ACCOUNTABILITY.
Another step is acountability. Once
every team member is trained then you
must carry out regular reviews. Let them
know what they are doing well and
where they can improve. Of course you
will correct a problem when it is discovered, but a better plan is to not wait until
a problem occurs. Schedule time with
each employee (quarterly is optimal) and
discuss their job performance with them.
Again, you may think this would be obvious but it is so easy to neglect this step in
understand the stress that is experienced
“in the back.” And vice versa, the clinical
team needs to know the problems of
dealing with a ringing phone; patients
standing at check-in and check-out; and
the tough questions that have to be
answered by the “front office” regarding
appointment times, dates, and the “bill.”
A well-trained, well-managed, informed
team is a happy team. And a happy team
is obvious to the patients. Those patients
then become happy patients. And happy
patients are much more likely to accept
and pay for treatment; stay with your
Studies tell us that people remember
only six percent of what they hear in a
business setting. But they remember
100 percent of how they feel.
practice; and refer friends and family.
Studies tell us that people remember
only six percent of what they hear in a
business setting. But they remember 100
percent of how they feel. Your team (the
nervous system) is the primary conveyor
of those feelings. What signals are they
sending to your patients?
Bobby Haney, DDS has been in private dental practice
in Waxahachie, Texas since 1983. Dr. Haney is also the
founder and leader of PracticeGrowthCoach.com,
president of 1Twenty2 Ministries, and loves his “team”
at their home in Bristol, Texas.
your busy practice. Be careful not to
neglect it. Open communication and
performance reviews are a priority in
successful practices.
CROSS
TRAINING.
And finally, there must be at least a basic
understanding on the part of each team
member what the responsibilities and
expectations are for other team members. Cross training among the staff is
vital. For one thing, it can be helpful in
an emergency situation where one or
more of your team is out of the office for
a while.
But maybe more importantly, there
needs to be an understanding among the
team of the daily challenges faced by
their teammates. When all the chairs are
full and the clinical staff is about to go
crazy, the front office staff needs to
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