Simple ideas you can implement to improve production and collections and boost team morale.
As dental office managers, we often look for ways to help our practice and our team improve. There are many different areas in which your practice can improve, for example increasing production, increasing collections, reducing your overall accounts receivables, and improving the overall patient experience. However, you shouldn’t ask for more from your office team without first providing them with the tools they need to succeed. Here are some tips to set your team up for success.
Communication is key in every office. I suggest starting every day off with a morning huddle. There’s so much valuable information that can be discussed during this time to guide your team. One thing you can discuss is which patients coming in that day have outstanding treatment plans and may want to add that treatment to their appointment. Knowing who these patients are, and making a point to focus on them, can increase your daily production, which helps out the entire practice. You can also discuss which patients have an outstanding balance and which patients will owe a patient portion for their visit. That way you can know ahead of time which patients to collect payments from at checkout, which can help improve your daily collections. You can print the Dentrix Daily Huddle Report and include patients with outstanding treatment plans as well as patients who have a balance in the Scheduled Patients Summary so it’s easy to find these patients and discuss them during the meeting.
There’s also critical information that can be shared during the daily huddle, like the patients coming in that day with medical conditions the team needs to be aware of. And there’s also personal information that can be helpful to talk about, like if the patient has an upcoming birthday. You can wish the patient a happy birthday and make them feel special and important to your practice. These are the kinds of details that do not go unnoticed by patients and can set your practice above others.
If there are scheduling changes that come up during the day, communicate those changes to your entire team. When everyone is on the same page, it allows team members to react appropriately. For example, if the 2:00 p.m. crown prep patient cancels and the whole team knows this in real time, they can be on the look-out for other patients in the office that have outstanding treatment plans who may be interested in doing treatment that day. This can reduce lost revenue from cancellations.
Team morale can also be a huge factor in how well your office runs and how the patient experience is affected. When there’s negative energy in an office, it can often be felt by both team members and patients. The office manager sometimes has to encourage positive attitudes from team members and put a stop to rumors and gossip before they cause potential problems. You can also improve morale by complimenting team members when a job is well done. Buying doughnuts or lunch can be a nice treat when the team has performed especially well.
Provide your team with tools they need to succeed by starting the morning with a daily huddle to improve communication. Create a positive environment for the team to work in, which will be enjoyed by not only your team but by patients too. Try these simple ideas so you can improve your production and collections and enjoy a more pleasant workday!
Learn More
For additional information, read the following:
- Identifying Which of Today’s Patients Have Unscheduled Treatment
- The Scheduled Patient Summary in the Daily Huddle Report
By Charlotte Skaggs
Certified Dentrix Trainer and The Dentrix Office Manager columnist
Charlotte Skaggs is the founder of Vector Dental Consulting LLC, a practice management firm focused on taking offices to the next level. Charlotte co-owned and managed a successful dental practice with her husband for 17 years. She has a unique approach to consulting based on the perspective of a practice owner. Charlotte has been using Dentrix for over 20 years and is a certified Dentrix trainer. Contact Charlotte at vectordentalconsulting@gmail.com.
