As the dentist, you feel the need to follow through with morning meetings by coaching your team, providing updates, and answering questions, but you are missing something. Every morning meeting should accomplish two things, exceptions, and opportunities. Morning meetings are not meant to verify everyone’s duties for the day or to double check that employees are doing their job like they are supposed to (these should be a given). Here is how to accomplish the two most important parts of the morning meeting.
Exceptions include things that you and your team should be aware of before problems arise. For instance, maybe you have a lab case that did not show up on time and you, of course, do not want that patient coming in for their appointment to be turned away and rescheduled. Maybe you have a patient coming in that has special needs or a patient who has not seen the dentist or had their teeth cleaned in two years. Identify these exceptions and making it clear how the team will deal with these instances before roadblocks occur.
On the flip side of the coin are the opportunities that need discussing. An opportunity may be that there is an open appointment on the books, meaning a previous patient with unaccepted treatment could be contacted in an attempt to schedule their appointment during that available time. Another opportunity could be discussing the options of cosmetic dentistry with a hygiene patient who expresses concern about their stained teeth.
Once you determine these expectations and opportunities, you can easily prepare for morning meetings, and hold these meetings for 15 minutes or less. Learning how to strategize around the needs of patients will help drive these expectations and opportunities. If done right, the morning meeting can have an enormous impact on your practice and its future.
For more information on how to drive your practice to the next level, contact Bryant Consultants today. We provide consultation, training, and coaching to help improve the operations of your practice. No office is out of reach for us; we will even come to you!
