Friendly competition can totally change the vibe in your office, serving two purposes; it’s fun and can increase office production. Internal contests cannot only increase production it can create excitement, and improve employee morale. You can accomplish this by having an internal office competition. The activities can be irrelevant to the business and not production-related. For production-related goals, it’s best to have an office reward. Teamwork and collaboration are essential because it leads to greater success, less absenteeism, and lowers stress and turnover.
There are multiple opportunities for fun and hard work. Your contest can be separated into groups i.e. clinical team, business office team, individual, and then have a goal for the whole office. Ideas for contests may include who can successfully offer the most bleach trays, sealants, bite appliances, or even orthodontic tray cases? Choose one activity once a quarter. One of my favorites is asking for Facebook and Google reviews. For some team members, this is uncomfortable. However, once you ask once or twice, it’s as easy as calling your patient back to the chair. AND you and your teammates can play off of each other. For example, Mrs. Jones is handed off to checkout and says, “that was the best cleaning I’ve had in years.” That’s the shoo-in, “I’m so happy to hear that, Mrs. Jones; we would love it if you’d be willing to leave us a Google review.” Or, if they’re a new patient, you can ask for the review and then mention, “it helps keep us at the top of the search page.” That is especially helpful if they say they found you via Google.
It’s a good idea to mix in a fun, stress-free contest. As reported by Forbes, it’s essential that games don’t add stress and not make the competition a constant element in the workplace. A fun contest will work out just fine. I’ve worked for a dentist who would encourage us to move our bodies, and if we walked so many days per work for 90 days, he’d buy us a new pair of sneakers. That same dentist gave us an ice cream party to learn all the Presidents in order. The contest can be fun, add a little spark to the office, and be business-oriented.
