Do's and don'ts for cross-training: Protect your practice

Most practices are small businesses, with 10 or fewer employees. When a staff member is absent, it can wreak havoc on practice operations. Cross-training employees on additional duties is an excellent way to ensure the practice continues to perform at a high level even when staff members are out of the office.

Start with the front office. All front desk staff members should be cross-trained, so that the practice can function effectively when someone is absent. For example, the scheduling coordinator should know how to process a credit card payment and indicate a bill has been paid in the practice software. The more each staff member knows what to do, the smoother the practice will run when a fellow employee is on vacation.

Don't put it off. Employees go on vacation, get sick occasionally and have to miss work for various other reasons. Put yourself in the best position to deal with employee absences by cross-training your team.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

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