Are you scheduling correctly using the 'and' philosophy?

It seems like everyone has a suggestion on how to set up the schedule in your practice. If you ask three people, you will probably get three different answers. That is why, for the purposes of this article, I want to look at scheduling from a framework standpoint.

Lynne Leggett.

The schedule is the heartbeat of the practice -- it can either increase or decrease the stress of all team members. At the end of the day, though, is it convenient for your patients to schedule?

As a patient, nothing is more frustrating than waiting for several months to be seen in your hygiene department. If you have capacity issues, then solve them for the sake of your patients. When patients are ready to schedule, your office needs to act. Is that happening for you at your practice?

I find that most offices are scheduling so they meet the practice's daily financial production goal. For some reason, offices think it is an either/or situation. Either you schedule to make goal and make patients mad, or you don't schedule according to goal and make patients happy. I do not agree with that statement at all. With the correct communication skills, scheduling is an "and" situation. You can schedule to goal and make patients happy.

By communicating correctly, your team will be building rapport with all your patients. I believe dentistry is all about relationships. Building a trusting relationship is key to ensuring that your patients continue to return to your office instead of visiting the office down the street running a special promotion.

By taking the time to correctly build rapport, your team should be able to keep your patients happy while scheduling for your daily production goals.

If you need help in implementing this "and" capability for your practice, please get in touch with me so we can chat about it.

Also, let me share some more thoughts with you on scheduling in the video below.

Lynne Leggett has more than 25 years of business experience in several industries, including dentistry, medical, pharmacy, sales, transportation, logistics, and project management. Learn more about her and her services on the Victory Dental Management website.

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