail | Automatic text-back system for missed calls |
| No CRM or patient management | Complete contact database with appointment history |
| Manual appointment reminders | Automated SMS and email reminder sequences |
| No systematic review requests | Automated review generation 2 hours post-visit |
| Paper intake forms | Digital forms that auto-populate patient records |
| No recall system | Automated 6-month cleaning reminders |
What Changes in 30 Days
Days 1-7: Foundation Setup
Week one is all about plugging Wake Smiles's biggest gaps. The online booking calendar goes live first because that's immediately revenue-generating. Configure three appointment types: cleanings, fillings, and consultations. Set your actual office hours and link it directly to your website. The Raleigh phone number gets purchased and missed call text-back activates immediately.
By day 5, the new patient workflow launches. Every website form submission now triggers the welcome sequence. Existing patient data imports into GHL's contact database. Your Google Business Profile connects to the reputation system. Front desk staff gets trained on the new two-way SMS conversations that'll start flowing in.
Days 8-14: First Automations Running
This is where you see the difference. Online bookings start trickling in, probably 2-3 in the first week. More importantly, missed calls now generate text conversations instead of dead air. Your front desk reports actual responses from people who called during busy periods. The appointment reminder system cuts no-shows from typical 15-20% down to 8-10%.
Dentists & Dental Practices Industry Snapshot
Frequently Asked Questions
Patient intake becomes smoother. New appointments arrive with digital forms already completed. Less clipboard shuffling, faster check-ins. The first automated review requests go out, and you get your first Google review without anyone on your team asking for it.
Days 15-30: Momentum Builds
By month's end, the numbers start shifting. Online bookings account for 20-30% of new appointments. That's 8-12 additional appointments per month just from website visitors who previously would've bounced. With dental appointments averaging $800, that's $6,400-$9,600 in additional monthly revenue from booking convenience alone.
The review count climbs steadily. Instead of sporadic reviews, you're generating 2-3 weekly. In 30 days, that's 8-12 new Google reviews. Still behind the big competitors, but moving in the right direction. Recall appointments stop falling through cracks because the 6-month reminder system handles follow-ups automatically.
Most importantly, your team spends less time on manual scheduling and follow-ups. More time on patient care, less time managing administrative chaos.
FAQ
GHL runs $297/month for unlimited contacts and all features. For Wake Smiles, if online booking adds just 5 extra appointments monthly at $800 average value, that's $4,000 additional revenue. The system pays for itself in the first week. Most dental practices see 15-25% increases in appointment bookings within 60 days of going live.
The basic calendar setup takes about 2 hours. Configure your appointment types (cleaning, consultation, procedure), set availability windows, and embed the booking widget on your website. Your patients can start booking online the same day. The advanced stuff like automated reminders and recall scheduling adds another few hours but doesn't block the core booking functionality.
You won't catch Village Dental's 1,802 reviews overnight, but systematic review generation changes the game. GHL's automated review requests typically generate 2-3 reviews weekly without staff intervention. That's 100+ new reviews annually. Combined with better online booking and patient experience, you start competing on convenience and service quality instead of just review volume.
When someone calls Wake Smiles and gets no answer, GHL immediately sends a text: "Hi, this is Wake Smiles. I saw you called but couldn't answer. What can I help you with?" The response comes into your dashboard like a chat conversation. Your front desk can respond between patients. It typically recovers 40-50% of missed calls as actual appointment bookings instead of lost leads.
Automated appointment reminders and patient intake forms. Instead of calling every patient 24 hours before their appointment, GHL sends SMS and email reminders automatically. New patients complete intake forms online before arriving, so there's no clipboard paperwork during check-in. Most practices report saving 8-10 hours weekly on administrative tasks that now run automatically.
if you're looking at this thinking "i'd rather someone just handle this for me" — that's what i do. i set up the full automation system for dentists & dental practices: follow-ups, pipeline, booking, lead tagging. all on autopilot.
see what i'd build for Wake Smiles →Free Dentists & Dental Practices Automation Checklist
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