To run a successful dental office and to provide high-quality care to your patients, you have to have great dental office communication.
Improving communication within your dental team is an ongoing process, that takes time and effort to make changes when necessary that will make everything flow more smoothly.
If there is not good communication within your dental office, then your dental team will not work well together, and there will be a big disconnect between your front office personnel, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dentists.
With the right tools and procedures in place for your dental staff to utilize and follow, you can have communication within your dental office that is effective and efficient.
Here is how to improve your dental office communication, so that you can provide high-quality patient care and run a successful dental office.
Clearly Communicate Your Company Goals
Clearly communicating your company goals is something that you should start doing as early as each job interview, so that everyone hired into your dental office knows what your company stands for.
Your mission statement and your vision statement should be understood by each employee, and you should remind them of them often so they are not forgotten.
The goals of your company should also be clearly discussed often, so that your employees always know what their focus should be on while they are at work.
This will help your dental office to run smoothly, and will allow your dental team to all work together to reach these goals on a daily basis.
Praise Employees for Good Work
Employees always have more trust for their managers and more love for the company’s they work for when they feel like their good work is noticed.
Praising your employees for their good work and for their initiative is a great way to make your dental team feel respected and appreciated, which will make them feel happy to be working for you.
If they trust you and feel appreciated by you, they will be more likely to communicate their thoughts and feelings with you.
This will lead to better dental office communication as you build strong relationships within your dental team, and make them feel valued.
Hold a Morning Meeting Everyday
Holding a morning meeting everyday gives you the opportunity to get everyone on the same page before the day starts, even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes long.
You can inform your team about any changing information they need to know about, so that nothing is left behind or will be misunderstood during the work day.
Make sure that everyone knows their responsibilities for the day, and what needs to be completed before the work day is over.
Morning meetings also give you a period of time where you can have an active discussion about your dental office, so that you can figure out what is working and what isn’t.
Give each employee the opportunity to speak about their thoughts, feelings, and concerns, and address anything that needs to be figured out.
Focus on One-On-One Communication
In addition to holding morning meetings everyday with your entire dental staff, make sure that you focus on one-on-one communication everyday as well.
Take time out of every day to speak with each of your employees personally, so that they can ask any questions they may have or talk about any concerns or thoughts they might have on their mind.
When you speak to each employee individually, make sure that you also try to connect with them on a personal level as well. This can help to build trust with them, and will give you the opportunity to learn more about their personal lives, interests, and hobbies.
Utilize Repetition
When you implement a new process or procedure, don’t just explain it to your dental team once and never bring it up again.
It is important to explain it a few times during team meetings, so that it is fully understood by each employee.
Check up on each individual as well to see how things are going, and if they have any questions or concerns about the new process or procedure and address it immediately.
Repetition allows communication to improve, and allows for better understanding of things that are happening within your dental office.
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