Advice to the Front Desk – Answer phone calls promptly. Allowing parents to wait on the phone creates an immediate impression of the practice—a bad one. Calls that are not answered quickly suggest a …

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Maintain on-time debonds. Offices should aim for a goal of no more than 2% of patients who are overdue for debonding. Make sure patients and parents are rescheduled when their check appointments are …

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Advice for the Orthodontist – Behave like a CEO every day. As the practice leader, you can have a profound, positive effect on team members if you: Come to the office energized Greet team members …

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Step up… when you see an opportunity. Some days, if a team member is absent or simply overwhelmed, consider pitching in and performing other activities. A good attitude can help everyone get through a …

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Learn from dissatisfied parents and patients. Sometimes, even under the best circumstances, parents and patients become unhappy. Remember that a problem is an opportunity to improve performance. When …

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Advice for the Team – Protect the orthodontist’s time. As the main producer in the practice, the doctor needs to remain focused on patient care. As a team member, you can help the orthodontist keep …

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Look for ways to reduce spending. Periodically, review what your ortho practice is spending compared with what’s budgeted. Look not only for deviations but also for line items that can be reduced or …

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Advice for the Orthodontist – Keep the lines of communication open. Every six months, have an informal conversation with each team member about where she is on her career path. Where does the …

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Build value for the check appointment. This is the single most effective way to eliminate the problem of no-shows. Parents who appreciate the value of appointments are far less likely to allow their …

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Recognize the efforts of your co-workers. We all appreciate it when people notice our efforts and make positive comments about our performance. Even a simple “thank you” will make your teammates feel …

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Ask parents of new patients how they heard about your practice. Once parents and patients have been welcomed, find out what made them choose your practice. A simple question like, “Who can we thank …

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Advice for the Treatment Coordinator (TC) – Support the orthodontist. In a changing economy, one of the main jobs of the TC is to transfer trust to the doctor. This is accomplished through excellent …

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