We Got Skills! AADOM members share the most important skills to improve in 2023
Let’s face it – office managers are the Jill-of-all-trades in their office. A swiss-army knife that can manage everything from teams, schedules and marketing to putting out fires from customers, billing and building maintenance.
In a panel webinar…Click to open link in a new tab… featuring DAADOM members Debbie Evans, Practice Administrator of the Year – 2020 and Vice President of Wainright & Wassel DDS, as well as Teresa Spence, Practice Administrator of the Year – 2021 from the Amelia Dental Group, they identified the key skills needed for dental office managers to thrive in the dynamic and fast-changing environment of 2023. Among the crucial skills mentioned were; effective communication, organizational prowess, patient experience, and time management.
Effective Communication: The Heart of the Operation
In the 1998 classic movie, Rush Hour, Chris Tucker – shouts at Jackie Chan “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” As office managers, you are having vital conversations every day, continuously striving to bring everybody on the same page. Both Debbie and Teresa emphasized the pivotal role of effective communication. “One of the biggest skills office managers need is effective communication,” Teresa noted. Office managers must convey the practice’s values, understand patients’ needs, and maintain open channels of communication, ensuring everyone is on the same page in order to be successful.
Debbie echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of patient communication and making patients feel welcome and valued. “We want them as lifelong patients,” she emphasized,
explaining that each patient’s worth goes beyond a single visit. In fact, her office values each patient at $50,000 over the course of their care. This focus on personalized communication fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty, making patients more likely to recommend the practice to others.
Organizational Mastery: Keeping the Ship on Course
In one of my favorite movies (yes another movie quote), Groundhog Day, Phil Connors carefully plans the perfect date. Rita is so surprised she says “You couldn’t have planned a day like this.” To which Phil, who has been reliving the same day over and over, replies “Well, you can. It just takes an awful lot of work”. Office managers must be masters of organization, meticulously planning each day’s tasks to keep the office running smoothly. Sometimes it does feel like a repeating day, just like the movie.
Debbie shared her daily ritual of creating a task list, dividing it into manageable increments, ensuring nothing is overlooked. Teresa added that having systems in place is a game-changer. Systems and processes help ensure that routine tasks are handled efficiently, allowing the office manager to focus on critical aspects of patient care and practice management. Teresa stressed the importance of simple and effective systems that work both for you and for the team.
Time Management: The Art of Balancing Tasks
As Debbie jokes, if you want something done, give it to someone busy. Office Managers need to learn how to be effective and manage their time well. Balancing the myriad tasks of a dental office manager can be daunting, especially when working with a small team or handling multiple roles. Both panelists shared valuable insights into effective time management. Teresa advised using systems and processes to automate tasks, allowing more time for patient interaction. She highlighted the use of technology, such as Weave’s software…Click to open link in a new tab…, which helps streamline processes like appointment confirmations, freeing up time for more essential activities.
Debbie added that setting aside dedicated periods for specific tasks can improve productivity. She suggested leveraging quiet moments, like staying late when the office is closed, to tackle paperwork or catch up on tasks without interruptions.
When you find better processes and systems to help you when you are busy, the annoyance of daily tasks and interruptions fade. You are better able to focus on patients, without making it feel like an inconvenience to you or the patient. Unless of course you take George Costanza’s strategy from the popular show, Seinfeld, when he says, “When you look annoyed all the time, people think that you’re busy.”
Weave: Empowering Office Managers
Weave’s software emerged as a valuable tool for dental office managers, streamlining tasks and eliminating tedious manual work. Features such as text messaging…Click to open link in a new tab… for patient communication, text-to-pay functionality…Click to open link in a new tab…, and soft phones…Click to open link in a new tab… for remote staff enable office managers to be more efficient and effective. By automating routine processes, Weave’s software empowers office managers to focus on what truly matters—the patient experience.
In conclusion, the skills and attributes discussed by Debbie Evans and Teresa Spence—effective communication, organizational prowess, patient experience, and time management—are the cornerstones of successful dental office management in 2023. By embracing these skills and leveraging advanced tools like Weave’s software, dental office managers can not only survive but thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of modern dentistry.
See how Weave helps Office Managers turn their To-do list into a To-done list. Click here to schedule a demo today…Click to open link in a new tab…!
