Build a Winning Team
What's the most important element to a successful dental practice? How can you keep your patients coming back time and time again? There are many variables, obviously, including the skill of the doctor, the location of the office, cost management, and much more. But believe that the single most important factor in determining the success or failure of a practice is the competence and dedication of the staff. Your employees are the first faces visible to patients each time they enter your practice. Your employees are responsible for managing nearly every phase of the patient experience, starting with scheduling a visit and not concluding until they've bid the patient farewell. Skilled and dedicated employees will keep your patients happy, your office organized, and your systems running smoothly. So how can you build a winning team? Below are three tips to keep in mind:
1) Don't hire haphazardly. As a practice manager, you're busy. I understand that. Unfortunately, many managers use their hectic schedule as an excuse to quickly hire the first qualified candidate they can find whenever a job opens up. It's an easy mistake to make—after all, the longer it takes you to make a hire, the harder your life is in the meantime. But in the long run, taking your time to thoroughly interview and research many candidates will save you time and money. Finding a good match for your open position will mean that you don't have to continually hire and train replacements—a process that is time consuming and costly. Take your time and do your due diligence—you won't regret it.
2) Go deeper than the resume. Let's say you're hiring someone to work at the front desk and you've got a pile of resumes on your desk. The typical approach is to select the most impressive resume, bring the applicant in for an interview, and more often than not give him or her the job. Unfortunately, a resume can be misleading. So go deeper. Ask the applicant to recount a situation in which he or she dealt with an unhappy customer. Ask the applicant to describe their approach to organization. By asking specific questions, you'll get a feel for how the prospective employee will deal with real-life situations that will occur once you've made the hire.
3) Emphasize and develop teamwork. Every employer talks about the importance of teamwork. If you want to truly build a winning team, you need to do more than talk about it. Schedule quarterly events outside of work and get to know each other on a personal level. Take an interest in the lives of your employees, and encourage them to do the same with each other. And keep everyone engaged by regularly asking for their input and advice when challenges arise. Even if you ultimately make a different decision, simply seeking advice from an employee makes them feel like a valued part of the team.
Building a tight-knit team of dedicated employees takes time and effort. But once you've built a strong team, you'll be able to reap the benefits for years to come. Keep these tips in mind as you start to put together your winning team.
About the Author
Dr. David Schwab is an internationally known seminar speaker and practice management consultant who works extensively with dental professionals. He has previously served as Director of Marketing for the American Dental Association and as Executive Director of the American College of Prosthodontists. Learn more at http://www.DavidSchwab.com
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here