By Roger P. Levin, DDS
Orthodontists must depend on their teams to handle a high volume of patients each day. What must teams depend on? Training.
Think about why training is so important…
Training Creates a Great Team. A group of talented individuals can work together in the same office and still not be a team. Only through training can team members be turned into a team. Only through training can a good team be turned into a great team.
Training also establishes a level of accountability when combined with job descriptions for each team position.
A Great Team Provides Better Customer Service for Patients. Parent referrals can only happen if there is a reason to refer. It all starts with excellent customer service. A well-trained team understands that customer service goes far beyond simply being nice. They know that superior customer service is about creating an excellent new patient experience.
Happy Parents Have a Reason to Stop Ortho Shopping. Parents tend to view orthodontics as a commodity. As a result, they are more apt than ever to consider many offices. A well-trained ortho team makes a deeply favorable impression on parents. A remarkable new patient experience enables parents to trust that your office is right for their child’s orthodontic treatment.
They Recommend Others. The most successful businesses recognize that word-of-mouth referrals from happy and satisfied customers lead to a growing customer base. If parents are happy with their child’s treatment and the practice, they will often be more than happy to tell friends—if a team has been trained to ask them to do so. Soliciting successful parent referrals can be as simple as letting parents know that recommendations are appreciated.
A poorly trained team can negatively affect ortho productivity just as easily as any other factor. In a difficult economy where ortho practices are coping with production declines, the need for team training has never been greater. OP
To learn more about how to grow your orthodontic practice, Roger P. Levin, DDS, is offering the seminar “How To Increase Production In The New Ortho Economy” on June 6, 2014, in Dallas.
