It’s hard to believe that the summer of 2006 is almost over…
August 6, 2006 | 
Author A complimentary e-newsletter from Linda Miles for the professional dental community. For subscription (or unsubscribe) details, as well as Miles &
Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.
Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com
DYNAMIC DATA SUMMER, 2006
Dear Doctors and Team,
It’s hard to believe that the summer of 2006 is almost over…From the many practices I’ve monitored the past seven months, I’ve seen tremendous improvements over 2005 in what’s supposed to be an overall economic slump. Dentists are more aware of their responsibilities as the leader of their practices. More emphasis has been placed on the human resource side of management with more team members clearly in tune to the practice guidelines and doctor’s expectations of their job. More practitioners have invested in over the shoulder clinical courses, attended case presentation and communication courses, and the entire team feels much more “at ease” with the discussion of fees and financial options, knowing patients are accepting more of the ideal treatment plans versus “just wanting to get by” until their next round of dental insurance kicks in.
We already know, “patients accept what the practice accepts”. If anyone in the practice thinks patients won’t do this or that, they are absolutely right. If changes are presented in a positive way whether it is for a treatment fee, the value of the next appointment, or the fact that dental insurance does not cover most complete treatment plans, patients will accept these facts too.
Broken Appointments (more so in summer months), prompted this article request from my friend, Joan Garbo for her newsletter I hope my summer readers like it too.
HOT TIPS…FOR HOT WEATHER
Failed and short-notice changed appointments are serious problems at any time during the year, but can really play havoc on the summer months’ production, typically vacation months for doctors, and team members.
Parents and patients don’t intend to be less committed to their appointments but during the “lazy days of summer” let’s face it…if anyone makes them a better offer than going to the dentist, off they go, which means your scheduling coordinator works at top speed keeping the changes in the schedule filled. Not to mention the stress involved with the confirmed patient “no-shows”.
First let’s look at the major causes of broken appointments:
1) A lack of communication from the doctor and entire dental team to the patient regarding the importance of their next visit while they are sitting in the dental chair on their current appointment. If you have ever wondered why some practices have 3-4 times as many broken appointments as another practice, listen to the amount (or lack of) patient education regarding the next appointment in your own practice starting immediately.
If the office communication in your practice is 75% social and only 25% dental education, no wonder you have more than your share of open time which is totally non- productive. Reversing the conversations to 75% dental education and 25% social chitchat is key. All it takes is a 30 second eye to eye, heart to heart talk about the importance of keeping the next appointment, and VIOLA….a reduction in over HALF the amount of wasted time. While socializing with patients may be fun…it should never be more than 25% of the conversation and at that, focused on the patient, not the dental team member or dentist.
2) Non-motivated team member is another serious reason for open chair time. Their attitude is: I’m going to make the same amount of money today no matter how many people show up, so why work so hard? If you don’t already have an incentive bonus plan in place, I highly recommend one. Or the doctor could have a daily “bonus kitty” and drop a $10, $20 or $50 bill into the locked box or office safe for each day with zero to X number of open slots on the schedule. Each open slot costs the team their “fun-money” which is divided at the end of the month and pro-rated to part time team members. With an average of $30 per day times 16 days, this could be close to $500 per month!
3) Weak verbal skills and untrained scheduling coordinators determine why a large percentage of changed or failed appointments take place in a practice. There are three tones of voice that might be used when a patient calls to try and change or cancel their appointment: 1) happy, 2) neutral, or 3) friendly-disappointment. If employees like downtime, they will sound happy when an opening occurs. Because patients like to make the person taking the call happy, they will continue being a source of failed appointments because they know the team member actually seemed elated with the call.
If the patients receive a neutral response such as “Oh, no problem at all Mrs. Webster, let’s see when I get little Samantha back in. How about this coming Thursday at the same time?” Again, if it is easy to change or cancel appointments because the caller feels it’s OK and no problem at all, look out…your practice will again have more than your share of broken and failed appointments. I have heard from some scheduling coordinators in my audiences that they spend a third of each day restructuring each day that falls apart!!
The only way to control wasted chair time especially in the summer months is always sound friendly yet firm when someone calls to ruin your schedule. “Oh Mrs. Webster, I’m sure that the trip to the lake that Samantha has been invited to participate in is very important, but so is her appointment with us. I have reserved the doctor’s entire late morning just for her bandings. As you know, it would be impossible for me to fill this amount of the doctor’s time on short notice. Is there any way we can work around Samantha’s invitation so that they may leave around noon instead of 10 AM?
If and when your scheduling coordinator develops the skill of being very friendly yet disappointed when patients try to fail or postpone their appointments, patients and parents begin to realize the inconvenience of this, especially the last minute changes. REMEMBER: An appointment will NEVER become more important to the patient than it appears to be to you”.
A good “test” is to have the doctor go across the parking lot with a cell phone while covering the mouthpiece with a handkerchief to disguise their voice. The doctor calls the office and pretends to cancel the most productive appointment for today or tomorrow to see just how it is handled in their practice.
You may also list on the back of your appointment cards: A broken appointment is a loss to three people: 1) The patient who missed the valuable time. 2) The patient who could have used the valuable time. 3) The dentist who was fully staffed and prepared for the appointment time.
Summer “play time” does not have to ruin your production. Be pro-active…play it cool by having each member of the team improve his or her verbal communication skills. And remember it has to be congruent with everyone committed to that goal. With verbal skills communication, “you are only as strong as your weakest link”.
Newsletters always create a wave of business for our business after they go out and for those who do quarterly newsletters. One of the best in the dental business is HYCOMB MARKETING in the bay area of CA. Here’s what my friend, Melinda Spitek, Owner of HYCOMB has to say to our readers. PS: We highly recommend Hycomb’s newsletters and hope you will inquire about them too. Keeping your name and dental information in front of your patients every 90 days is the key to successful marketing.
Doctor, has your hygiene schedule been less than full? Have your new patient numbers dropped off? Struggling in this lousy economy? More and more patients past due? Suffering from Empty Chair Syndrome?
When times get tough you need to regroup and motivate your existing patient base. Maintaining contact with patients between appointments is a great way to keep patients thinking about you. But it’s hard to find the time to send letters or write and print a newsletter on a regular basis.
The antidote is actually quite simple. Every 90 days, a professional communication sent by you, filled with colorful and intriguing information about dentistry, arrives at every door of your patient base. All you need do is review the articles you prefer to appear before it is sent out. Hycomb does all the work.
Your own quarterly newsletter, produced by Hycomb and personalized just for your practice, is by far the simplest and most cost-effective means of re-welding that connection between your practice and your existing patient base every 90 days. Perhaps most importantly, for the majority of our subscribers it’s practice marketing made easy.
We can help! Call HYCOMB 800/523-6961
Want some beautiful scenery in your office to take patients’ minds off the procedures they are having? Wish you could “get lost” In a beautiful place in your mind to meditate and get away from the day-to-day stress? Bill Robertson Photography is another place to go for artwork for your office, note cards, recare cards and other marketing materials. Check out his site at www.billrobertsonphotography.com
In late March, the ADA In conjunction with CareCredit, dentistry’s leading patient finance company, mailed thousands of letters offering my newest CD “The 12 Necessities of a Successful Practice” free to any office that called CareCredit. We have been overwhelmed with the positive response to this CD after dentists listened to it. In one week, we heard from 7 long-ago clients and meeting planners with whom we had lost touch over the years. As we know, the post office only forwards addresses for a year after a move. In addition to client moves, we moved our corporate office twice in ten years. Some mailing addresses did not get updated in a timely fashion. How exciting for us to reconnect and reschedule follow-up consulting and lectures for friends we worked with in the past. If you have not called CareCredit for your free CD, please do so. Pennwell also had a card on their June Issue of Dental Economics for the same CD. CareCredit’s phone number Is 1-800-300-3046.
TEAM RETREATS have become a large part of our business in the past year or two. This year I did a private practice retreat In St. Johns, Virgin Islands with a practice from TN, the Phoenician Resort In Scottsdale with a practice from TX, and will soon go to Kona, Hawaii with a group practice from NC. This Is normally a two half-day private consultation/lecture with afternoons free to play or continue networking with the work family in a non-working environment. We gather the same practice statistics and questionnaires as with our consulting services. The doctor and consultant/speaker then spend an hour on the telephone creating the custom designed 8 hours of meeting time, selecting topics that are most pertinent to their specific practice/team needs. For a brochure on this wonderful way to get your practice team on board and working toward a common goal, email me at lindamiles@cox.net or call 800-922-0866 for more information.
AMAZING…Where some of the mis-information in dental management comes from is beyond me. I sometimes think people who assume they are helping dentists actually keep management consulting firms in business doing what I call DAMAGE CONTROL.
About six months to a year ago I read in a leading newsletter:” When dentists are out of their offices on vacations and for CE courses, don’t let the staff stay in the office to do their behind the scenes work as this is what keeps the payroll percentages so high!”
MY TAKE IS: It’s not the staff being paid for 52 weeks per year their normal 32-40 hours per week that is keeping the staff salaries (and other overhead) high, it’s the constant turn-over in team members that come and go…The down time, retraining time and loss of stomach lining to re-hire is the problem folks. I don’t know about my readers, but in the past, when I took a fulltime job, it meant I needed full time pay. My personal bills (like everyone else’s) go on 52 weeks out of the year.
I wish I had $10 for every team member in dentistry who has left to find a job that was fair when issues like those arose. The ONLY time it is fair to ask employees to be off without pay 4-10 weeks per year, (which some dentists take off), is to discuss it on the interview and agree to it in writing that: A) the employees have an option of taking time off without pay, B) using their personal vacation time and get paid, or C) coming in to work with a list of behind the scenes chores (pre-arranged with the dentist before he or she left), so that they do not miss their agreed upon pay.
Another amazing statement was made recently from another dental newsletter: Treat all your team members differently and better according to how well they each perform!! Imagine that: PRIMA DONNA/QUEEN BEE alert big time! Every member of the team thinks they have the hardest job, contribute more than anyone else, are the most loyal, the most accountable and the least appreciated. To add fuel to that fire…. NOW, the owner dentist is to use favoritism to “get the slackers in gear?”
MY TAKE IS: One’s confidential salary should reflect their personal worth to the practice. This is between the employer and the employee and is no one else’s business…BUT when it comes to benefits, perks, bonuses, shard responsibilities, rules and guidelines, they best be the same for all who work the same number of hours and pro-rated for those with fewer hours. Equality and respect creates teamwork….The same holds true for the patients in the practice. Some practices only want A and B patients…What a crock! ALL patients deserve the same level of care and consideration. The majority of my clients aren’t arrogant who turn patients away if they don’t: A) dress right, B) have the right address, C) the right job title, or D) accept the total large treatment plan just because the doctor presented it. The goal is to turn the D’s into C’s this year, B’s the following year, so that eventually…through love and respect they become A’s. These wonderful dentists treat their staff and their patients with kindness and respect (from the last hired to the longest) and the A to D (and beyond) patients who need their care.
You can tell WHO writes what these days….a lot of this mis-guided communication comes from those who got out of school, went to a professional post graduate program and started writing paychecks! It helps if those giving advice had to work their way up the ladder of success. And as Granny Miles said many times…”You can’t get higher than your raising”. And: “Be nice to people on the way up as you don’t know who you might need on the way down.”
The 10th annual Speaking Consulting Network was a huge success with a 30% Increase In membership and 45% Increase In exhibitors for the Phoenix Conference the end of May. For meeting planners wanting to spend two days networking and mingling with the cream of the crop speakers, consultants and authors, this is the place to be. Each year SCN comps the tuition for 12 lucky VIPs. Exhibitors tell us this is the ONLY dental meeting they feel totally connected with from the moment they arrive through the farewell dinner on Monday evenings. This year’s meeting roster consisted of 49 management consultants, 21 dentists and 29 hygienists who speak, consult or write. The other 40 were support staff, VIPs, exhibitors and sponsors. Next year’s conference for first year members only is Saturday, June 2, with all attending Sunday and Monday June 3-4 while our exhibitors are in full swing and dozens of exciting classes are taking place. This year’s 6 lucky winners of the coveted SOS (Spotlight on Speaking) were Joan Garbo, Leslie Canham, Erin Sandman, Cher Thomas, Danny Bobrow, and Jeanie Windes. Each presenter gave ten minutes of their best material to be critiqued by meeting planners, fellow members and exhibitors. Sixty days later, I am hearing wonderful opportunities that have opened up in the industry for those who bravely volunteered and were selected. Again, SOS’s Master of Ceremony, Dr. David Reznik, did a magnificent job of not only facilitating SOS, but coaching the presenters as well.
SCN 2007 in Charleston, South Carolina will be our fourth sell-out in a row with a maximum attendance of 200. If you wish to be there as an exhibitor, new member or returnee, call Lee today at 800-922-0866 to reserve your spot with the initial payment of $500. Monthly debits will then start November 10th for 6 months for your balance. Second year members’ come at 50% off, while third year and beyond members come at another 50% off the second year tuition. Don’t miss the fun and excitement of SCN if you have a strong desire to attract and retain speaking, consulting and writing assignments. The energy and spirit of SCN Is what propels it year after year. Our 2007 keynote speaker (a secret for now) will be worth your entire tuition.
The following message is from one of our last Dental Business Conference attendees who also attended the January 2006 new two-day course for Practice Administrators, spouses of dentists who wish to train the PA In the future, and for dentists who would like to better utilize their Practice Administrator. In many practices, the Practice Administrator has the title but no real authority and even less training to be the dentist’s right-hand businessperson. Many Practice Administrators have had little or no training so this new course is just what the practice needs. For better group Interaction, we limit the attendance to 100 people. Call Lee today to get on the list for our February 9-10, 2007 FL workshop. Doctors and dental spouses don’t SEND…but BRING your practice administrator for best results….
ATTENTION MEETING PLANNERS: Send for our new brochure on how your association or study club can host the two-day workshops in your hometown. Or visit our site and check out the Information under Seminars (then Meeting Planners).
Cynthia’s comment below: (She runs two very successful TX practices with her husband, Dr. Grayson Sellers).
Just wanted to drop you this quick note to update you on our weekly meetings that we implemented on February 1st, as per your model.
We have been doing this for almost 3 months now and so far, we produced/collected 10% MORE in February and 11% MORE in March. We closely monitor our practice by the numbers and can clearly track the increase. I must say that SOMETHING IS CERTAINLY WORKING. Plus, our entire team is more ‘refreshed’ and cheerfully productive. The overall team communication is stronger than ever and thus, less stressful at the end of the day – every day. What you preach about being “happy tired” rather than “stressed tired” is definitely the case here.
Our concern with implementing this was that we would be taking a chunk of time out of our workweek for these meetings and consequently, less production. In fact, our team was very worried about how this would affect their goals and bonuses. Well, I am happy to report that in February, they made their regular bonus and in March (which is typically a slow month for us) they made SUPER bonus. Needless to say, there’s nothing but smiles, motivation, and positive attitudes around here. All this is solely due to YOU and what you teach us to do. We’re working less and making more $$$. Life is good.
You teach this all the time and I wanted to give you some reinforcement that this really does work. Thank you.
Dr. Grayson & Cynthia Sellers
Port Isabel & Los Fresnos Dental Centers
TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES
The proper way the telephone is handled cannot be stressed enough. Going back into practices that have supposedly learned WHY it Is the most important instrument in the office, or calling an office that has sent their team members to our courses only to hear a weak greeting, little or no energy from the person answering the phone, or a person who sounds interested in making the call as brief as possible, truly sends the wrong message to those calling the practice. Being enthusiastic, caring, thoughtful, concerned, friendly and helpful MUST be part of the scheduling coordinator’s demeanor. When this is not the case, I estimate that it is costing the dentist more than $10,000 per month in lost production and patients. The next time you call a professional office and get this low level of service, ask yourself: “Is that business owner aware of the fact the person handling the phone is costing the business over $100,000 per year plus whatever they are being paid?”
Our 12 week In-office DVDs with a master workbook, five copies of my newest book DYNAMIC DENTISTRY, plus a post book 25 page test for 5 CEUs should be part of every practices’ library. You can review or learn telephone techniques and dozens of other important management topics in the comfort of your own office for pennies per day. Order online or call 800-922-0866.
Two LLM&A consultants, Susan Kulakowski and Janelle Kent of FL have created the perfect hands-on course for new or experienced dental business staff who need to hone their skills in scheduling, the reduction of broken and changed appointments and financial-insurance discussions.
We all know that about 70% of all case acceptance falls apart in the financial discussion phase of communication. And we also know that just one failed appointment per day results in a 6 figures loss at the end of each year. I highly recommend this exciting course for the two plus people who have the most interaction with patients (over the telephone, checking in, checking out and during financial consultations). Treat the business staff to the course that will pay big dividends the day they return to the practice.
The Florida Center for Staff Development is a nine-hour intensely interactive workshop. The two-day courses, ending at 2 PM each day to allow for group dynamics after class, are held simultaneously in a beach setting away from the busy practice.
The financial workshop, “From Job to Career Professional” and the scheduling workshop, “Mastering the Art of Productive Scheduling” are THE workshops, which will make your business staff the “best of the best”. Attendance is restricted to no more than twelve in each class to allow personalized and individualized practice focus. The small group setting and the sharing of information, ideas, and challenges makes this course exceptional and like no other in dentistry. For new team members who need to get on the same page quickly and for those burned out from years of scheduling and discussion finances and insurance the hard way!
Your team will return highly educated with renewed energy and confidence. The tuition includes breakfast and lunch both days, course materials with workbook, continuing education certificate of completion, and three follow-up group conference calls. For a minimal total investment of what you are losing WEEKLY, this is the ANSWER!
The dates are November 3,4 at the Diamond Head Beach Resort, Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. The direct contact number is 866-862-7875.
VACATION ALERT: One of my clients just reported a wonderful vacation In Paris. A Parisian couple owns several apartments in Paris with perfect views of all the famous sights to see and places to visit. The apartments look like House Beautiful according to Dr. Robert Randall. The site to visit is www.perfectparis.com.
Also if the Smokey Mountains beckon you, try the www.sunsetcottage.com site and select one of their log cabins or chalets in TN. Don and I will be there after Thanksgiving with another couple. For a two-bedroom two and a half-bath cottage on the river and beside a golf course, the price is right at $200 per couple for three nights. Call 865-429-8397 for more information.
Here’s hoping the second half of 2006 is off to a fabulous beginning with July having been one of your best months ever. One of my consulting client offices (two dentists) is on target this year for a $300,000 NET increase in the two years since we started working with them. …. Their SECRETS Include: Better leadership, greatly improved scheduling, staff knowing doctors expectations, improved communication within the practice and also to patients, a huge reduction of open chair time, new technology, clinical excellence courses for the dentists and entire team, new marketing, and assistance from a highly skilled hygiene consultant who took the hygiene department from the low $50,000 to the low $70,000 level per month. NOW THAT’S PROGRESS! Almost forgot: When I started working with them In July 2004, their total overhead was 73.1% that year, dropped to 70.4% in 2005 and is 64.4% in 2006.
Enjoy the rest of your summer. Plan now a get-away to the Smokey Mountains for the fall, and a trip to Paris in the spring…. It isn’t just about the WORK….It’s about the journey, so enjoy each and every step of the way. Share this journey with your family, then take your team on a Team Retreat to celebrate the help they gave you In reaching new goals and making the journey a pleasant one. As Albert Switzer said,” Success does not create happiness, happiness creates success”. And remember, “The task ahead of you is never greater than the power behind you”. Have a great remainder of 2007. If you need one of our team members to assist in any way, please call 800-922-0866. We LOVE hearing from our readers, so a brief update on how you are doing is welcomed and will be answered within a week or two.
Linda Miles, CEO
Linda Miles and Associates
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Miles & Associates – Summer 2006
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free