DenMat
As a leader in the dental manufacturing industry, DenMat develops and manufactures products that allow dentists to preserve, restore and enhance teeth without extensive cutting, drilling, and tooth removal. With help from Visus LLC, DenMat deployed a web-based B2B e-commerce system that streamlines prescription-filling, order entry and production processes for DenMat's popular thin veneers: Lumineers.
"Visus LLC did an excellent job of using technology to take our vision and translate it into a business solution with real tangible benefits," says Dave Venancio, Director of IT at DenMat. "They brought their knowledge and experience to the table to create a userfriendly solution."
Previously, dentists faxed or mailed prescription forms to DenMat to instigate the production of custom dental products. Unfortunately, handwritten prescription forms were slowing down production processes. They were difficult to track, easily lost, and sometimes illegible. This sometimes led to inaccuracies, causing dentists to send products back because of problems.
Service With a Smile
The assignment led to a highly visible web application. DenMat services more than 86,000 dentists worldwide. With this high volume operation, minimizing returns and rebuild cycles is imperative. "The big driver for this project was to improve communication between us and our customers," says Mark Kelly, Chief Information Officer at DenMat. "We needed a way for the dentists to review and approve custom products before we built them."
Decision makers at DenMat met with Visus to discuss the project in the early phases. "It was immediately apparent that Visus understood what we were looking for," Kelly continues. "They are much more conscientious than the typical software development company. Requirement gathering is as much an art form as a science for Visus. Because of that, they were able to take our vision and turn it into a reality."
Visus worked hard to thoroughly understand our business and become a part of our team. We now have a long-term partner for future projects.
In the design phase, Visus brought its insight to bear to enhance the solution. "Visus was very easy to work with throughout the process, and we leveraged their knowledge to streamline the user interface." says Cindy De Lauer, ERP Manager at DenMat. "They have a lot of application development experience so they know what works and what doesn't."
Visus worked closely with DenMat to turn their ideas into a workable solution. They took great care during the planning stages to make sure every option was considered. For example, Visus devised an intuitive way for dentists to select particular teeth when they order veneers. In DenMat's original design, the dentist would click a number that corresponded to a specific tooth. Visus suggested shading the selected tooth instead, making the details of the prescription more visible both to dentists and the DenMat production staff.
Visus also took time to understand DenMat's business and the customers it serves, which later helped the solution gain wide acceptance. For example, they created prompts to walk dentists through the ordering process and flag errors or repetitive information.
A Bright Future
The new application enables dentists to easily upload pictures of their patients' teeth to DenMat, provides easy access to records, simplifies shipping by creating FedEx labels, and enables dentists to track the production process. It supports an efficient way for dentists to communicate with DenMat without having to make numerous telephone calls. The system is simple to use, requiring minimal training for dentists to adopt.
The Visus development team sets realistic expectations, manages its time well, and has solid project management skills to meet deadlines.
Kelly says the new application gives DenMat a competitive edge in a fast moving market while creating a platform they can expand in the future. For example, DenMat plans to engage Visus in the near future to integrate the B2B e-commerce platform with their ERP system. Once this integration work is completed, orders placed in the portal will be passed directly into DenMat's other information systems.
Already, dentists are enjoying valuable components of the LUMITray portal such as the digital preview function, which lets them review veneers online as soon as DenMat uploads the design. Participating dentists are notified via email when new or updated designs are ready for review.
"Enabling dentists to review each custom design online and then accept or reject it before we go into production improves the process for everyone," Kelly says. "It virtually eliminates our costly re-build cycles by helping us get it right the first time. This application will allow DenMat to secure its position as the technology and innovation leader in the dental market."
Kelly pauses, reflecting on a successful development project and its ramifications to the business. "Visus made sure they understood our business needs, then delivered a solution on time and on budget," he concludes. "We will definitely hire them again for other projects."