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Dental Practice Management Articles The Three Cs: Consistency, Communication & Care Written by: LeeAnn Shipowick © Copyright. ADEI. All rights reserved. |
Earlier this Spring, Anita Jupp and I gave our case acceptance course in Calgary. We had a really wonderful group there who came with expectations to learn and to get better at what they do. We had a mix of people; those who were new to dentistry and others who had been in the field for quite some time. Each of them were there anticipating something tangible to take away that would improve what they do and how they do it. It occurred to me how much we invest in our work place with our time. What is it that sets us apart from being good to being great? Well I would say that it's the three C's: Consistency, Communication, and Care.
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Consistency: We have to use systems, checklists, and follow protocols all the time, not just some of the time. It's not good enough to do these tasks only when you have the time. For example, if the dentist has set x-ray and intraoral camera picture protocols, then we need to follow them all of the time, not just sometimes. How would we feel if the dentist only paid us when he had the time to write our paycheques? We wouldn't stand for it yet we sometimes settle for inconsistency and let ourselves off the hook using, "I didn't have enough time" as an excuse. What if the business team put data in the computer only some of the time? It would be disastrous! It is also disastrous in a business to allow patients' convenience to affect our collections policy. Protocol must be that we collect payment from patients at the time of their appointment. Consistency is the key to successful business systems. It is imperative that every team member takes the time to do all of their tasks - all of the time. Take the time and be consistent!
Communication: How we communicate with our patients is key to case acceptance levels. Understanding personalities, not pre-judging, and using strong descriptive picture words is how we attain ultimate case acceptance. Ask - listen - close. Communication is a learned skill.
Care: Our focus should be patient care, consistency with our tasks and caring for our teammates. Do not stop caring; be engaged, keep your head in the game, and continue to bring your best to the practice. Infuse energy and knowledge into your work by continuing education, coaching, and reading. Acknowledgement and rewarding of tasks done well is key to enthusiasm and team engagement. Simple phrases and questions such as, "Hey we did good today!" and "What did we do well and what would we change?" help us make improvements in our workplace.