High-performing dental office team: How do we create it?

A high-performing dental office team goes far beyond having the right person for the job. It requires a new approach to leveraging technology, innovative staffing solutions (including virtual dental assistants), and ingenious ways to rethink office workflows to integrate them into a well-oiled machine that rigs the odds in favor of the dental practice.

But how can you get the best potential out of them? This article reviews 3 areas you can consider for your dental practice.

Understanding team productivity

This refers to a very wide scoop. You have to know their schedules, tasks, functions, and performance. Many components play a role in the productivity of a high-performing dental office team. Three of the most important are: 

• Communication.
• Workflow processes.
• Technologies and implementations. 

This means they must communicate smoothly, effectively, and "on the fly." In many ways, the dental office team is just like a sports team. They must work together to perform well, sometimes at high speeds.

Therefore, a dental practice should not focus solely on the quality of its medical treatments. It is a company that offers customer service and user experience. Knowing your team's productivity will help you get the most out of them.

The role of dental virtual assistants

Dental virtual assistants (VAs) are increasingly being adopted in dental practices. They provide a cost-effective means of increasing productivity and efficiency within the practice. They are remote workers who can perform tasks you might otherwise give to an office staff member. Their task list may include:

• Scheduling appointments;
• Following up with patients;
• Working on practice billing;
• Efforts in marketing (not attempted by most practices) and even
• Putting some of their virtual talents to work on social media.

With the help of a VA, you might improve your office productivity and allow your office staff to focus on patient care and see more patients. These assistants are not personal assistants but can help you and your staff handle much of the office work.

Furthermore, VAs can work around the clock, allowing dental offices to stretch their hours without adding in-house staff. This can significantly improve patient satisfaction and enhance patient retention.

Integrating remote workers

Integrating remote workers into a dental office team can boost productivity and efficiency. The American Dental Association's insights on telehealth development show that practices adopting these remote services (not just virtual consultations) are increasing patient satisfaction levels.

Dental offices that want to manage remote staff effectively should invest in reliable communication and project management tools. They should also conduct regular check-ins and give updates, which can help maintain remote workers' connectedness to the office culture and the rest of the team.

Conclusion

Building a high-performing dental office team requires a multifaceted approach emphasizing productivity, staff efficiency, and the old routine of using technology in unusual ways. 

Training is a massive piece of this puzzle, but if training were the only solution, there would be no underperforming teams in the dental industry. Some offices just train and train and train, and still, those offices have inefficiencies everywhere. And you know what? That's business in the dental industry today, not just in high-performing dental office teams.

So, consider a virtual dental assistant if you are looking for alternatives to improving your team's efficiency. 

Contact us, and you’ll have personalized assistance for your dental practice.