New solutions from Teamwork

The merger of Software of Excellence and Oasis Software heralds the dawn of a new era for IT consultants Teamwork Solutions says managing director Andrew Vanezis. Not only will Teamwork now give its clients a choice between Oasis and Exact practice management software depending on their requirements, the company also has plans to significantly grow its role in helping dental practices to navigate through the myriad new technologies constantly being introduced into dentistry.

"It's an exciting time in the evolution of Teamwork Solutions," Mr Vanezis said. "We worked hand-in-hand with Anne and Noel Morley at Oasis from day one when the idea of the merger was first floated to develop the best framework to make this partnership work best for our clients. Key was to ensure we build on everything we have accomplished to date to ensure we continue to have a long and bright future in delivering solutions for dentistry.

"At Teamwork, we have worked hard over the last 15 years to establish ourselves and the Oasis brand and we want to continue to build our reputation and service our clients for the next 15 years. We believe the structure of the merger will allow us to do that."

Teamwork services more than 40% of the National Oasis user base and as a result, the retention of the company as exclusive distributor of Oasis Software in the territories of NSW and the ACT was integral to the merger. This is a fact that makes Mr Vanezis particularly proud.

"Teamwork Solutions remains an independent consultancy but we were proud that our position and success in establishing Oasis to date was recognized as critical for its long term future."

Mr Vanezis said that the only noticeable change for his existing base of 400+ Oasis users would be that telephone support would now be handled by a dedicated Oasis call centre in Melbourne.

"As a result of the new call centre, my team will be able to expand our range of services and focus on providing even higher levels of support. My team and I will now be able to apply our knowledge and experience to better service our clients in areas that require a higher level of expertise than helpdesk support.

"In addition, we will be able to expand the level of ongoing training we have been providing to date. Regardless of how good the software is, without correct training, it becomes inefficient. We established the Teamwork Training Centre 4 years ago to provide a venue away from the busy dental practice environment where we could conduct regular training on Oasis and other software products and it has been very successful."

The high tech Teamwork Training Centre at the company's inner city offices now provides courses on Oasis software including sessions on front desk billing, recalls, clinical charting, appointment scheduling and HICAPS processing. A series of higher level courses, together with lectures and business management workshops, are also planned for the near future.

"Another factor responsible for the growth of Teamwork Solutions has been our ability to provide a totally integrated solution for dental practices including the provision of hardware. This includes quality name brand computer equipment such as Hewlett Packard, Sony, Intel and Microsoft, networking, backup solutions and integration services. This has made Teamwork the preferred hardware supplier to many of the leading dental companies who know the importance of correct integration with products they supply such as intra oral cameras and digital X Ray systems. We intend to continue to take a leadership role in this area."

After taking over control of Teamwork Solutions from former shareholders in 1992, Mr Vanezis applied the experience gained whilst working in the late 1980's for Chartered Accountancy firm, Ernst & Young to plan ahead and move forward.

"Growth that is too fast can be dangerous, and growth that is too slow can be equally so. I have always adopted the steady approach, allowing us to manage our growth for the long term. By reinvesting profits back into the business, employment of new staff, adding new products and services and cultivating a strong team spirit and culture within the company, we have been able to reach the position we hold today.

Mr Vanezis said that the global expertise and success of Software of Excellence will also bring a great deal of opportunity and benefits to his clients and the marketplace in general.

"The new partnership strengthens our position as the number 1 provider of Practice Management solutions, not just in NSW and the ACT, but for all the other Oasis distributors Australia-wide. We can now focus on providing product and service innovation that will allow dental practices to improve practice efficiency, profitability and patient service levels via their software and computer solution."