Great Lakes Dental Partners is deeply committed to providing exceptional care and delivering strong results for every patient. This dedication is the cornerstone of each office’s operations as the dental support organization continually seeks and implements creative solutions to the challenges of modern-day dentistry.
When Director of Marketing Lauren Galassini joined Great Lakes Dental Partners (GLDP), she wasn’t just looking for marketing tools but meaningful ways to help the 27 dental offices she supports across Illinois and Indiana thrive. “We serve such a wide range of communities,” Lauren shares. “Some [of our] practices cater to families with no dental insurance. Others have strong senior populations. We needed a flexible solution that could work everywhere.”
That solution was the iSmile dental membership program, powered by Clerri, providing a comprehensive solution to meet the diverse needs of dental practices and patients through a range of benefits, including affordable access to dental care, patient engagement tools, and robust data analytics.
Group Profile
A program that meets patients and practices where they are
With iSmile, GLDP provides an affordable, insurance-free way for patients to access consistent care. The team tracks key metrics, including new enrollments, renewals, and patient lifetime value, to demonstrate the program’s success and gain a deeper understanding of the patient journey.
For Lauren, a recent shift wasn’t only in the number of patients who signed up for membership but also in the relationship with Clerr’s Customer Success team, which is deeply committed to helping grow memberships and maximize results. “It’s not just about reports anymore,” she says. “It’s about conversation and collaboration. I truly feel like the Clerri is an extension of our own team.”
Empowering offices to drive enrollment
Success, of course, depends on more than just good software. GLDP equips every office with comprehensive tools and strategies to promote the membership program, from in-office signage and email campaigns to digital screens in operatories.
They’re even running raffles and contests at the office level. “Nothing gets people more excited than prizes,” Lauren laughs. “We’ve got tiered incentives, more enrollments, more entries. It’s simple, but it works.”
One of the biggest wins has been internal alignment. Leadership is all in, and newer office managers, particularly, are showing genuine enthusiasm. “This is another tool in your belt,” Lauren says. “It’s about helping patients but also about growing the practice. When you frame it that way, the energy shifts.”
Training has helped, too. A recent refresher session with the Clerri team left office staff energized and informed. “It was thoughtful, engaging, and made a difference,” Lauren says. “We saw a noticeable uptick in adoption and follow-up.”
Some [of our] practices cater to families with no dental insurance. Others have strong senior populations. We needed a flexible solution that could work everywhere. It’s about helping patients but also about growing the practice.
Real results—especially where it matters most
Since refocusing on memberships in 2023, GLDP has added more than 600 new members to iSmile, consistently increasing enrollment year after year. In the first quarter of 2025, GLDP experienced a 95% increase compared to the same period in the prior year.
Not every practice has the same volume of patients. However, for one of GLDP’s lower-volume offices, the iSmile program has been a bright spot. “It’s one of our top performers on the program,” Lauren shares. “To see it thriving like that, it’s incredibly rewarding.”
With a transition to Dentrix Ascend underway, GLDP is piloting PMS integration to make it even easier for teams to identify and serve I Smile members. “We want to give our teams instant visibility into who’s enrolled,” Lauren says. “That’s the next frontier.”
Great Lakes Dental Partners’ journey with Clerri is more than a case study; it’s a story of partnership, progress, and the power of putting patients first. “I’d call it a no-brainer. The value is real. The support is real. And the impact? That speaks for itself.”
