For a dental clinic going online, building an in-house team and hiring an operations agency are two different routes. Sanqi Internet sets out the staffing, cost and results of each, to help dental clinics choose according to their own stage.
A dental clinic that wants to do well at online patient acquisition has two routes: recruit its own people and build a team, or hire an operations agency. Each route has its own sums, and there is no standard answer; it depends on the clinic's stage and how much it can invest. This article works through both sets of sums.
First, the sums for an in-house team
The advantage of an in-house team is control: operations staff are full-time and on site, you can talk to them at any time, and the approach follows your own ideas entirely. But the sums need to be complete.
Staff costs are a fixed outlay. Someone who can run a dental clinic's online operations independently usually commands a sizeable monthly salary. Add a designer and a copywriter, and a basic operations team costs at least RMB 15,000 to 20,000 a month in staff costs, not counting management costs and the trial-and-error cost of staff turnover.
Time costs are easily overlooked. A newly recruited team needs time to settle in and learn about the dental industry and platform rules. Getting from setting up to producing stable results often takes several months, during which the clinic's online patient acquisition largely stands still.
Capability risk must be counted too. The barrier in dental operations is not the operational tasks but understanding the industry: the pricing logic of dental treatments, the compliance boundaries of medical content and the decision habits of local patients. If the person you hire does not know the field, you pay the salary and miss the window of opportunity.
Then, the sums for an operations agency
The logic of an operations agency is to exchange a service fee for a professional team, turning "maintaining a team" into "buying a service".
On cost, agencies quote according to the service content, usually below the monthly staff cost of an in-house team, and they also save the hidden costs of recruitment, training and management. The team is ready-made: operations, design and content all in place, able to start work as soon as it arrives.
On expertise, established agencies have built up practical experience across many stores. Sanqi Internet, for example, has focused on dentistry for over 10 years, works with clinics in 132+ cities across China and has served 1,000+ dental clinics. A method developed over more than 10 years is not something a newly hired operator can make up in a few months.
On risk, the key with an agency is choosing the right one. Choose well, and delivery is stable and data transparent; choose badly, and the money is spent with no results. So when choosing an agency, make sure the service content, fee structure and review mechanism are clear before signing.
How to choose: three conditions
A clinic can decide by looking at three conditions.
- Budget. If the budget can cover a full-time team long term and you have the patience to let the team grow, building in-house is feasible. If the budget is limited and you want results quickly, an agency is more realistic.
- Stage. A new clinic with nothing online needs to set up a system quickly, and an agency can shorten the cold start. A clinic that already has some foundations and wants to build internal capability can consider an in-house team or coaching.
- Capacity. Does the director have the time and energy to manage a team and oversee execution? Online operations is detailed work and falls apart if nobody watches it. Without the capacity to oversee it, handing it to a professional team is less stressful.
Sanqi Internet's additional option
If you want a professional team but also want to build your own capability step by step, you can consider operations coaching: the agency provides the method and coaches execution while the clinic's own team grows. Sanqi Internet launched its operations coaching service in 2025, turning the operations methods it has refined over many years into capability that clinic staff "can take with them and put to use".
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum number of people for an in-house team?
Even a basic set-up needs two people, an operator and a designer, with monthly staff costs of at least RMB 15,000 to 20,000, not counting management costs.
Is an agency more expensive than hiring your own staff?
Agencies usually quote according to the service content, below the monthly staff cost of an in-house team, and also save recruitment, training and management costs.
Does a new clinic suit an in-house team or an agency?
A new clinic has nothing online, and an agency can shorten the cold start. An in-house team takes a long time to settle in, and a new clinic cannot afford to wait.
What if the agency's results are poor?
Before signing, clarify the service content, fee structure and review mechanism. When choosing an agency, look at its cases and reputation, not just the price.
We want to run operations ourselves in the long term. How do we make the transition?
Start with an agency or coaching and learn while the work is done. Once the agency has set up the system and the team has matured, take over step by step.