I don’t know about you, but every time I open my laptop, there are new social platforms, new AI tools, new features on apps you thought you’d finally figured out. Take a month’s break, and you’ll come back to a barely recognisable interface.

A friend of mine recently posted her recycling bin timetable to her WhatsApp story by accident. It happens to the best of us (maybe not that, specifically). And personally, I would pride myself on being able to keep up with new technologies (even saying that sentence makes me feel old). But I’ll be honest, I have been struggling lately with all the ways we need to communicate: the app for my son’s school, the app to book my annual leave, checking my payslip and don’t get me started on the Government Gateway site… the list goes on. Getting to grips with everything can feel pretty chaotic on a personal level, and more so for a business responsible for growing, attracting new patients, and staying visible in an increasingly crowded space.

So what do you do? Some practice owners hire someone who is probably younger, someone more native to the platforms, hoping it translates into new patients. Sometimes it works. Often, you’re not entirely sure whether it’s working or not and that ambiguity is its own kind of stress.

Some practical things you can do:

• Don’t shy away from it. The sooner you start to personally explore the functionality of AI, social media and software developments the sooner you’ll be able to implement what feels right for your business. Write down the tasks you do regularly and put them into your chosen AI tool, ask how they can help simplify or do elements of it.
• Don’t implement for the sake of it. Take a moment to review the suggestions and new tools available; only fools rush in! Take a wider view of everything you use at the practice. Is it really necessary to change practice management software because something new came along or are you not fully utilising what you already have? Give everything an audit to see how it is being used and what the capabilities are.
• Know when to step away. Sometimes the task is best suited to a human. Sometimes you don’t get the best or most accurate outcome. It might help you create some social media content but it’s not yet able to replace everyone in your sales process. Understand your end user and think about where the human touchpoints are essential to boost conversions or productivity.
• Meet regularly with your team to discuss. Share ideas with your team and encourage them to do the same. Maybe they’ve started using a task management tool on their phone that could work well for you. Or they’ve got a grip on the latest AI tool to help analyse your practice management software data. Having time to discuss findings with your team would be a valuable addition.

The honest truth is that no one knows what the future holds for getting new business, or even what businesses will be here in five years time. The businesses that will come out ahead aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the most followers; they’re the ones paying attention and moving deliberately, rather than waiting to see how everything shakes out.

That’s what we’re doing at Hive. One of our big commitments for 2026 is building our YouTube channel. We’ve invested in proper equipment, fashioned a recording studio in the office, and looking into ways to get more comfortable on camera. Because we believe the most valuable thing we can offer right now isn’t only accountancy or marketing advice but also an honest, open and curious perspective on what’s actually changing, and what it means for your practice.

Will the way we all work look different in five years? Almost certainly. But uncertainty isn’t only a threat, it’s also where the opportunity is, for practices willing to think ahead.
We want to build something useful for that journey. If that sounds like something you’d want to be part of, we’d love for you to subscribe to our YouTube channel and join the conversation.