From Good to 'World-Class': The Key is
Following a Project to Completion
By Gary Takacs
About Gary Takacs |
Figure Out What's Most Important |
4 Things You Can Do Now
As you are likely aware, I am absolutely passionate about whitening for the simple fact that whitening creates better patients. When you whiten a patient's teeth they have a greater interest in their teeth, and often want to follow-up whitening with restorative or cosmetic treatment. Think of whitening as a 'Gateway Service'.
Most dental offices offer whitening, but very few offices are even close to their potential in terms of whitening volume. What is the potential for whitening volume for a dental practice in the US today? Let me use my own practice as an example. (NOTE: In May, 2007, I purchased a fixer-upper dental practice in partnership with Dr. Paul Nielson to serve as a learning and teaching model for my consulting clients. Dr. Nielson and I are in the process of evolving this practice into our ideal practice.) Our goal is to provide one whitening procedure per day. At the end of an eighteen working day month, we'd like to provide eighteen whitening procedures. Compare our goal of one whitening procedure per day to the typical office that provides 2.1 whitening procedures per month. I like to think of that difference as the difference between good (2.1 procedures per month) and world-class (one whitening procedure per day). This article (and future installments) will discuss the specific things we are doing to make this transition from good to world-class.
As Dr. Nielson and I took inventory of our practice and created a list of practice improvement projects, whitening was but one of many projects on the horizon for us. I'm sure the situation is exactly the same for you. Therein lies the challenge-so many projects, so little time! One of my mentors is Ken Blanchard, the noted business author (check out his latest book, Leadership at a Higher Level). Ken Blanchard taught me the following axiom:
"Sometimes the most important thing is figuring out what is important"
Ken is absolutely right! We made a decision early on that whitening is a very important element of our practice. In most dental practices whitening is simply another service in a long list of services you provide. We decided that whitening was going to be a core element of our practice. We made this decision because of all the great benefits that come about as a result of embracing whitening. I might be so bold as to suggest that if whitening is simply another service in your practice, then you will never achieve your full whitening potential.
So, the first step for us in making the transition from good to world-class in terms of whitening volume in our practice was to decide that this project was indeed important. With that decision made, we set out to figure exactly what we needed to do to provide one whitening procedure per day. Below are four specific action items we did to make this a reality:
- Ask every new patient the following question; "If there was a simple and quick way for you to have whiter teeth, would you be interested?"
- Started taking a shade match of all patients at the beginning of their hygiene appointment. Then we show the patient their current tooth color using a shade guide arranged in chromatic order
- Set up a system where we can provide whitening today or soon
- We recommend whitening to all patients scheduled for restorative treatment so they can have an ideal foundation shade for the doctor to match the new restorations
We had a team meeting where we introduced all four of these action items. Team members listened intently, asked questions, and took notes. Then (wait for it!!)............guess what.....nothing happened! I am not embarrassed to tell you that absolutely nothing happened. In the hustle and bustle of our busy days, my team members simply had too many other pressing issues to implement these new changes. Rather than give up though, I became even more committed to following this project all the way to completion. I came to discover that the key to developing a world-class whitening program in our office was follow-through.
This is still very much a 'work in progress' for us. We are not at the world-class level just yet, but we will reach this goal! We have spent more time in team meetings on training, and verbal skills, and a whole host of other activities to support our goal of providing one whitening procedure per day. By following through on this project, we are all developing the skills and habits that are absolutely necessary to achieve our potential here. The really great news is any office should be able to do exactly what we are doing.
Let me provide a quick summary. Start by setting a goal. Let me encourage you to make it bold (ours is one whitening procedure per day). Next, make the decision that, indeed, this is important. Figure out what your office needs to do to achieve the goal. Consider the four action steps we have implemented. Then, continue to follow through on the project until the skills and behaviors have become habits. Let me wish you good luck with this project. It's really an exciting process!
Gary Takacs is a nationally recognized authority on the business of dentistry. His passion is helping dental offices achieve their full potential. For more information about Gary's speaking and coaching services, visit his website at www.garytakacs.com. Also feel welcome to email Gary at gary@garytakacs.com.
