Time to get Real

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Change is hard. It is even harder to get rid of a staff member whom you know needs the job to feed their family or who has been with you for years. However, in order for your office to stay on top you need to take your staffing liabilities and turn them into your biggest assets. If that change cannot happen then it’s time to have a tough conversation and move your practice forward.

How can you turn your staff around? First, you need to identify what the problem is. Does your front desk struggle to stay organized? Or is she rude to patients? Or is your dental assistant never where you need her and forgets instruments needed for procedures?

When talking to your staff member about changing practices utilize I statements.  I see that you are working hard to create an office that matches our vision however; I feel we need to change some things.  I see you are working hard, now can we work together to help our office become more efficient?   

Next, ask them how they see things, and listen when they tell you.  Recap what they say to make sure you understand how they see things and to show you are really listening. Work to find out what they see the problems are.  Or what is holding them back. It is not a complaint session however, you need to know what is stopping them from completing things to your expectations otherwise together you cannot problem solve and fix the issues.

Once you have discussed what the problem is, work to solve the problem by asking them how they believe things can be fixed. Offer suggestions to tweak things to your expectations.  Remind them of the vision and mission of the office and ask them their part in achieving this? Set short-term goals with your employee and discuss choices if these goals are not met. This may have to mean termination but set this expectation up ahead of time so that they know what the goal is they are working towards.

In the end change is inevitable but the change you want should work towards the benefit of your office and ultimately your patients.  

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build teamwork and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Six Seconds To Connect

 Austine Etcheverry
         Salt DPM
    Media Specialist
         Part 1 of 2








When a phone is answered in your office you have six seconds to make an impression.  How many times have you called a business and hung up feeling frustrated or angry? Let’s face it, in our busy world, our reputation can be damaged or are patient base increased based solely on phone etiquette.   In everyday communication we rely on nonverbal signals to help us navigate what a patient might be telling us, likewise when a patient shows up and is angry, our head nod may be enough to tell the patient we care.  Telephone conversations make non-verbal communication obsolete, therefore increasing the importance of ones ability to verbally communicate. 

When your receptionist answers the telephone, are they perceived as being happy? Excited to be at work? Do they use a confident, comforting, "I’m here to help you" voice? Or do they give the feeling of, “I’m tired, over-worked, over stressed and ready to hit the five o’clock rush hour because that would be better than being at my job?”

How the receptionist answers your phone makes a direct impact on your patients, and first impressions are the most important.  How patients view that phone call is every bit as important as the message given. Customer service is your key to maintaining and keeping patients coming in the door.  While your patients might call for a variety of reasons, the feeling they have when they hang up will be the message they pass onto friends and family.  

Recently I had the privilege of pre-screening for an entry-level front desk position for a client.  The first call I made I enthusiastically dialed the phone number. When the person on the other end answered, "Hello," I thought, wow, pleasant voice, but no smile. I informed her that I was pre-screening for a position she'd applied for and asked if she had a few moments to answer some questions. Her response was, "Yeah." The immediate mental image I had was of a young girl, whom clearly did not understand the importance of the call.  I had spoken to her for less than six seconds.  Continuing the interview, I asked her to describe her current position.  "Front and back office work.” The message is clear, she’s short, to the point, and probably won’t spend time with patients explaining the process they may go through, or be comforting when they have a problem.  Next I asked her how her current employer would describe her personality. I held back a chuckle when she told me, “out-going.”   Out-going was not at all the feeling I had while talking to her on the phone.  She was quickly placed in the, “no” pile. 

So, what goes into communication to help set the tone and how can you work with your team to improve the office’s phone etiquette?  Start by listening to your team throughout the day as they are answering the telephone. Use a checklist to evaluate the tone, pitch of their voice, and the impact you were left with after they hung up.  This will help you to determine where to go from there.  Go to http://www.saltdpm.com for a downloadable checklist.

Austine Etcheverry is a coach with Salt Dental Practice Management. Savor success and learn more at www.saltdpm.com or contact her at info@saltdpm.com.  Article originally published by

This article was originally published by Tri-County Dental Society Bulletin

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