Why Some Teams “Click” and Some Don’t!

Rhonda R. Savage, DDS

Have you ever noticed the individual who can connect with everyone, it seems, every time he or she is out and about?  This same person can make you feel special each time you meet them!  How is she different than you?  What is the ‘magic’ that he or she works?

I think the same thought is true with teams:  Why do some teams seem to function outstandingly… absolutely wonderfully, yet others struggle?  Have you seen those dental teams who do so well that they never seem to struggle?  Does it seem that their success happens with little or no effort?

This article is NOT for the faint of heart.  Set this aside and read it ONLY if you are interested in a challenge!

The good news is, I’m quite certain there’s a formula for team success and it goes like this:

1. Remember your role:

It doesn’t matter what needs to be done…no one should be ‘too good’ for any job in the dental practice.  What is your role?  For anyone in dentistry: The first priority is patient care.

Dental Assistants:

1. Your number one priority:  Patient care.  Whatever it takes to seat the patient and dismiss the patient.
2. Whatever it takes to make the patient care possible…stocking your room and instrument sterilization are two examples.
3. Helping the hygiene team…what ever it takes to keep the patient on time.
4. Supply and laboratory case management.
5. Number five:  Go up front and say, “I have 20 minutes; how can I help?”

(Front desk:  be prepared with 20-30 minute ways your clinical team can help)

Dental Hygienists:

1. Number one priority:  patient care.  Whatever it takes to seat and dismiss the patient.
2. Whatever it takes to make patient care possible:  Instrument sterilization and stocking your room.
3. Helping the dentist/assistant stay on time.
4. Instrument sterilization
5. Number 5:  Going up front and saying, “how can I help?”  I have 30 minutes.  Especially:  The hygiene team should help with recare and reactivation.

Front Desk:

1. Whatever it takes to help the patient schedule, pay and reappoint.

Everyone up front should have defined duties (80% of their job), but they bend over backwards for each other (20%).  The front desk can be cross trained to seat and dismiss patients and take x-rays, but keep in mind…if you’re continually pulling from the front to help the back, with few exceptions….you are short staffed at the front desk.

A typical two staff front office has these duties:

Scheduling coordinator: Greets patients, answers the two primary incoming lines and does the majority of the scheduling.  She engineers the day.  She’s responsible for recare/reactivation and follow-up calls with patients who say, “I need to think about it.  She has a warm, enthusiastic manner, yet is organized.

The Financial coordinator: A more direct person who is used to leading the patient to accept treatment, yet still is friendly and warm to the patients.  She checks patients out, processes the insurance, collects the payment and also is responsible for follow up on past due insurance and past due accounts.

Proper staffing up front is critical to your success:  I can’t say if you’re under or overstaffed without crunching numbers and evaluating key information to know about your style of practice.  For a PDF on staffing responsibilities, email me at Rhonda@MilesGlobal.net

The newer style of the front desk is to be ‘front desk-less.’  A word of caution:  Be certain ALL team members are trained to the same level of ability AND have the personalities that facilitate case acceptance, a challenge to be sure.

Doctors:

Your job is patient care.  Stay on time with restorative procedures.  If you’re “Doctor Add-On” we should talk.  Stay on time with your hygiene exam.  Your time in the hygiene chair should NOT be more than 4-6 minutes.  If it takes longer, you’re talking too much or socializing too much.

Some doctors say, “I don’t want to give up this time with patient.  This is what connects me with the patient.”  I say, “OK…but you’ll never be as productive as if you were to ask your team to do more talking for you; that’s your decision.”

I can guarantee you:  If you train your team to talk and write for you, you can make $100,000 more annually and NOT increase your stress.  In fact, stress will decrease!

And, here’s the kicker:  Your relationship with the patient will actually improve!

Times have changed and will never be the same again.  Are you willing to change?  Don’t call me if you’re not willing to change.

What do you need to do?  Doctors:  Don’t hang at the front desk. It sends the wrong message.  Your attempts to be personal inhibit the front desk’s ability to schedule, collect money and process insurance.  You bother the patient who’s on the phone with the front desk person.

Also, Doctors:  only take personal calls if it’s absolutely urgent.  Stay away from your computer and your cell phone. Answer a specialist’s call during business hours only if they have your patient in the chair.

Why don’t some teams click?  Teams that “don’t click” have little organization.  “Everyone is responsible for everything!”  There is little accountability.  People are sensitive to any form of perceived criticism about their job.  Gossip exists.  Favoritism exists.

2. Focus on the work:

There is ALWAYS work to do in a busy dental office.  If you’re not busy…follow my recommendations and you WILL be busy!!

Closely examine your front desk effectiveness regarding the Accounts Receivables, the Past Due Insurance, the Recare effectiveness and their systematic way to follow up with patients.  However:  Do NOT micromanage.

Clinical team:  look at your space from top to bottom:  clean it quarterly in depth.  Stocking, laboratory work, sterilization, supply ordering and helping up front…the work is NEVER done.  There is no reason to be standing around, which leads to gossip.  Gossip is the number one detrimental thing that drives morale down.

Ok, Doctors:  Here’s where I put your feet to the fire.

The number one thing that detracts from your ability to produce effectively is your cell phone, your computer and “dinking.”  Dinking is a School of Dentistry term (so it’s quite official) (that’s sarcasm) that means:  “To tinker something to death until it no longer is as good as if you’d stopped 15 minutes ago”

Close your office door and do the dentistry!  Make your hands “be like butterflies” and fly with a focus on quality but also speed.  I’ve never heard a patient say, “Geez, Doc, I wish you would’ve taken longer!”

Here’s another quite painful, yet true thought:  Have you ever noticed that when you’re slow, you get slower?  Yet, your patients have their own time frame.  If you have 1.5 hours for a 1.15 minute time…do it in 1 hour, 15 minutes! Teams that get used to being slow then subsequently have difficulty readjusting to a faster pace.

Teams that don’t click run behind.  They reschedule patients to fit their own schedule.  They’re stressed.  Staff gets little time for the bathroom or to eat.  They get out late at the end of the day.  Morale is down.  Time is slow….or way too busy.

3. Share information:

No one likes to work in an information vacuum.  Focus on effective, dynamic, productive, fun team meetings.  Have a morning huddle, meetings by departments, and if you’re a large practice, a core team meeting.  Have performance reviews and coach daily for effectiveness.  Focus seriously on communication.  You need to coach daily.

Regardless of your perception is:  “Some teams are blessed or graced with an ease that you can never achieve” it is NOT true.  Communication is the key to your success in all that you and your team do!

Teams that don’t click don’t talk.  They don’t talk about the tough things that need to be discussed. There’s little trust at the team meeting.  They’ve been ‘shut down’ before; ridiculed or laughed at during the team meeting.  One or two people dominate the meeting.

Or, worse yet, they never have a team meeting.  The “doctor is non-confrontational.”  He or she doesn’t like performance reviews or team meetings.  Ouch!  Time to change, doctor!  The world has changed.  Are you willing to change?

4. Take your job seriously:

How passionate about dentistry are you?  Doctors and Associates, I’d ask you to draw a line in the sand:  On a scale of 1-10, (10 being the most) where do you put your mark regarding dentistry?  No one will be as enthusiastic or passionate as you are AND you will not be influential unless you are passionate.

Ask your team:  “If this was your practice, what would you do to increase production and decrease overhead?” Have them to write down their answers and bring them to the team meeting.  Use this as a discussion to talk about how to improve your practice.

Ask:  “What’s going well?  “Are there any patient complaints?”  “Is there anything we need to change?” The team (everyone should be expected to participate) needs to come with 1-2 positive suggestions for change.

Another question:   “How am I doing as a leader?”  “What do I do on a regular basis that wastes your time or the time of the patient?”

Teams that don’t click:  Team meetings are boring.  We say the same things and nothing ever happens.

It’s time to click-on your team!  Teams that click communicate well.  There is little staff turnover. They are excited and happy to come to work and enjoy their co-workers.  You know the person who’s coming to work because they’re consistently the same person.  They choose their attitude, are present in the moment and have fun at work!  They care deeply about each other, but do not hesitate to ‘call a spade a spade,’ and do so in a professional, caring way.  They know that “it’s all about the patient.”

A successful team puts the patient first, the practice as a healthy practice second.  They put their own personal needs, wants and desires third.