3 Ways to Prepare Your Team for Sucess... AND More Profit - E29
Look around you and you will see well run businesses, excellently coached teams, and families that can take on each and every instance of adversity that strikes. On the other hand, we all know the trainwreck business, teams, and families that you have no idea what is keeping them together. Have you sat and thought about what makes something well run or seemingly unshakeable when times get tough? My contention is this starts with good leadership and the ability to prepare for life's ups and downs. I will give you 3 ways that you can help prepare your office for success!
Morning Huddle
Do you or your office manager have a morning huddle with the staff? This does not have to be long, but taking 5-10 minutes everyday before the day begins to set the tone is incredibly beneficial.
- It allows leadership to emphasize the priorities of the office and build a culture that is ingrained into the staff. We talk about making sure to pay attention to details, make sure to collect certain co-pays, and ultimately do everything we can to make every patient happy.
- You can communicate directly with the staff to pass along any notes that they may not be fully aware of. Any difficulty insurance plan can be broken down and hopefully applied correctly when the patient is in the office.
- I also like to give a detailed plan for each patient on the schedule. If they need to be dilated before I see them, have had issues in the past, or I want a certain staff member to work directly with a patient, this is where I let them know.
This not only makes your staff feel more prepared, but it allows your patients to have a much smoother and better overall experience.
Pre-pulling Insurances
We pull vision insurance almost a week in advance at times. First, we want to make sure we take their plan and that they are eligible for benefits. You would be surprised how often there are issues with one of these two aspects. We also want to make sure that my staff has time to look at the benefits and highlight the insurance for our specific lens options we offer. It can be difficult to do this in real-time with a patient watching.
We also pre-price our average frames and contact lenses. This makes it easier to present to the patient in such a way that encourages the patient to buy. Your staff can focus on presentation, answering questions, and providing rebate information instead of trying to do math on the fly.
FAQ’s
This is an easy but often overlooked aspect in staff management. You need to have a FAQ handout that covers major questions patients will ask the staff. This is incredibly important for people shopping offices. You need to be able to quote exams or pricing information efficiently and effectively. We work so hard to get patients in the chair, do not lose them because a new hire or inexperienced staff member tells them the wrong information!
Focus on these 3 things and watch your office run smoother and your patients leave happier than ever before!
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