PPS vs alternative practice management software
Ever wondered how PPS compares to the likes of Cliniko, Jane App, Writeupp, Pabau, Powerdiary and more?
Here at PPS, we like to put our time and energy into engaging with our clients, developing our products and services and keeping our features and functionality up to date! We’re led by our experience and our customers, rather than what our competitors are doing.
We don’t feel the need to put other software solutions down to elevate PPS, we believe that our products and services speak for themselves.
So instead of trying to put together a (more than likely biased) comparison, what we can offer you is some sturdy advice.
How to choose the right software for your clinic
With over two decades of experience in supporting clinics of all shapes and sizes across multiple disciplines, we’d like to think we’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a good practice management software and how you can find the right solution for your business. So we’ve put together some unbiased info on how to find the right practice management software for your private healthcare practice.
1. Outline your requirements
The first step in finding the right practice management software for your clinic is identifying your specific needs.
Take some time to consider any existing pain points, whether it’s appointment scheduling, secure patient data management, or streamlining your billing process. There’s a huge range of clinic software out there to choose from! So having your requirements nailed down will help you to filter out all of the options that might not support your business, leaving you with a much more manageable list of providers to trial.
To help you figure out if PPS fits the bill, we offer online demos where we can have a chat about your clinic, how you work and how PPS can support you.
2. Opt for user-friendly interfaces
Keep it simple with an easy-to-use interface. It’s important to find a software solution that makes life easier for you and your team. Look for a practice management solution that is user-friendly so that you can focus on what you do best and leave the technical stuff to the software providers! There will always be a degree of learning required when it comes to implementing a new clinic management system, but you shouldn’t need to invest weeks into getting to grips with your new software if it is intuitive enough.
The best way to get a good feel for things is to give it a try! We offer free 30-day trials of PPS that give you unlimited access to all of the features and functionality available to our paying customers, you also have unlimited access to our support team should you have any questions or need any help along the way.
3. Customisation is key
No two clinics are the same, this is something we are acutely aware of as a result of working with various disciplines across the private healthcare industry.
From your opening hours to how you manage the patient journey, the service that you offer to your clients is unique and it’s imperative that your clinic management software is flexible enough to accommodate this. Most software solutions will have the same core features, so it’s important to take some time to drill down into the finer details of just how adaptable those core features might be and whether they can be customised to suit your needs.
To help you figure out if PPS fits the bill, we offer online demos where we can have a chat about your clinic, how you work and how PPS can support you.
Key customisation features to look out for:
- The ability to add your own branding (logo, etc)
- Customisable client forms (for consent, new client registration etc.)
- Create your own appointment reminders, booking confirmations and follow-up messages
- A flexible appointment diary that can reflect locations, departments, rooms and multiple practitioners, depending on your needs
- A customisable automation system that can take on daily tasks
Check out our demo for a brief overview of just some of the flexible features that make up PPS.
4. Data security
Patient data security is non-negotiable in the private healthcare industry. You are the expert at extracting and analysing the right data from your clients so that you can provide the relevant treatment, your software provider should be the expert at keeping that data safe.
The right solution for you will be fully appraised of the rules and regulations by which you need to abide and will offer the tools needed for you to do so.
Any software provider should be able to provide you with some info that outlines their security features, like this one. If there’s a bit too much technical jargon for you to wade through (data security is important, but can be a bit confusing) then you should reach out to the team who can explain anything you are unsure of or answer more specific questions, like what tools are available for GDPR or where the servers are located.
5. Stay within budget
Your ideal practice management software should be affordable and functional. The cost should be relative to the value, choosing the right software can save you time, act as an additional resource, provide support for your business and even generate revenue. However, ruling out any options that are way outside of your budget to begin with, should leave you with a more realistic list of options to consider.
Some additional things to look out for:
Flexible packages
Are you able to choose whether you include additional extras or is everything included as standard?
Having the ability to customise your package could save you some money compared to ‘one-size fits all’ options.
Cost per user
How is your bill calculated? Can you pay for what you actually use or is the price based on set brackets?
Only paying for what you need is another way to ensure you are making the most cost-effective choice.
Contract length
Are you tied in for a set period? check out the minimum contract length, the last thing you want is to be stuck with a software solution that doesn’t fit the bill!
PPS starts from just £15 per month and offers a lot of bang for your buck! We believe that good quality software shouldn’t cost the earth, you can find all of the info you need on our pricing here.
6. Stellar customer support
No matter how much of a whizz you are with technology, chances are you will need to call on the support team at some point, whether it’s for help with an issue, getting to grips with new features, some friendly advice on how to optimise your use of the software or training a new member of staff!
Support are your go-to guys for ensuring that you are getting the most out of your practice management system, so we’d suggest checking out the following when appraising the support offering of your potential new provider:
- How can you contact them?
- What is their availability like?
- Do they operate within your time zone?
- Is there plenty of supporting materials for you to access?
Our support team is UK based and can be contacted via LiveChat, email or telephone. We offer unlimited free online training and we are constantly updating our knowledgebase where you can access all of our help guides and videos. We also like to believe that we’ve picked a pretty friendly bunch, but don’t just take our word for it, just can chat with us at any point here or if you’d like a bit more of a chat, let’s set a date!
7. Mix and match
Lastly, don’t forget to consider the compatibility of your potential practice management software with any existing tools that you use.
Many software packages integrate with third-party applications like payment processors or exercise software. Opt for software that gels with your current set-up for the most streamlined solution.
PPS currently integrates with a multitude of complimentary software including, Dojo, Healthcode, Physiotec, Mailchimp and more! You can see a list of all of our existing integrations here.
In short
When it comes to choosing a practice management solution for your private healthcare clinic, there’s a lot more to consider than the information you might find in direct comparison or X vs. X review.
Hopefully, you’ve found some of our advice helpful and you can leave this page feeling a little more confident in how to move forward in your decision-making process.
If you do need a little more guidance we’re here to help as much as we can.
You can connect with us at any time via our LiveChat or by booking a chat with one of our PPS experts. We don’t believe in a hard sell approach and we won’t try and shoehorn PPS into anywhere that we don’t believe it’s a good fit.
Choosing a new provider doesn’t have to be hard work
If you are already using software in your clinic and your considering changing to a different provider, we’ve got some information about the process of switching to PPS here.
Try PPS
If you think you’d like to give PPS a go, we’d love to get you started on our free trial you can sign up today for 30-days unlimited access. We won’t ask for any payment details unless you decide to subscribe!
