In today’s competitive clear aligner market, success depends not just on providing top-quality aligners, but also on making data-driven decisions that enhance doctor engagement, improve treatment outcomes, and drive growth. The difference between a brand that thrives and one that survives often comes down to how well it tracks the right metrics and acts on the insights they provide.
From our experience with partners, integrating data analytics into strategy-building has been a game changer. It allows brands to identify strengths and weaknesses, understand what truly moves the needle, and make smarter decisions. This approach fuels growth while enabling more efficient resource allocation - spending time and money where it really matters.
For effective strategy, brands should track data across two essential categories:
- Doctor Activity: Metrics related to their submissions, approvals, case complexity, and utilization behavior.
- Market Activity: Metrics tied to brand-led initiatives such as events, clinical support programs, and other activation activities. Tracking performance pre- and post-initiative helps brands understand what truly drives doctor engagement and case volume.
By analyzing these data points, brands can determine where to focus their efforts, whether it’s growing the doctor base, improving utilization, or optimizing clinical and market initiatives.
Doctor Activity Metrics
Submitted vs. Approved
Not all submitted cases are approved by doctors, and high submissions with low approvals can be an indicator of patient conversion challenges.
Why it matters:
This highlights a gap in doctor-patient communication or sales confidence, where doctors struggle to convert patients to move forward with the treatment after presenting the treatment plan.
Actionable insights:
Brands can equip doctors with sales training, patient communication scripts, and visual aids to improve conversion. Educational resources on explaining benefits, pricing, and expected outcomes can help doctors turn more consultations into approved treatments.
Case Complexity
Simple, moderate, and complex cases all carry different levels of value and demand different levels of support.
Why it matters: Tracking the mix of case complexity per doctor helps brands understand which doctors may be hesitant to treat more challenging cases. Doctors who primarily submit mild cases might need additional guidance and encouragement before taking on moderate or complex cases.
Actionable insight: Brands can provide targeted clinical support, tailored educational courses, or events or workshops designed to help doctors gradually build confidence with more complex cases. Recognizing where a doctor is on their clinical journey allows for personalized support that drives both doctor confidence and patient outcomes.
Total Active Doctor Base and Average Utilization
Among doctors who approve cases, it’s important to distinguish those who actively do so over time. Within this active group, utilization levels can still vary significantly from one doctor to another. Measuring both the size of the active doctor base and the average cases per active doctor provides a clearer picture of overall brand health.
Why it matters: Analyzing these metrics helps brands determine whether the strategic focus should be on expanding the doctor base through onboarding new doctors, or on increasing utilization among the current doctor base. Often, a mix of both is ideal, but understanding these trends ensures resources are allocated effectively and priorities are clear.
Actionable insight
- For utilization: Implement initiatives to help existing doctors submit more cases, such as inviting them to exclusive events, including them in a community of doctors, offering clinical support, and conducting regular sales visits to maintain strong relationships.
- For expansion: Invest in hiring additional sales resources to support in activating new doctors and allocating budgets for activation offers.
- It’s important to segment doctors by activity and utilization levels to tailor strategies and maximize both growth and efficiency.
Market Activity Metrics
Demand Over Time
Tracking case submissions over time reveals trends in demand, seasonality, and overall market activity.
Why it matters: Understanding these patterns helps brands plan resources, education, and marketing initiatives more effectively. Seasonal trends can inform market activity calendars, allowing for targeted support during high-demand periods and aiding revenue forecasting.
Actionable insight: Align initiatives like training sessions, clinical support calls, events, or promotional campaigns with high-demand periods to maximize impact.
Events
Measure the impact of events such as workshops, lectures, webinars, or roundtables. The goal is to see if doctors increase their utilization or start taking on more challenging cases after attending. Tracking performance before and after the event helps determine the success factors such as topic, speaker, event experience, and engagement, and whether it influenced submissions, approvals, and case complexity
Why it matters:
Events can directly influence doctor engagement, clinical confidence, and case volume. Without tracking pre- and post-event performance, it’s impossible to quantify their effectiveness or ROI.
Actionable insight:
- Compare submissions, approvals, and case complexity before and after the event to measure impact.
- Use these insights to tailor future events to topics or formats that drive measurable improvements in doctor engagement.
Initiatives That Reactivate Doctors
Exclusive programs that provide value-added support to doctors with high potential tailored to their specific needs. across clinical, commercial, or marketing areas. These initiatives can include a mix of clinical, commercial, and marketing support, such as one-on-one clinical calls, commercial readiness consultations, or marketing consultations. Their effectiveness should be tracked by monitoring performance before and after the initiative to determine whether they improve submissions, approvals, and the doctor’s ability to manage more complex cases.
Why it matters:
Tailored programs help unlock a doctor’s full potential by addressing specific gaps in clinical skills, commercial readiness, or marketing knowledge. Tracking their impact ensures that resources are focused on initiatives that truly drive doctor engagement, case approvals, and the ability to handle complex cases.
Actionable insight:
- Monitor submissions, approvals, and case complexity before each initiative to identify doctors with potential, and after the initiative to assess its effectiveness
- Use the results to refine program content, personalize support, and replicate successful interventions for other doctors with similar needs.
Promotions
Promotions, discounts, or activation offers can boost doctor engagement and case volume. Track performance before and after campaigns to evaluate their impact and effectiveness.
Why it matters:
Tracking effectiveness ensures that brands invest in campaigns that truly increase submissions and approvals.
Actionable insight:
- Analyze submission and approval trends during promotional periods to measure ROI.
- Use insights to optimize timing, target doctor segments, and design future offers that maximize engagement and case volume.
Conclusion
Data isn’t just numbers. It's a roadmap for building doctor loyalty, improving case outcomes, and driving clear aligner brand growth. By tracking Doctor Activity Metrics like approval rates, case complexity, revisions, and acting on insights, brands can make smarter decisions that create real impact for doctors. At the same time, monitoring Market Activity Metrics including events, initiatives, promotions, and seasonal demand helps brands understand which programs and campaigns truly move the needle.
When these insights are combined and acted upon, brands can refine strategies, personalize support, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately build stronger doctor loyalty, improve case outcomes, and accelerate clear aligner adoption.
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