Question:

There was and is a lack of management and direction in the front office. So I am looking to help them create more structure and be more systematic. How can this be done?

Answer: Our team members today are very different than in the past. They are very diverse in many ways as we have Gen X’s and now Gen Y’s and still many Millenials. Many are well educated and understand the digital age we live in and work well together, while some still have challenges. While we face new challenges in our current climate and with different generations, etc., the success of our team members still relies on a core set of basics for success and structure. Although our teams face an ever growing set of challenges, there are a few key factors that managers can focus on to help their teams succeed.

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The first key to creating a great team is having a shared mindset. Helping them understand your WHY, their WHY and the overall practice WHY will help create engaged and inspired teams that will help them and you reach your goals. Once they understand the why behind the goals, they will care more about it, whether it’s for increased pay or promotion or a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, high performing teams have team members with a balance of skills, so teams need to have set structure for continual training and cross-training. Providing the team with the proper support will enable the teams efficiency and effectiveness. Teams need access to the tools to perform their specific job duties, a training platform for learning those duties and a good system that reinforces good performance.

There are multiple ways team leaders can actively encourage and create a structured and systematic team and ensure that each team member feels valued and appreciated for their contribution to the team. Below are some resources that we have available for daily duties of each front office staff position within a dental office. I have also included a good read that will be a helpful foundation when delegating these positions to your staff. Take a moment to chat with your team members and see who’s skills & personality fit with the position, what they like to do and if you feel they will best contribute to that position in the practice. If you have a part time team member, these positions can be shared as well, as long as there is great communication skills within the office with those who may share a position/ daily tasks and they are afforded the training opportunities to do the job well.[/mepr-active]

Read: If I have 2 team members, how should I divide the duties?
Download: Office Manager Daily Duties

Download: Treatment Coordinator Daily Duties

Download: Financial Coordinator Daily Duties

Download: Scheduling Coordinator Daily Duties

Additionally, be sure you have job descriptions for each position and that it covers the duties they are expected to do. We offer those on the site as well under our documents section and they can easily be found by using the search option for job descriptions. Lastly, be sure to have regular team meetings & individual meetings with them to check in and make sure they have what they need to succeed.