The comparison at a glance
| Criterion | Notebook / paper | Excel | Dedicated software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Almost zero. | Low, if you already have Office. | A subscription (at IQ Dental Hub: annual, with 30 free days). |
| Getting started | Immediate. | You have to build the sheet and formulas. | You set up the catalogue, clinics and team once. |
| Several people at once | One notebook, in one place. | Risk of different file versions. | The whole team works in the same record, each with their own permissions. |
| Price calculation | Manual. | With formulas, if you build and maintain them. | Automatic, from the catalogue and each clinic’s negotiated prices. |
| Deadlines and try-ins | Must be checked daily, by hand. | Sorting and filters, no shared calendar. | Shared calendar, deliveries for 7 days, cases close to deadline visible early. |
| Technicians’ work | Hard to track. | Possible, with a separate sheet. | Tasks assigned per technician; each sees their tasks and what they are owed. |
| Partial payments and balances | Easy to lose track of. | Possible, but matching payments to orders is manual. | Each clinic’s balance calculated from orders and payments. |
| Dentists see the status | No: they call you. | No, unless you send them the file. | Yes, from their free account, only their own orders. |
| Reports | Done by hand. | Pivot tables, if you know how. | Ready-made monthly reports, PDF and Excel export. |
| On the phone | Only if you carry the notebook. | Awkward on a small screen. | Yes, the app works on phone and tablet. |
| Risk of losing data | The notebook can be lost or damaged. | The file can be corrupted or overwritten without backups. | Data is kept on the server, with backups. |
The notebook and paper forms
Pros: it costs nothing, needs no learning and works without the internet. For a lab just starting out with a few dentists, it’s a reasonable choice.
Cons: the information is in one physical place, can’t be searched and doesn’t add itself up. Deadlines must be checked by hand and clinic balances worked out with a pen. As the number of orders grows, so does the risk of mistakes.
The Excel sheet
Pros: it’s flexible, allows searching, sorting and formulas, and almost everyone knows it. Many technicians build their own system in Excel and it works well for a while.
Cons: someone has to maintain the sheet. When several people work in it, different versions appear, a formula deleted by mistake breaks the totals, and dentists have no access to the information. Payments are matched to orders by hand.
Dedicated management software
Pros: it’s built specifically for a lab’s workflow. The order form has a dental chart, the price calculates itself, try-ins go into the calendar, tasks are assigned to technicians and balances are kept automatically. The whole team works in the same record, and dentists see the status of their cases.
Cons: it has a cost (a subscription) and needs an initial setup: the catalogue of works, clinics and team. It also requires an internet connection.
When switching to software is worth it
A few signs that your current records can’t keep up:
- You often get calls from dentists asking about case status.
- You have forgotten a try-in or discovered a delay on the last day.
- You don’t know exactly, without calculating, how much each clinic owes you.
- Several technicians work with you and calculating their pay takes time.
- You have different prices for different clinics.
If two or more of these apply, management software will take over part of the record-keeping. Practical steps that apply whichever option you choose are in the guide to organising orders.
Frequently asked questions
Is software worth it for a one-technician lab?
It depends on the number of orders and dentists. If you remember everything effortlessly and get paid on time, a notebook may be enough. If you work with several dentists, try-ins and partial payments, software takes over part of the record-keeping.
Can I move from Excel to software without losing data?
Yes. The list of works and prices can be imported, and new orders go straight into the software. Old orders can stay in the Excel file as an archive.
How long does switching to software take?
The part that takes time is setting up the catalogue: clinics, dentists, technicians and works with prices. It’s done once, and after that every new order is filled in from the lists already created.