You know you need to make some changes. You know your practice is not where you want it to be, where you vision it to be, where you know it CAN be. What on earth are you waiting for?

We know that change doesn’t come easy, and usually comes with a small price. But what you get when you don’t change is more difficult and costly than implementing the change itself!

I have compared the dental practice to a football team before – My husband is the defensive coordinator for a local high school football team – He has been engaged in football for the past 27 years non-stop and some consider him to be one of the top 10 defensive coordinators in North East OH. His passion for football is such a driving force, and he reads the game like none other. Our experience and conversation last night led to the inspiration of this blog.

We all know a great football play is preceded by what?…….Yes, a HUDDLE. Champion dental practices start their days out with a Morning Huddle!!

Priority – Precedence, especially established by order of importance or urgency.

Systemize – Bring order to or into; arrange according to a system.

Maximize – To increase or make as great as possible.

I’ve written many times about the importance of systems. SOP manuals. Training. Accountability. Responsibility. Job Descriptions and expectations. I also know that these systems and SOP manuals can be a hefty investment but I am here to tell you how they pay off many, many, many times over.

You spend thousands of dollars a year in multiple marketing strategies to get patients to call your office right? Websites, internal marketing, brochures, newsletters, care-to –share cards, mugs, pens, social functions, coaching, signs, etc.

You are spending all this money to attract new patients to your office, keep you connected with existing patients, so why wouldn’t you have someone answering your phones at least 40 hours a week? If you don’t have appropriate daily phone coverage, aren’t you just throwing your money out the window?  (I’m not even talking about after hours coverage – I am talking about normal 40 hour a week business availability to your guests)

Do you have a solid confirmation system in place to help maximize your scheduling opportunities? Whether you use an automated system or old-fashioned personal phone calls, take every step you can to get those confirmations!

Remember that song growing up? And the Oscar Meyer Wiener-mobile?? (It actually drove by my house one day growing up!!!! I was jacked for days!!)

Or how about the band-aid song? ♫ I am stuck on band-aids ‘cuz band-aids are stuck on me! ♫  – (remember they used to come in tin containers? and the SMELL???)

How many exams have you done in a day and felt exasperated before you had even entered the room?

Do you feel unprepared for your patient exams, like you don’t have enough information to quickly, yet thoroughly complete the exam within your given time?

What would it feel like to walk into a patient exam and know the:

Isn’t that the truth? It’s all in how someone makes us feel. Make us feel good, we’ll be back. Make us feel bad, forget about it! Make me feel good, and I’ll share it with everyone I know. Make me feel bad, and yes you can bet I will share that as well!!

Every single patient interaction in your practice should reflect positive feelings, friendly feelings, feelings of genuine caring for your patients.

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Carl W. Buechner

This is so true. Think about it. Wherever  you go, your impression on that particular place of business is directly based on how they made you feel. Crappy service at the dry cleaners? They did a fine job on your clothes but the staff was rude, didn’t talk (or use your name) and didn’t thank you sincerely for your business. What do you go out feeling? Unappreciated, like you didn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that they did the actual “job” you expected them to by delivering your clothes clean, pressed and neatly packaged. You’ll go out thinking, and saying “That dry cleaners has the worst customer service ever!”.

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”   Stephen R. Covey

In a dental office, this quote is sooo true. Urgency is the walk in emergency patient and no treatment rooms available.  The phone that is ringing off the hook. The overbooked schedule, no clean instruments and no clean rooms.  The 3 holes in the schedule from no-shows and the quick scrambling trying to fill them last-minute. We need to be always prepared for the urgent while maintaining focus on the important. Continual adjustments, shifts in our behaviors and systems to make accommodations for life. Yet the structure, and expectations, remain the same.