Brittany Allen is an accomplished business director passionate about creativity and leadership. Holding an MBA (and Interior Design degree) from Baylor University, she works alongside her husband to manage a thriving multi-location private practice in East Texas. With a keen eye for detail and a strategic business mindset, she helps lead their practice to new heights while ensuring their mission of excellent leadership in both the office and the community is always at the forefront. Brittany enjoys traveling, playing mahjong, and hanging out with her family and cats in her free time.
For more content by and for dental office managers, visit AADOM at https://www.dentalmanagers.com.
About three years ago, I recognized the need for improved communication between myself and my managers across our three locations. With each practice operating independently, staying informed about their individual challenges and successes became increasingly complex. I implemented weekly check-ins with each manager to create a structured and consistent dialogue to address this.
The Need to Enhance Communication and Collaboration
I developed a comprehensive form that outlines key topics necessary for discussion during our meetings. This form guides our conversations and helps my managers understand the critical information and how I approach various issues. By having this sheet readily accessible, they can jot down relevant topics and insights throughout the week, ensuring our designated time together is productive.
Our scorecard has evolved, incorporating feedback and new focus areas to keep it relevant. This structured approach has significantly enhanced the quality of our communication, allowing for a clearer exchange of ideas and concerns. As a result, we are more aligned as a team and better positioned to tackle challenges collaboratively and celebrate our achievements effectively.
1: Evaluate a Meeting Structure for Improved Collaboration
We initiated a series of virtual weekly meetings that simultaneously brought together team members from all three locations. This approach was designed to maximize efficiency by eliminating the need for three separate sessions, thus making the best use of my time. However, we faced a significant challenge: scheduling these discussions during lunch while attempting to address a wide array of topics within a limited time frame.
While each office faced unique challenges, discussing these issues could provide valuable insights and enhance team collaboration. Despite these potential benefits, time constraints often hinder our ability to fully delve into everyone's agenda. As a result, we frequently found ourselves rushing through the list of topics, which meant that at least one office would inevitably not receive the attention it deserved. This led to situations where an office felt sidelined, spending the entire hour primarily as passive listeners rather than actively contributing to the discussion. The outcome prompted me to reconsider our meeting format to ensure a more equitable distribution of time and attention among all participants.
When taking this first step, consider noting the most important attributes of your meeting needs, including constraints and objectives. Also, go into this process being flexible and open to change. Your first attempt may not be perfect, but do not be afraid to pivot and adjust.
2: Refine the Meetings for Better Performance
After careful consideration, we determined that each office should have its own meeting hours, allowing for a more focused discussion tailored to the unique needs of each location. We made it a point to include the doctors in these weekly meetings, recognizing their valuable insights and perspectives on both patient care and the operational aspects of the practice. Our approach encouraged the doctors to take on more managerial responsibilities, blending their clinical expertise with leadership tasks to enhance overall efficiency. However, despite these improvements in communication, we found that our conversations did not consistently focus on key performance indicators (KPIs), which are crucial for measuring our success and identifying areas for further improvement.
The relationship and collaboration between the office manager and the doctor is critical to the practice's success. Strive to unify these two departments, so they operate cooperatively. Although one cannot function without the other, understanding the collaborative functions is vital to true success in a dental practice. The business of dentistry these days cannot be solely led by a dentist or an office manager. The secret recipe is a mix of the clinical and business world.
3: Revise Office Performance Through Improved Metrics and Tools
As we approached the start of 2024, I took the initiative to reformat our weekly check-in form to capture the key metrics that drive our office's performance. This revision allowed us to clearly understand our monthly progress, evaluate our weekly outcomes, and identify specific areas where we could enhance our efforts in the current week. By integrating these crucial numbers into our weekly discussions, we have fostered greater accountability and consistently improved our ability to meet our goals.
To further streamline our tracking process, we utilize Dental Intelligence. Their platform also offers a unique scorecard format that adds an engaging element to our data analysis. Although we do not use their scorecard ourselves, I suggest exploring this option to visualize and pinpoint aspects where you need to focus.
You can track your metrics, whether it's an app, a spreadsheet, or a manual form, however you are comfortable with. Review these numbers and strategically evaluate what might be happening. Do not just record, report, and forget. The improvement will occur when you take action on these numbers.
4: Upgrade Performance Tracking
Our current scorecard is now effectively monitored through the Ninety app, which we adopted after starting our collaboration with an EOS implementer in September 2024. This transition has proven beneficial, as we have developed multiple scorecards tailored to various areas of our practice, allowing us to assess performance more comprehensively.
One notable feature of the Ninety app is its capability to enable side-by-side comparisons of our metrics across several weeks. This streamlined format simplifies our data tracking, making it easier to visualize trends and progress. However, it's worth noting that this simplicity comes at a cost; the app does not capture the full spectrum of information we have become accustomed to and value in our traditional reporting methods.
To bridge this gap, we print out the scorecard and take the time to jot down our insights and observations as necessary. Since the habit of what to discuss was created earlier, it has been an easy transition. So far, we have found this combined method effective; we maintain our performance and promptly address issues as they arise. Our team is adapting well to this new system, and we are optimistic about the continued improvements it will bring to our practice.
While striving for improvement is always commendable, navigating the ever-evolving landscape of technology can be a challenge in its own right. It is often tempting to chase after the latest advancements, but it's wise to consider upgrades only when you feel your current system has reached a plateau in performance. If your existing setup is no longer meeting your needs or you sense it could be functioning more effectively, that is the right moment to contemplate an upgrade. Taking this measured approach ensures you invest in enhancements that genuinely add value and avoid unnecessary disruptions.
Embrace Flexibility in Customizing Your Scorecard
While the scorecard may never be flawless, I encourage you to embark on the process and adjust as necessary. Assess your specific requirements and identify areas where customization is essential. This might involve modifying specific metrics, adjusting the frequency of evaluations, or incorporating additional feedback mechanisms. Remember, creating a system that provides valuable insights and aligns with your unique objectives is the goal. Embrace the flexibility of the process, and do not hesitate to adjust as you learn more about what works best for you.
Let this scorecard serve as a gateway to improved communication about what is truly happening in your practice. Use it as a gauge for change and a mechanism for improvement. With your finger on the weekly pulse, you are guaranteed to see positive change in numbers, communication, and collaboration.
