Does the truth always prevail when rumors run rampant in the dental community? In this eye-opening episode, Michael and Sandy confront the damaging effects of rumors and misinformation that pervade the dental industry. They tackle the common pitfalls of comparing oneself or one's practice to others, emphasizing how this can erode confidence and productivity. Delving into specific scenarios such as production numbers and appointment cancellations, Sandy and Michael illustrate how external benchmarks often mislead rather than motivate, highlighting the perilous journey of false comparisons.

With social platforms like Facebook and Dentaltown serving as breeding grounds for misinformation, Sandy sheds light on how these spaces can exacerbate fears and quash morale. Her key message? Look inward. Dentists should optimize their internal systems and focus on teamwork to drive success, instead of seeking solace in unreliable sources. The duo offers practical advice to reclaim control, foster positivity, and nurture a practice culture built on verified insights and self-assured growth.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The risks of comparing your dental practice to others.
• How rumors and misinformation impact morale and decision-making.
• Effective strategies for improving internal systems and team dynamics.
• The role of social media in spreading falsehoods within the dental community.
• Ways to build confidence by focusing on internal measures and outcomes.

Tune in to discover how to shield your practice from the clutches of damaging rumors and boost your team's morale!

Sponsors:

Do you need a new website or marketing agency? Check out what DocSites can do for you: https://www.DocSites.com/landing-pages/ddb/

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Dentaltown

People:

Dr. Bob Westerman

Is gossip silently drilling holes in your dental practice, eroding trust and harmony?

In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Michael and Sandy embark on a candid exploration of gossip within dental offices. Sandy dives deep, demystifying the corrosive nature of workplace chatter, sharing eye-opening stories, and offering firsthand insights. With the lively discussion, they expose how gossip not only deteriorates team morale but also impacts patient care subtly yet significantly. Sandy's storytelling captures the gravity of gossip as she narrates the poignant poem "Nobody's Friend," serving as a stark reminder of its potential damage.

Michael and Sandy arm you with actionable strategies to cultivate a gossip-free work environment. The episode underscores the power of clear communication, fostering team agreements, and how leaders can actively counter gossip's spread. This episode promises to enlighten dental teams on the path to nurturing a more cohesive, trusting workplace where everyone thrives.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The hidden costs of gossip on team morale and patient care.
• Practical strategies for fostering a gossip-free work environment.
• The importance of clear communication in preventing workplace gossip.
• How to implement team agreements to strengthen workplace harmony.
• The critical role leaders play in addressing and mitigating gossip.

Tune in now to eliminate gossip and build a healthier, more united practice!

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Events:

Poems:

Nobodies Friend poem

Hotels:

The Ritz-Carlton

Saint Hotel

Hamton Inn

Courtyard - Marriott

People:

Julia Child

Ina Garten - Interview

What happens when you appoint someone an office manager without proper training? In today's rerun episode Michael and Sandy dive deep into this critical issue afflicting many dental practices. They explore the stark differences between an office manager and a front office employee, debunking common misconceptions that can lead to team conflicts and inefficiencies. Sandy illustrates that in practices with under ten employees, appointing team leaders for different departments is a more effective strategy than designating an office manager. Furthermore, the episode highlights the essential role of an office manager as a key liaison, running protocols, handling team trainings, and guiding workflows, while they should steer clear from patient-facing roles. This division ensures each person contributes their best to the team's success.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The true differences between an office manager and a front office employee
• Why mislabeling roles can create chaos within a dental practice
• Ideal staff filling roles when you have fewer than ten employees
• Core responsibilities that should define an office manager's tasks
• Areas an office manager should avoid to ensure focused management
• Importance of effective communication with and among dental office teams
• How to handle and improve issues with existing office managers
• The key qualities an aspiring office manager should possess
• Understanding the structural integrity needed for harmonious office dynamics
• Tips on restructuring practices to incite better efficiency and cohesion

Set your dental practice on the road to ultimate success—Listen to this episode now!

(This episode originally aired on Nov 03, 2022)

Mentions and Links:

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Did you know if your team is less than 10 employees, you more than likely should NOT have an office manager! Some practice owners put someone who has some dental experience in the front and name them an office manager. That is not the right thing to do. 

In this episode Sandy breaks down the real responsibilities of an Office Manager and when is it time to bring one on. We also discuss how promoting or having someone considered an “office manager” can actually cause more harm than good. We also discuss how to demote an office manager and discuss the proper script and terminology on how to do this.

There’s a shocking statistic that Sandy mentions in this episode which is: 1.6 million people are changing dentists and 25%-50% patients are lost over a 5 year period. This means we MUST work on our attrition, retaining these patients! 

In this episode Sandy tells us the 3 main reasons why we lose patients and how we can stop making these major mistakes. She also gives us a system on what our team should do to make sure our attrition rate is good. We also discuss and talk about scripts on what we should ask our patients to make sure their experience is always above and beyond!

You know what? You shouldn’t even call them “performance reviews” anymore! In this episode Sandy lets us know exactly what we should do with the “one on one” meetings we have with our team members. Meeting one on one with team members is always a good thing.

Sandy tells us how we should call them a “one on one” and bring the employee’s:

• Attendance record
• Statistics
• Ask them “how do you think it’s going”?
• Involve the whole team

She breaks each one of these things down and dives into specifics on how we should handle every point. Another good thing to keep in mind is we should never tie “one on ones” or performance reviews with raises! Listen to this episode to understand why!

If you haven’t heard “How to Handle “Inter-Office wars” which was the episode before this one, please go do so! It got so much feedback! Because of all the questions we received, Sandy decided to answer those questions and do a part two!

The 2 most popular things that people contacted Sandy after the previous episode was:

1. What to do if you are new to the office and you witness “inter-office wars”/ what do you do if you are a team member watching on the sidelines “inter-office war” happening? What should you do? 
2. Team members complaining to the doctor or gossiping to the doctor. Trying to get to the doctor on their side. 

In this episode Sandy dives deeper on these two scenarios and also shows you how to handle them from an employee perspective and a practice owner's perspective.

Are you experiencing gossip, negativity, conflicts between your team, dishonesty, and employees always shifting the blame to other employees? This episode will help! 

20% of all workers are unhappy with their jobs! This means that 80% are trying to get along with their workers and the other 20% are sabotaging that relationship! A lot of this dissatisfaction doesn’t have to do with the job itself, but it’s with the worker’s attitudes. 

One thing Sandy has observed over the decades of handling employee conflicts and “inter-office wars” is that the more organized a practice is, the more the agreements that are in place, the less “inter-office wars” happen! In this episode Sandy gives us the definition of what “inter-office wars” means, how this is occurring in many offices today (either the front office doesn't get along with the back office, or someone on the team keeps gossiping about another team member, etc.) and she tells us exactly how to handle it!

Nowadays there are lots of consultants out there. Specific consultants and consultants who try to cover everything under the sun. However, what is the ultimate goal of a consultant? In this episode Sandy gives us insight on this and what we MUST look out for, when it comes to bringing on a consultant.

Sandy tells us what questions we should ask before hiring the consultant, what their goal should be, how much productions should be going up, how the team should feel, what road-bumps the consultant may face, how can you tell you are getting a “cookie cutter” consultant, and what data they should have.

A consultant's goal is not to be hired and work for the practice forever, it's to work with the practice until the owner (and team) is completely satisfied with the results. Listen into this episode if you have EVER thought about hiring a practice management consultant.

“Quiet quitting” is nothing new, it just has a name now. According to a recent study: “Quiet Quitters” make up 50% of the US workforce! 32% are disengaged employees and 18% are the type of employees that go on social media and trash talk or display how they hate their employer. Why does “quiet quitting'' happen?

In this episode Sandy lets us know how we can identify these "quiet quitters" and what you should look for before it’s too late. These types of employees will kill your productivity and also drag down your team culture and ultimately hinder your growth. 

As you’re listening to this episode you may start to identify that you MAY have a “quiet quitter”. So listen to this episode to see how you can handle any “quiet quitting” situation.

Confirming appointments is one of the most important things that a scheduler does every single day. Confirming, when done the right way, assures the schedule will stay intact. 

In this episode Sandy breaks down the mistakes we tend to make when we “think” we have confirmed an appointment but in reality, we have not. A lot of the time we tend to send a text or reminder, but the reality is this is doing nothing most of the time. 

Listen in as we discuss the proper systems and protocols to truly confirm an appointment for a better schedule and a productive day.

Sandy was doing a mystery call for a practice and noticed a major issue… the practice didn’t answer her phone call… that’s how this episode came up!

There’s two main things we need to do if we want more new patients in our office.

1. Make sure there are absolutely NO barriers blocking the new patient from reaching you over the phone.
2. Make sure you take away every single barrier that’s stopping the new patient from walking through your door!

In this episode Sandy tells us ways we can improve and elevate our phone skills to ensure that these new patients are not only scheduling, but walking through your door and accepting treatment.

You know that one person who's always missing days, calling in, or maybe they save up time off and leave for a long time. Welp, there’s procedures and systems to prevent that and actually improve all of your employees' attendance! 

In this episode Sandy gives us 5 major steps that will improve attendance and help motivate employees to not miss a day!

1. Sit down with your team and talk about your core values. 
2. Create an attendance policy. 
3. Track when people miss work. 
4. Address these no-shows or last minute cancellations immediately!
5. Reward good behavior. 

Listen in as we dive deeper into each of these steps and provide a game plan!

How can YOUR practice stand out in the crowded online space? In this episode, Michael, Sandy, and Ali dive into proven strategies for enhancing your practice's online presence. Joined by Ali from DocSites, a leader in dental websites and marketing, the conversation reveals how to keep your website fresh and engaging. From showcasing compelling before-and-after photos to ensuring your team and service information is always current, Ali provides actionable tips that can attract new patients and keep your existing ones loyal.

But it doesn't stop at just updating your website. Ali discusses the significant impact online reviews can have on your practice's reputation and offers a glimpse into effective marketing tools like Google Ads and SEO. Even more, this episode introduces a fantastic free web assessment offered by DocSites that can help you pinpoint areas for improvement with your site!

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why keeping your website content updated is essential for patient engagement.
• The importance of showcasing before-and-after photos on your website.
• How online reviews can significantly influence new patient acquisition.
• Effective tools and strategies for dental marketing, including Google Ads and SEO.
• The benefits of a free web assessment offered by DocSites to improve your website.
• How to create and maintain a system for regular updates.

Don’t miss this opportunity to supercharge your practice's online presence—tune in now!

Sponsors:

Do you need a new website or marketing agency? Check out what DocSites can do for you: https://www.DocSites.com/landing-pages/ddb/

You can also reach out to Ali here! ali@DocSites.com

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Tools/Software:

Google Ads

SEO

Cherry Payment Plans

Brands/Businesses:

Invisalign

iTero

SureSmile

Pep Boys

Practices:

Seaside Dentistry

Aspen Dental

Treatment planning starts much earlier than you expect. If you want your treatment acceptance percentage to increase you first have to know what to look for and then implement these specific actions to see results.

Sandy gives us the 10 bulletproof actions steps that will increase your treatment acceptance. One of the first steps is making sure you’re on top of your “Public Relations”. This is something that won’t get you instant results at the beginning but it is something that every practice owner should be thinking about because… your treatment acceptance starts with your reputation!

Listen in to hear the rest of the action steps so that you can increase your treatment acceptance this month!

There's nothing worse than seeing the schedule full the day before, or even the week before, then… once the productive day arrives… the schedule starts falling apart. Why is this happening?! Could it have been prevented?! What is killing this productive day!? A lot of us are unaware of how much productivity is being killed in the practice. Some of us are so used to these killers that we see it as a “norm” when it occurs. Anything that kills your productivity is NOT normal!

In this episode Sandy reveals the 5 most common productivity killers that happen in your practice every week. We discuss them and show you the difference between each one and how some play off of each other if you let it slide or handle it the wrong way. Then Sandy lets us know how we can prevent each of these 5 killers and what systems need to be in place today… to ensure that we are keeping the productivity in our office high.

When you're listening to this episode we want you to think about your accounts receivable balance. We want you to think about how many patients have accepted treatment, have received treatment, maybe only paid a portion of the whole treatment cost or not even a penny... and never came back.

This means the patient has committed premeditated fraud. How did this happen? Why does this continue to happen? How could we prevent this?

Sandy gives us a formula so you can have predictability with each of your patients & a formula on how to ensure your employee who handles your money will be trustworthy.

September has been widely known in dentistry as “Sucktember”. Everything seems to slow down, no shows are high, production is low, and the schedule seems to fall apart insanely fast. In fact, some of you even decide to take September off! DON’T!

In this episode Sandy breaks down the reason why we had a horrible September and how we can prevent “Sucktember '' from happening by doing these 5 steps today! The sooner you do it the better, and not only will this prevent your production from slowing down but it will also provide you with a “Rocktober” (Rocking October).

Key takeaways from this episode:

1. What do patients that "no-show" have in common.

2. Every practice needs an "appointment wrap up" process.

3. What to ask a patient in regards to following up with them.

4. What's the best script for confirmation calls.

5. What to do when presenting treatment plans to ensure a second visit.

We know how convenient it is to have your employee order supplies for you, deal with credit checks, and even order things on Amazon for you and handle any returns… but you need to be more aware of it. Why? 

Well, Sandy received a call about a situation the other day. And this isn’t the first instance an office has called her to see how they should handle it. This is common. The Office Manager had been using the practice’s Amazon account  to make purchases for her own birthday party, Christmas, etc. 

Sandy gives us 3 systems that most employees use to steal or establish fraud and she gives us the systems to prevent this. In our practice and in life, we want certainty, we want predictability, so it’s crucial you know what is going on in your practice and not depend solely on your employees' words.

When it comes down to it, there's basically two reasons why patients don’t pay: the first is dishonest patients, and Sandy gives us a breakdown on how to stop these type of patients to save us any headaches.

The second, and probably most important reason is: patients can get mad or upset with a situation. Your team can make patients mad or the patients can misunderstand and perceive something wrong. Patients who are mad or upset won’t pay. And when you initiate the collection procedure against the angry patient it gets them even more upset! So what can you do? Well, Sandy lets us know that when you deal with people it’s important to have really good people skills. Something we need to keep in mind is to communicate and acknowledge the patient and what they are saying. 

Sandy goes much further into detail on how we can handle upset patients who don’t want to pay and she gives us a script on what to say to find a patient's problem that will get them to pay!

Overall, when it comes to excelling at customer service, we need to build more and better relationships with our patients. Remember that our patients have a choice, they can either choose to continue to come to you, or move on at any moment. They can get their teeth cleaned and get turned off so fast or be highly impressed to the point they want to bring everyone they know to you. That’s the difference between average and exceptional customer service. 

In this episode Sandy tells us 10 strategies we need to be thinking about weekly, if not daily, to make sure we are providing exceptional customer service. There's 1.6 million people changing dentists…every month! Make sure you are one of the dentists that patients love and feel acknowledged and valued at. That is something you will notice fast about the first two strategies, how acknowledging your patient is crucial.

Listen to this episode and make sure you write down the 10 strategies somewhere visible, where your team can see it so they can use it as a checklist or reminder to apply these strategies daily.

If you’ve followed a recipe before, then you’ve followed a system. In this episode Sandy gives you the recipes to make sure you have a successful practice BEFORE you open your doors to the public. There are about 42 systems every single practice needs to have in place and Sandy discusses and dives deeper into each of them.

Now just having these systems is not enough, Sandy discusses how being consistent with them is crucial for success. Consistent action gives you predictability. These are the systems that her 2 million dollar solo practice’s implement and practice consistently. She discusses the systems we tend to leave out and the systems we make major mistakes on as well.

When does a day need to be saved?

When you’re not meeting your daily goals (which you should set daily goals). You can determine if you’re reaching your goal or not by mid-day. If you notice around the middle of the day, that you are behind or REAL far behind with your daily goals, then this episode will help you to apply strategies to reach those goals!

Sandy lets us know how there are so many missed opportunities because we are not looking or listening. Therefore she gives us 5 specific opportunities we need to look for (which you WILL find during the day) that will push you and your team through the finish line! From this point on, there shouldn’t be a reason for your team to not reach their daily goals.

Are you unsure about how consulting might help your dental practice? In this episode, Michael and Sandy dive deep into the transformative power of consulting versus coaching in the dental world. They clarify that while coaching hones the personal development of your team, consulting zeros in on your business's heartbeat—its systems, organization, and overall operational efficiency. From reducing stress to improving overall practice productivity, they paint a vivid picture of how the right consultant can turn a chaotic office into a well-oiled machine.

Sandy shares invaluable tips on choosing the right consultant, stressing the importance of experience, and steering clear of advice from inexperienced sources or online hearsay. They candidly discuss common challenges and misconceptions team members have about consulting, and provide practical advice for seamlessly introducing a consultant to your team. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand how consultants can provide ongoing support well beyond mere initial implementation, and why viewing them as temporary "training wheels" can eventually lead your practice to smooth, independent operation. Don't forget to check out Classic Practice Resources and join the conversation in the Dental Gumbo Facebook group!

• The crucial differences between consulting and coaching for dental practices.
• How consultants can help improve systems, organization, and reduce practitioner stress.
• Why experience is key when selecting a consultant and red flags to watch for.
• Common team challenges and misconceptions about working with consultants.
• Tangible benefits of consulting, like increased productivity and better team training.
• Practical tips for effectively introducing a consultant to your team.
• Insights into Classic Practice Resources’ approach to consulting, including ongoing support.

Ready to transform your practice with an effective consultant? Tune in to get all the details!

Sponsors:

Do you need a new website or marketing agency? Check out what Docsites can do for you: https://www.docsites.com/landing-pages/ddb/

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Dentaltown

Front Desk Pro - August 23, 2024 Boston, Massachusetts

Front Desk Pro - November 15, 2024 New Orleans, Louisiana

Tools/Software:

Zoom

People:

Howard Farran

Gordon Christensen

Brands:

Taco Bell

Burger King

Fortune 500

Wataburger

In this episode we take on questions that you (our listeners) have for us! 

We answer these specific questions:

"I have a couple questions about 'The 4 Departments Every Front Office Needs.' When you say 1-18 people one person can run the front and then 19 you would have 2 people and then 32 you would have 3, does this include the office manager or would that be in addition to the OM? We have 4 days a week with 1 doctor and 2 full time hygienists and we have 1 day with 2 doctors and 2 full time hygienists. I have another question. I know you talk about checklists to hold people accountable. Do you recommend every person on the team have their own checklist?"

"What is the best way to prevent hygiene no shows?"

Is your A/R out of order?! Have you ever overcharged a patient for treatment, perhaps their insurance company covered for more than what was initially stated, so now your patient has credit? What do you do with that credit? Some practices let that credit accumulate. Some may even feel like they can keep it. You can’t and Sandy let’s us know why.

This is a hidden topic that not many practice owners talk about, but exists and can really set you back if you are not careful. Therefore it must be addressed! This is especially helpful if you are looking to buy or acquire a practice. Make sure you check the A/R reports and see if there are any patient credits.

In this episode Sandy gives us a system on how to minimize patient refunds. She also lets us know how to slowly start chipping away at it (if we have accumulated a large sum of patient credit). We discuss the script you must tell the patient, how to handle these situations, and who to let know in the practice and who should NOT be aware in your team.

Confirming patients for their appointment is one of the most important things your front office can do. It’s not an afterthought and it’s definitely not something you just call and wing. You need a recipe for this. Systems are a recipe.

When it comes to patient confirmations, it’s all about having good control.You need to decide how protocols should be approached and then analyze and see that your protocol/ system is producing the best results. So this leads to the ultimate question: is your confirmation process producing the best results?

In this episode Sandy breaks down this process and creates a system for us that has 7 main points, so this is going to be an episode where you really want to take notes! She also lets us know some bonus points and verbage we need to have when writing confirmations, texting confirmations, and calling for confirmations.

The hardest part of practice ownership is the relationships, the people in our practice. In this episode Sandy helps us to understand and know how we can master these relationships.

There’s a few basic steps that most practice owners and people in general tend to overlook. One of the first steps is to hire the right people, acknowledge our employees when they do something good, recognize when things are not going well, and then learn to quickly handle the situation by confronting the person. This is just part of one step!

This means that systems and protocols must be in place, in order to  handle and create better relationships with people in your practice. We dive into more of this in this episode and reveal more steps with detail and instructions on how to implement them.

Sometimes new practice owners want to outsource insurance verification, billing, phones, and more… but is it really necessary?

In this episode Sandy Pardue lets us know the exact math and patients you must have in order to officially outsource or become more efficient in your practice. First, every single practice owner needs to know their overhead and understand that your “team” overhead is your largest percentage. Most practices get in trouble when they overpay their people/ team. This could happen due to outsourcing inappropriately. 

We discuss the only absolute times you MUST outsource, what would be ridiculous to outsource, and what needs to always stay in-house and how to make it all happen.

What if you are extremely fed up with an employee and you’re thinking “that’s it! I’m going to fire this person”. How should you do it? When is the best time and day to do this? Who should be there? What should you say?

In this episode Sandy breaks down the important steps you need to take before, during, and after firing an individual in your team who just isn’t performing the way you need them to. Something you MUST understand is that the individual you are intending to fire should NEVER be shocked or surprised that they are being let go. Sandy dives deeper on this and explains how “write-ups” prime you to fire someone which becomes easier to do in the long run.

We discuss specific examples and talk about tools you can utilize to help you with all of this.

If you’re not feeling the effects of inflation now, you will be in a couple of months! Save this episode because it will teach you how to “inflation proof” your practice!

Sandy Pardue lets us know about 10 specific steps we need to take in order to get lean and mean and control our practice through anything. The first step is: KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. You need to be hungry for your overhead percentage numbers at the beginning of the month, don’t just leave them to your accountant/ bookkeeper. Knowing your numbers are statistics in your practice, and statistics are meant for you to know where to make adjustments.

Listen in to hear the next steps and how to immediately implement them into your practice.

The reason most treatment plans fail is because we ignore objections

In this episode Sandy breaks down for us the 7 most common objections patients will give you and your team for not accepting treatment or going with treatment right away.

We figure out the psychology and thinking behind these objections and she lets us know the proper steps to take and what to say to overcome every single one of these objections. 

If you have had bad experiences with bonuses, that's probably because you or whoever implemented it, has put in the wrong type of bonuses for your team.

In this episode Sandy lets us know the best kind of bonus you can implement for your team and your hygienist. She breaks down where you are going to find the money for appropriate bonuses, the percentages, the one to implement first, how to divide it amongst your team, and to keep your team motivated.

We also discuss what you can do to "penalize" that one team member who probably would abuse a team bonus.

Does this sound familiar:

“We’ve had a lot of cancellations and I don’t want to pay my hygienist during down time”

Some of you may lean towards doing this. In fact, the hygienist may HATE this so your hygienist has to look or act busy so you won't deduct their pay.

Do NOT do this anymore! Your hygienist AND you (the practice owner) deserve a full schedule always. 

In this episode Sandy Pardue tells us exactly how to do this. Remember, hygienists want to see patients and they want a full schedule! It’s the practice that doesn’t put enough pressure, enough urgency, on the front office to fill that schedule.

What pitfalls are most common in dental practices? In this episode, Michael and Sandy unpack the challenges and strategies that can make all the difference. From mastering efficient systems to ensuring your team remains accountable, Sandy's insights will steer you away from common pitfalls like the notorious slow periods in August and September. With a focus on tracking crucial metrics and recognizing trends, this conversation is packed with actionable advice for keeping your practice bustling year-round.

But that’s not all—Sandy emphasizes the irreplaceable value of proactive communication and patient follow-up. Discover effective techniques for team training, how to maintain a dependable system for patient retention, and the best ways to handle unscheduled treatment follow-ups. As the episode wraps up, Sandy shares her upcoming seminars dedicated to continuous learning and improvement, inviting you to further your practice management skills.

• How to maintain efficient systems in a dental practice.
• Strategies for retaining patients and ensuring team accountability.
• The importance of tracking numbers and understanding trends.
• How to prevent and manage slow periods, specifically in August and September.
• Best practices for proactive communication and patient follow-up.
• Effective methods for team training and development.
• Systems for patient retention and handling unscheduled treatments.

Dive into this episode now to find out what common pitfalls your practice needs to avoid!

Sponsors:

Do you need a new website or marketing agency? Check out what Docsites can do for you: https://www.docsites.com/landing-pages/ddb/

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Dentaltown

Events:

Front Desk Pro - August 23, 2024 Boston, Massachusetts

Front Desk Pro - November 15, 2024 New Orleans, Louisiana

Places:

Disneyland

Software/Tools:

Yapi

Demandforce

Flex

Excel

thedentaldashboard.com

Stats:

2024 Dental Industry Annual Benchmark Study (Henry Schein One Report)

Are you wasting your marketing dollars? Let’s face it, you are if you are either missing phone calls or letting new patient opportunities go through the phone.

In this episode Sandy lets you know exactly what barriers are coming up when it comes to answering the phone when a new patient calls and how we can break these barriers. She gives us 6 steps on how every single phone call should go. We also discuss what to say if someone asks “do you take my insurance” and what we should NOT be saying.

Sandy also gives us a bonus step towards the end!

Cross training can be beneficial… but only for a short, and we mean a very short period of time. There are about 6 major cons that cross training will produce in your practice. However, if you MUST cross train an employee than there are about 4 pros to cross training.

Sandy breaks down each individual pros and cons and the consequences that this can lead up to. We also clarify how some of this information HIGHLY depends on the stage of your practice (are you JUST starting out, open for many years, etc). 

We also discuss what to do if an employee is sick and someone needs to fill in for her position but just for a couple of days.

When we have no specific departments and roles than we have less accountability (almost none) and that creates a ton of inefficiencies. You don’t just want to throw up anyone at the front and hope your other front office shares their duties. You want to specifically give them departments.

In this episode Sandy shares with us exactly which person should be in which department based on their personality. She also lets us know which departments should work closer together than others, when is it time to add another team member on your team, and how you should monitor each team member.

We also discuss what to do if you only have 1 person in the front doing everything and how these departments will fit in.

If you're not even aware of your treatment closing percentages... then that's the first thing you need to know TODAY!

Sandy Pardue breaks down the whole process on how we can get more "YES" from our patients. She gives us real life examples, steps, scripts, who is responsible for this on our team, and even deep quotes!

We also discuss what to do if someone says "NO".

Why does embezzlement happen and how does it begin? Most importantly, how can we catch it early or even prevent it from ever happening?!

In this episode Sandy breaks down the steps and systems we need to implement so that we can prevent any employee stealing from the practice.

We also discuss real life stories where Sandy discovered embezzlement and how they decided to handle it. We discuss the most common form/ type of embezzlement, the different forms, what to do if you catch an employee stealing, and more.

Do you feel like your best efforts are being undermined?  Do yu have someone in your team who is always going to you and complaining about others, pushing back on changes, procrastinating or coming up with excuses of why things are not done... but they are super nice about it all in front of you?

Sandy Pardue gives us 5 signs that show you have a "Sweet Saboteur" in your practice, someone who is almost toxic to your team, and she lets us know how to either change their behavior or get them out ASAP!

We also discuss how to clean up a toxic work environment and how often should we evaluate our team to make sure everyone is content and happy.

Revenue - Expenses = PROFITS!

Do you ever feel like you worked so hard and then you look at your income or your profits and feel like you are barely making it?! Like you're bringing in less money than you should be bringing home?

In this episode we are covering just that! We are diving into your revenue and expenses and figuring out where profits are slipping through the cracks.

Sandy breaks it down for us and lets us know the 3 most important things you need to look out for in order to make sure you are maximizing your time, productions & collections, and your team's efforts in order to increase profits.

Staff meetings should be an orderly, productive, and uplifting meeting. One of the ultimate goals with every meeting is to have unity.

Sandy Pardue breaks down exactly how our staff meetings should go in order for them to not only be productive, but to get us closer to our goals (better unity in your team, more collections, more profit). 

We discuss how long team meetings should be, the difference between morning huddles and these meetings, how often you should hold them, and what exactly needs to be covered and said.

No one loves being a micromanager.

In this episode Sandy Pardue breaks down exactly why someone starts micromanaging, 4 action steps you must take today to stop the micromanaging process, and how to improve you trust in the work your employees are doing.

We also talk to the team members who want to let their boss know that they feel micromanaged. Sandy lets the team members know exactly how to bring this up to your boss and communicate to them so that it can stop.

If you are asking yourself if "morning huddles" are worth it, then you're probably doing them all wrong.

Sandy Pardue breaks down exactly how a "morning huddle" should run.

We discuss how long it should be, who needs to start it, what the doctor needs to do, who should be involved, what exactly needs to be discussed, what to do if someone is late to the huddle, and more!

Remember, morning huddles are necessary to keep you in control and on track with your goals.

How can your practice ensure a seamless and enjoyable patient experience from start to finish? In this episode, Michael and Sandy delve into the critical role of effective communication and smooth handoffs in transforming dental visits into positive experiences. They unravel the nuances of ensuring clear, empathetic communication at every touchpoint during the patient's journey, especially during transitions between different stages of their appointments. The conversation is packed with actionable insights on implementing structured handoffs, involving patients in the process, and the importance of using plain language.

Empowering your dental team with tools like detailed scripts and role-playing exercises can dramatically improve patient interactions and build a patient-centered culture. By fostering an environment of empathy, understanding, and clear follow-up communication, practices can elevate their service and retain more patients.

• The impact of clear and empathetic communication on patient experience
• How to involve patients in their care transition process
• Techniques for structuring handoffs within the dental team
• Importance of avoiding technical jargon with patients
• Strategies to validate patient experiences and build trust
• How to ensure clear and effective follow-up on treatments and appointments
• The role of role-playing in refining team communication skills
• Tips for creating a patient-centered culture in the dental office

Don't miss this episode to transform your patient's dental experience from routine to remarkable!

Sponsors:

Do you need a new website or marketing agency? Check out what Docsites can do for you: https://www.docsites.com/landing-pages/ddb/

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Events:

Front Desk Pro - November 15, 2024 New Orleans, Louisiana

There is a benefit to being transparent with your team. When you share with your team then they feel more engaged and they also feel more trusted, but how far should you go with transparency of the business?

Sandy Pardue fills us in on what we should share with our teams, what should specific team members know and focus on, and what we should ALWAYS keep private.

We also discuss how to set good supply numbers, production/ collection numbers, payroll percentages, and what each position/ team member should be tracking.

Have you ever wondered what your team really thinks of you as a leader? If not, you should.

Sandy Pardue talks to us exactly how we can become a better leader for our employees.

She also lets us know how we can become friends with our team members but still keep that high level of respect that you need.

We also discuss what should we do if you are short staffed and you decide to delegate even MORE responsibilities to a team member, how you should delegate this and what you can do for the team member so that they don't burn out.

Not every single re-care appointment will show up exactly when they are supposed to. This sucks because it also leads you to try and market more for new patients. So step back a bit and build a system to improve your reactivation process.

In this episode Sandy Pardue gives us a proven system that will drastically improve your reactivation process.

Two things you want to do:

1. Look right now at your analytics/ software and see how many existing patients in your practice need a cleaning... today!

2. Listen to the podcast to hear what number 2 is (;

This is a proven system that will bring back 9-19% of existing patients who need a cleaning or more!