Category: Dental Practice Consulting

Dental Consultant | Get Organized, Get Productive

Time is money. If you want your practice to be as efficient and economically prosperous as possible, you don’t want to spend valuable time dealing with the effects of clutter and chaos. Disorganization is shown to have a direct negative impact on productivity and, by extension, your earning potential as a practice. 

Whether you feel like you’re drowning in papers or you want to learn tips to take your efficiency to the next level, here are some tips to help you and your team get organized. Contact our team today to learn more about the strategies we can help you implement to ensure you’re getting the most out of your practice. 

Clean Up the Clutter 

When you have so many different things demanding your attention throughout the day, it can be difficult to keep on top of everything. If you’re not careful, papers and other clutter can accumulate faster than you realize. Once the pile starts to get away from you, it can be hard to ever work your way back through without having to set aside valuable time to sort through everything. 

It’s easier to avoid getting yourself into this mess in the first place once you have organizational strategies in place. You might create a unique filing system for handling the various kinds of mail that comes through your office. Perhaps you set specific team members in charge of returning calls. The best system of organization is the one that works for you and your team.  

Don’t Let Your Time Manage You 

It can be difficult to prioritize the different duties of your work. It’s rare that even an hour will go by without a variety of different distractions. While you’ll have the occasional emergency that demands immediate response, most of these interruptions will not need to be addressed right away. 

Resist the urge to drop everything every time a new email or task arises. Operating this way will only make it harder to actually accomplish any of your duties on time. Instead, learn to prioritize which things need to be addressed immediately and which can be done later. Delegate what can be passed to another and clarify deadlines for things that must be completed by you to allow accurate prioritization of tasks. 

The day-to-day efficiency of your business can impact its long-term success. Don’t waste your time digging through clutter because you’re working without a plan. For more strategies for your success, contact our office. 

Dental Consultant Evelyn Horne Url: https://evelynhorne.com/ Columbia, NC (803) 667-3958

Dental Consultant | Schedule Blocking: Finding More Time in Your Schedule

Time is a limited resource.  Schedule blocking is a way to plan your day visually by designating blocks of time for specific tasks.  This strategy is particularly helpful for arranging your schedule to fit a variety of tasks–both inside and outside the office. 

Redirect Your Focus

As an office manager or business owner, finding more time in your schedule will allow you to focus on the business.  You’ll be able to have a better handle on the health of the business, including growth goals, finances, your team’s efficacy, and patient experience, to name a few.  Being successful takes deliberate actions, it doesn’t happen passively.

Time Budgeting

Utilizing schedule blocking allows you to delegate your time and energy for specific tasks.  By setting aside a set block of time for different tasks you’ll optimize productivity and can your team a good idea of when you’ll be available.

Stay Organized

Organization is easy! It’s easiest to practice schedule blocking using an online calendar.  Time block schedules minimize the need of keeping track of important notes and tasks on paper or needing to commit them to memory.

Many find using a color coding system to differentiate tasks helps them stay organized and keeps their schedule easy to read at a glance.

Sounds Great! How do I start?

Take a few minutes now to jot down your goals for the next few days.  As you prepare to put them in your calendar, review some of these tips to help you get started with blocking your schedule:

  1. Set Goals and Due Dates

With your list of goals for the next few days, take some time and set deadlines for each task.  When you have a written set of goals with due dates, you hold yourself accountable to getting them done.  It’s a lot harder to push something off that you have a written, visual deadline for than something you’re only mentally keeping track of.

  • Make Every Minute Count

Schedule your whole day and include everything–from morning emails to closing procedures. When you schedule your entire day it helps you get more done and leaves you with more free time.  By accounting for all the tasks–big and small–you’ll find you have less stress throughout the day knowing you haven’t forgotten anything. 

  • Prioritize

When reviewing your schedule for the day, prioritize the most important tasks to be done.  Schedule blocking helps you prioritize tasks based on what’s most important. And by color coding, it’s easy to stay organized and arrange your schedule based on levels of importance.

  • Maximize Your Schedule

Set realistic time goals for your daily tasks. If you know a task usually takes one hour, you can allocate an hour by blocking your schedule without worrying about where you’ll find the time for the task. Time blocking prevent overbooking yourself and affords you the appropriate amount of time to finish your tasks each day. Time blocking also reduces the amount of time you spend planning for a task and offers you more time to execute the task.

We hope these tips help you take control of your day instead of allowing your day to take control of you!

If you need help with schedule optimization in your practice or other practice consultation services, please contact us to learn more and to get started today!

Aberdeen Dental Consultant | Organization = Efficiency

Organization is a vital part of what keeps your practice growing and thriving! Every aspect of the patient’s visit, from the moment they step foot in the office until the moment they leave, must run smoothly in order to insure the patient’s satisfaction and encourage a return visit.  It all starts with the organization your office.

Tips for Optimizing Office Organization:

  1. Clear the Clutter.  Keep the receptionist area near the entrance and free of clutter. Patients need to be able to complete and return paperwork as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to for the office to run smoothly.  Having a clutter-free lobby and front desk helps ensure the patient a comfortable experience.  Be in the habit of cleaning these areas regularly to boost productivity and reduce stress. 
  1. Don’t overcrowd.  Make sure your patients are comfortable in your waiting area, and don’t overschedule patients. You don’t want to have an unexpected surge of aggravated patients sitting in a cramped lobby.  Each patient should feel like they are being treated like an individual, not made to feel like they are lost in a crowd.  Also keep extra room available to accommodate a sudden patient overflow.
  1. Smooth and seamless.  Organize your office to ‘flow’ in one direction. From the time a patient enters the office throughout the entirety of their visit, they should remain moving forward in the same direction, never doubling back where they’ve already been at any point.  Ensure exam rooms are easily accessible from the waiting area, patients should move seamlessly from one station to another.
  1. Clear Digital Clutter.  Make sure you have a system in place to help organize and filter your emails and digital files, in addition to a system for paper documents. Learn to prioritize different types of emails so you can easily and distinctly separate what’s important and needs an immediate response, from what’s less important or junk.

These are a few ways that organizing your office can insure a more enjoyable experience for your team as well as your valued patients, leaving them eager for a return visit.

If you’re ready for a practice consultation or other helpful tips, contact us for more information.

Dental Coach Near Me | Boost Your Case Acceptance by Connecting with Patients

For many dentists, treatment acceptance can be a difficult topic. Nobody enjoys feeling pushy about a service they provide or a product that they offer, and the same concept holds true in dentistry. However, did you know that you can improve your case acceptance rate by simply reworking the way you talk to your patients? Learn how to have two-sided patient communication in our latest blog.

Help Them Understand the Benefits

When approached with an important decision from an outside source, people tend to be on the defensive — especially when it comes to something as intimate as healthcare. That’s why you should rethink the way that you handle case acceptance.

  • Your patient needs to understand their situation, whether it is a cosmetic issue, a preventative measure, or an urgent oral health concern.
  • Patients need to be able to follow your reasoning for why the service is necessary and how exactly it can change their oral health for the better.

Once they have a true understanding of the ‘problem’ and the ‘solution,’ they will feel more compelled to accept the treatment they need.

Stop Speaking and Listen

During your patient appointments, don’t simply run through the checklist of explaining their treatment. Patients want to feel that they’ve been listened to, not talked at. 

Ask what their goals, needs, and concerns with regards to their oral health, confidence, and quality-of-life. Then, let them speak. Giving them the chance to voice their own opinion shows you care about them and how they feel, both before and after their treatment.

Educate and Elevate

Patient education is important. While there is a fine line between explaining and over-explaining, you should do your best to educate your patients about their oral health.  Avoid judgment and being too graphic, but provide a thorough explanation of their current dental and oral health. 

If they are curious about tiny cracks in their teeth, explain craze lines. If they want to know why their gums bleed when they floss, explain periodontal health and how to prevent it. When patients feel that you are invested in not only their wellbeing but their education, too, they feel more confident in the care you’re providing.

You can increase patient acceptance by having a two-way conversation with patients and including them in their oral health.  These conversations will ensure patients understand their problem and are given a solution, are allowed to discuss their own concerns and goals, and are educated on treatment and services.  Patients will feel that your suggestions are being given with their best interest in mind — that you care about your patients as individuals, not just as a mouth to fix or a goal to meet.

Schedule a consultation with our team today to discuss more techniques on how you can boost treatment acceptance and improve your practice.

Dental Consultant Near Me | Shimmer & Shine

Perhaps in the past, you’ve gotten by in business by your good looks, excellent personality and stellar reputation. In 2018, it seems like everyone and their mother is now a dental consultant. Things have changed drastically even in the past 5 years. The good news is that many dentists are now embracing the services you have to offer. They’ve come to accept that achieving clinical excellence and business excellence is more than a full-time job. They’ve realized with the right consultant, they can have a more cohesive and communicative team. 

Have you considered marketing, but fear the sticker shock that comes with a custom-branded website? Perhaps you’ve considered having a strong social media presence, but just don’t fully understand how that’s going to work to bring in new business for you. Whether you’re starting a new business or looking to catapult your existing brand to a new level, we can help. 

Since starting our dental marketing company in 2009, we’ve decided assisting dental consultants with their brand, unique selling proposition and marketing materials is the best marketing we can provide. Why not help our fellow consultants achieve new levels of success and impress their pants off in the process? This only leads to both of our long-term success. 

If you’ve considered growing your business, but feel a bit unsure of where you should start, contact our team. Our team will do all we can to make your marketing shimmer, shine and stand out! You’re not in this alone.

Dental Consultant | Beyond Marketing: Turning Interest into Appointments

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Marketing plays a vital role in attracting new business. Cleverly designed mailers and strong online SEO strategies can put your practice name in front of hundreds of potential patients. Glowing reviews and testimonials tell website visitors that you provide quality care and have a friendly team. However, when it comes to driving new business, marketing – even great marketing – is only part of the story. No matter how effective your campaign, one of the biggest factors in gaining new patients is scheduling.

Many dentists find it difficult to think about their practice as a business. It is likely that you chose dentistry due to a passion for service and healing, not bookkeeping or sales. Yet nearly any successful retailer will say that the only way to gain business is to give customers what they want, when they want it.

What do your prospective patients want? Convenience, first and foremost.

Consider this: patients have lives of their own. Many work outside the home, many have children. Most working people have limited time off, and may have to schedule their time carefully to leave room for the chance of illness or emergency. Many jobs dole out time off slowly over the course of weeks. Others restrict employees from missing any work at all during certain times of year.

Does your office offer any same-day scheduling? Do you have next-day scheduling? Shift workers may not know what hours and days they will be working more than a few days in advance. In addition, patients who are experiencing pain are unlikely to wait longer than 24-48 hours for an appointment before trying somewhere else.

Do you have office hours covering mornings, evenings, and Saturdays? Patients do not always have the luxury of choosing their shifts or days off. Parents may be reluctant to have their child miss school for an appointment. If you do not have openings during the times that are needed, potential patients will find an office with more flexible hours.

No matter how impressive your practice appears, patients will look elsewhere for an appointment if you are unable to work with their scheduling needs.

Making the changes to provide better scheduling flexibility will take time and may require an investment in your practice. You may want to consider adding an associate or hygienist to help cover additional time. Talk to your dental CPA about what options will best suit your practice needs, as well as the needs of your community.

Contact us today for more information.

Phone: (803) 667-3958

Dental Coaching | Promoting Change

Dental Consultant

Why do we resist change?

Change is scary. Change forces us out of our comfort zones and into the unknown, often into situations outside our control. We are afraid of change because we are afraid that this new challenge might make us look foolish, feel less capable, or even fail.

Change is also necessary. It is impossible to grow your practice, increase your service offerings, or stay competitive without change. Dentistry is a dynamic field, with new technologies and creative techniques being explored continuously. It is critical to be open to exploring these changes and to implementing the ones that will best improve your practice.

Unfortunately, one of the realities you may face is that your most loyal and long-term team members may be the ones who are most resistant to accepting these changes in your practice.

Over time, people tend to develop routines to perform their tasks. On one hand, this can be beneficial, as it can ensure consistency in job performance and can simplify the training of new employees. Often, these team members take pride in mastering the routine of their position and equate this with mastery of their role in the practice.

On the other hand, routines can lead to complacency, which can be devastating for your practice. Complacency can cause team members to “go through the motions,” putting less thought and effort into their routine, and may make their work become sloppy over time. A complacent employee is unwilling to change their routine to embrace the new ideas, methods, or technologies that you need to better serve your patients and grow your business. A complacent employee can even harm team morale and slow the adoption of the changes you seek to implement.

How do you protect your office from complacency and promote change as a part of your practice?

First, create an atmosphere of change. Start small, but design a series of changes to be implemented over the next few weeks or months in your practice. Make the idea of change something that is a normal and accepted part of your routine. This will make bigger changes easier to implement when the time comes.

Second, talk to your team. Make sure every team member understands the changes you want to implement, your reasons for making the changes, and your expectations of their compliance. Be open to answering questions, but do not allow “that’s not how we’ve always done things” to be a reason to slow or avoid changes.

Finally, make your team and yourself accountable for the changes. Track that your changes are in place and that every team member is on board. Meet with your team and discuss the outcomes of the change and how everyone feels about the change. Celebrate victories and strategize improvements. When your team is able to own the change and its outcome, it will be easier to implement the next and to suggest new ideas for future change.

For more information, contact us today.

Phone: (803) 667-3958

Dental Coaching | How to Ensure a 5-Star New Patient Visit

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It’s often said that first impressions can make or break a new relationship. For dental offices, this is no different. The appearance and comfort of your office can determine whether your new patient will return. Follow these tips to ensure your patients are experiencing a 5-star visit that will keep them returning to you for care.

Is your office clean?

The first stage to delivering a fantastic experience is maintaining a high level of cleanliness and organization. Is the lobby or waiting room spotless? This will be the first area your new patient sees, and they will make judgments based on their observations. If your waiting area or bathrooms are not well-maintained, new patients could believe that your office may not be following proper sanitization procedures and decide to go elsewhere.

Are you welcoming?

How does your front desk team respond to a new patient arrival? Are they focused on gathering paperwork or do they take the time to greet your patient and start building a rapport? Those first minutes of the appointment provide an opportunity to establish the beginnings of a lifelong relationship. Be sure that each member of your team understands their role in developing loyalty.

Are you focused on the patient experience?

Patients have many options for care. Your focus on patient comfort and convenience can make the difference between returning to your office and moving on to your competitor. Invest in amenities to make patients feel at ease in your office. Even simple additions like pillows, blankets, coffee, and water bottles can add a sense of home and help new patients relax. Consider digital paperwork to minimize wait time and apologize if an appointment is late. By showing that their needs are important, you help build trust and care that can turn into long-term loyalty.

With some training and forethought, your practice can have your patients raving about their incredible experience and referring friends and family. For more ideas to help grow your business, contact our office.

Dental Consultant Evelyn Horne
(803) 667-3958

Dental Coach Aberdeen | Follow the Trends! – Grow your Practice with These Smart Tips

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Dental CoachWith technology and economic changes overhauling much of the dental industry, practices are requiring more innovation to stay ahead of the curve. Below are some trends to explore that can help you reach the top of the chart and stay there.

Onsite Amenities
Dental practices often run the mistake of being too clinical or severe in their appearance. Make your patients comfortable with modern, innovative amenities. Heated or massage chairs in examination rooms can calm anxious patients, while TVs installed on the ceilings (complimentary earphones optional) can offer a safe distraction while your team works.

Dental Insurance Coverage
Many patients are turned away at the thought of visiting a dentist who is out-of-network. Whether you decide to be in-network with more plans or use targeted marketing showing how affordable you are for out-of-network plans, you can open the door for many potential patients that otherwise may have gone elsewhere.

Payment Plans
Many potential patients do not have the option of a work-based dental benefits plan. Consider offering monthly payment plans, in-house financing, or working with a third-party to provide affordable options in these cases. When given the opportunity to have care within their budget, patients who lack insurance will have more ability to accept treatment.

New Technology
Upgraded equipment and modern technology can be a game-changer for many patients. Whether offering a quicker, more comfortable experience or ensuring a safe and effective treatment, using advanced technology on the market can help your dental practice target patients interested in quality.

Bolstered Online Presence
The internet has limitless potential to reach prospective patients in your area. Allow patients to learn more about you and your office, schedule a visit, and ask questions through your website, social media, and other online resources. In the modern economy, internet marketing is a must.

Don’t let your practice fall into the past – keep your practice relevant by following the trends that will keep you thriving. For more professional guidance, contact our office for a consultation.

Dental Consultant Evelyn Horne
(803) 667-3958

Dental Consultant | Avoiding Occupational Pain

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Movement is the key to keeping your body healthy. Many people may not realize that working in dentistry can be taxing on your body. From working the front desk to sitting in a chair for long periods, an average day can put a lot of pressure on your body. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you could run the risk of serious chronic pain or injury later in your life. Below are some tips to help promote a healthier lifestyle for you and your dental team.

Make stretching a daily routine.

One of the easiest steps you can take to reduce the strain put on your body is to build a stretching routine throughout the day. Even a short stretching session in the morning and at night can help loosen up your body and promote blood circulation.

Get up and move.

Moving more throughout the day can also help keep you limber and stress-free especially if your particular role requires you to remain in the same position all day.

Exercise more.

Exercising can help strengthen your supporting muscles and promote overall improved health. It has also been shown to help you sleep better at night, giving your body a chance to rest and fully recover after a long day. While strength training will be most optimal for building your stabilizing muscles, any type of exercise will be beneficial.

Assess your office.

See if there are opportunities to make your office more ergonomic. Whether that means standing desks for the front office team or better seating for chairside work, there could be ways to reduce the physical stress caused by work through simply replacing the furniture.

A healthy team is a happy team. Do you worry chronic discomfort or pain is limiting the productivity of your team and making them dread coming to work? Maybe you’re starting to feel chronic discomfort after years of working with patients. In order to address this pain and discomfort, you need to first recognize the source. For more tips on how to maintain a happier, healthier, and more productive dental team, contact our firm today!

Dental Consultant Evelyn Horne
(803) 667-3958