"Human-Led, AI-Driven" — Why Client Service Still Matters in Dental Marketing

What happens to client service in an age when marketing agencies can automate almost everything? In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, host and DentalScapes co-founder Dan Brian sits down with a very special guest: DentalScapes account manager Skylar Massengill.

Skylar shares her journey from managing social media behind the scenes to leading client relationships out front — and why, after three years of getting to know dental practices inside and out, she believes the human element is the one thing AI can't replace.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Skylar's path from social media to account management — and why long-standing client relationships made the transition natural
• What separates quality account management from "par for the course" (hint: it's more than a monthly PDF report and a 48-hour email turnaround)
• How DentalScapes structures client service differently, with mid-month checkpoints, monthly strategy calls, and account managers who actually pick up the phone
• Why an AI-driven but human-led agency model matters — leaning into AI's power while keeping human eyes on strategy, content, and quality control
• Why there's no one-size-fits-all in dental marketing — every market, practice philosophy, and growth goal is different, from doubling in two years to simply keeping the chairs full
• Where client service is headed as AI continues to reshape the marketing industry

If you're a practice owner wondering whether your agency actually knows you — or just knows your website — this conversation is for you.

Ready to revamp your marketing? Get a free audit and strategy roadmap for your practice at dentalscapes.com/start.

Like what you heard? Please take a moment to leave us a review, and check out the companion blog post: https://www.dentalscapes.com/resources/blog/why-client-service-still-matters-in-dental-marketing

Transcript

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All right, welcome back to the dental marketing mix. My name is Dan Brian I'm the co-founder at Dental Scapes, and I am really excited to be here today with a very special guest, our own Skylar Massengill She is an account manager with Dental Scapes and has actually moved into that role. She's been with us for over three years now. she's moved into this role from social media. I don't want to steal her thunder though and and tell her story for her. So Before I ask you to introduce yourself, Skylar, just want to let folks know today we're going to be talking about client service, which is something we don't talk a lot about on this show because we're so focused on fulfillment and the actual marketing services and strategy that we offer. or by no means means that we're focusing any less on client service because at the end of the day, we are accountable to our clients, we want to build. meaningful relationships with our clients. We want to go above and beyond to provide them with the level of service that they deserve. and so, Skylar, what can you tell folks about yourself and how you've grown with the Dental Scapes team and this new role that you're in? And then we'll get into kind of your philosophy and approach to client service and what we're doing at Dental Scapes to, I think, really serve clients a little bit differently than maybe some other agencies out there. So go for it. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. so like you said, I started with you guys about three years ago and I really jumped in more of like the social media field, which kinda kept me in the background of everything, Dental Scapes. but I really enjoyed getting to know everybody and really getting to know the different practices and what kind of stuff they liked. So over time I kind of worked my way into more of the mix and just like recently I've taken more of the front role of really doing most of the communication and front of the scenes, more of their content, social, talking more strategy with them and getting to know them, solving the problems, you know, brainstorming what we could do here. and I've loved it. I really I'm a very personable person, I like to think.~ I really like actually getting to know them versus just, you know, seeing a website and saying, I guess this is their vibe. Like I've I've really liked talking to the dentists and the team and it could be totally different than what you think it is, for sure. Yeah, and it's pretty awesome because, you know, you've been with Dental Scapes now for over three years, like we mentioned, and you've really developed that relationship with the clients that are in your portfolio. and so stepping into the account management role has been really natural, I think, for you. And the clients trust you and you know, have that ongoing relationship with you, which is awesome. What what do you think as you move into account management? You've been doing it for quite a while now actually. But what do you think kind of separates you know, quality account management and relationship building from, you know, maybe par for the course? I think really being their friend, being a good listener and letting them know that you just you want to see their practice succeed just as much as they want to. I get so excited to see amazing results at the end of the month. Sometimes I think I'm even more excited than they are. but just I think especially in the world of robots and AI and you know, you have a lot of agencies that do a lot of what we do, but what makes it so different is that we are so personable and We'll talk we talk to you all the time, constantly. Like I'm talking to clients on the phone, texting, emailing twenty four seven. so kind of getting you even get to know like their outside life, which I think is a big help too. yeah. cool. It's it's cool. And you know, I'm I'm really glad that you brought up AI because I think so much of the marketing world in Dental but but across the industry has been so automated now. And there's certainly tremendous opportunity in applying AI to marketing. And we are doing a lot of that. we've been leaning into AI since you know, before even Chat GPT came out and and changed everything. But you know, AI does many, many things amazingly well. some of them better than humans can do. But at the same time, you can't ever really, I don't think, substitute that human quality that's so important. And the human strategy, human-driven strategy, obviously, everything that we do with AI as far as content generation, particularly. needs to have human eyes on it, that sort of thing. So I like to think that at Dental Scapes we're building an agency that's AI driven but human controlled and and human-led. and so that's something that I know is important to you. you know I know a lot of agencies and we're never here to throw any other agencies under the bus, but for the most part client service at some other shops comes down to, you know, you get a monthly report, it's a PDF or maybe it's a link. to to an online report. But you get that report, you ask questions, you know, occasionally throughout the month of your account manager. That response typically comes in 24 hours later, maybe 48 hours later. I think we're really doing things differently here, not just with with reporting, you know, providing checkpoints throughout the month, like you you mentioned that you do providing checkpoints Doing the monthly call. I think it's so important that account managers have that FaceTime with their clients. And so we really encourage ours to take that 30 minutes every month and hop on with you and hop on with our other team members. really, really important. but what what would you say you know, is really important about human-led client service in this age of AI? Because I I feel like there's there's a lot in flux right now. I would say first, a robot can't really look out for you in the ways that a human can't Yeah. Yeah, and you can tell it to as much as you want, but are they really paying that close attention? know based on the recent news they're they're actively plotting against us. Yeah. Yeah. It's all good. We'll we'll be we'll be good. And and that's the thing. I mean, I think AI will replace a lot of jobs, a lot of roles within online marketing and and practically every other industry. but at the same time we can lean in to the human element. And I think that's what you're doing so well. So I'm sorry to interrupt you though. What what do you see as as the future of human involvement in account management while AI certainly takes hold? Just that there's a real person paying attention and looking out for you. And we do a lot of overlooking even what the AI robots do. we're always double checking, ensuring you're not just constantly dealing with an AI robot 247 and everything they do on our end for you guys, we are always overlooking it to make sure it's accurate, changing things. I think and and again an AI robot can seem like your friend, but they're they're really not. They don't have the emotions. They don't care that. you know, you're you have three kids and you're a full practice dentist and but we do. We do. We see that, we remember that, we recognize it and we really do our best to put all of that into your vision at your practice. Yeah. So pivoting a little bit, how do you you know, how do you see your role on the dental scapes team, you know, evolving? What have you come to, you know, like most about being in this new account management role? just really getting to know the behind the scenes. Like I said, I really in the beginning was just kind of going based off of what I was seeing through emails or what I was seeing through what they were sending me to post on social media, but actually getting face to face with them and learning about their lives is I've just really enjoyed that and it helps me feel more connected to them and I know I'll be in the grocery store and be that Dennis said that they really liked this food. Like it's just they're they're my friend. Honestly, and I I've just really enjoyed getting to know them more. Yeah, and I know you've really leaned into the strategy, you know, as as you've grown with the team and you know, you certainly know dental marketing very, very well. what do you think is you know, most interesting about dental marketing in particular, you know, maybe separating it from from other forms of marketing, and and what would you say there? I feel like in this field there's really no like one size fits all. the d all the practices are so different. and what works for one place really might not work for another at all. You really have to listen, get to know them and understand what makes them all unique. So I feel like that that definitely is a different thing in this field of marketing. hundred percent of the markets are different, the personalities are different, the practice philosophies are different, the services offered, you know, are different. And one practice may have completely different goals than another. And so I think, you know, we and you leading the accounts, you know, really try to zero in on what their ultimate goal is. You know, for some it may be more implant cases, it may be more invisalign cases. For others it may be, you know, We actually it's funny we actually work with some practices who aren't really as intent on growing. You know, some practices were we're aiming to 2x in two years, but others, you know, are pretty comfortable. They just want to keep the chairs full and keep their columns, you know, as is. and so we're is. and so absolutely. always always seeking to apply our know how and our strategy to the needs and wants of the client. So very, very cool. I guess, you know, if if you had to, you know, look a year out from now, how do you think you know, client service will continue to evolve? What are you What are you most looking forward to as you continue to grow into the account management role here at Dental Scapes? I know I've been like crapping on AI the past thirty minutes, but no, just kinda seeing how much continues to to help us 'cause it really is a good tool to have. I ob obviously don't think it should be the only tool you have. But I I think just continuing to see all the changes and how the everything is working is is crazy. And I think a year from now it'll be even crazier. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what continues to change and what I just think there's so much potential out there to help everybody in old ways. Absolutely. It's an amazing tool. And I really do think that it enables us to provide better client service, better results. Yeah. but of course, you know, on the on the reporting end, on the strategy end, better, better service to our clients overall when you pair those AI technologies with the human knowledge and and human ability to kind of ~ distill all of this information that we have now into a more cohesive strategy. clients. So I'm really excited about the future of of client service at DentalScapes as it continues to evolve for our clients. I am so thrilled to have you on the team and taking a lead on all of this. I think it's I think it's great. in any case if anyone listening today wants to you know, revamp their marketing, reach out to Dental Scapes if you want to get to know Skylar. She's pretty awesome. Yeah. and I can assure you she will crush it for your practice. and so we're just so thrilled and and so fortunate to have you on the team, Skylar. Thank you so much for coming on today to share your perspective and your experience. And I look forward to doing this again in the not so distant future. And you know, like you said, within a year. things are going to be different. And so always trying to stay at the cutting edge. That's what we do. And yeah, like I said, anyone listening out there, we would love to pop the hood on your online marketing and give you kind of a free audit and strategy, a roadmap, so to speak, going forward, just reach out to us, dentalscapes.com slash start. And lastly, if you like what you heard on this episode and maybe you've been listening to the dental marketing mix for a while now, we truly, truly appreciate it. Thank you for your support. And if you have just five seconds, we would just love it if you would click that five star on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, maybe even leave us a quick review. But everyone helps, and it is truly the best way for us to reach other dentists and practice administrators out there that we may be able to help. So thank you all so much for listening. Thank you, Skylar. We will be back at it next week. These episodes typically land midweek each week. and Skylar. I will be sure to have you back on and and we will dig into this again in the not so distant future. So thank you so much. Sounds good. Thank you so much for having me. All right. See ya.