In the era of remote work, flexibility is vital. For some businesses, that means investing in a free phone number so that employees can work from home while customers can still call them anywhere, free of charge. For others, instead of hiring human agents to work in different time zones, AI chatbots can be a … Read more
Recently, I watched a crew team practice at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL. As I watched the team glide effortlessly across the lake, I made three observations. First, I noticed their boat. It had a beautiful wood interior; the outside was shiny and spotless. Next, I noticed the leadership of the coxswain and how … Read more
We always consider the staff an important factor when valuing a practice. Dentistry, much like many other sectors of the economy, is facing severe workforce shortages in all facets of their team. These challenges can be found throughout the country. Whether it is a shortage of assistants and hygienists, and unrealistic salary expectations from new … Read more
Instagram was a social media powerhouse, with over one billion active monthly users,1 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Like other social networks, its role in business and society was cemented by the diminished opportunity for in-person interaction. Global usership of Instagram increased by 16 percent between 2019 and 2021, making it the sixth fastest-growing network during … Read more
Imagine the following scenario: A temporary dental assistant loads a sterilizer before lunch, and despite pressing the start button, the sterilizer fails to begin the reprocessing cycle. Another assistant returns later to unload the pouches. In a rush because one of their appointments ran long, they fail to confirm the status of the indicators, incorrectly … Read more
THE WHY: Owner’s story Dr. Dac Nguyen is the owner and principal dentist at Clinique Dac located in the heart of Westmount Quebec, an affluent city that lies on the western slopes of Mount Royal, on the beautiful island of Montreal. This boutique practice has been serving great dentistry to its community for almost 50 … Read more
The only thing I did well in dental school was make a lot of friends. I was slow to pick up clinical skills. I never made the honour roll. I failed a course in first year. But making friends – that was the easiest part. It was also the best part. My dental school experience … Read more
We hate giving bad news. But if know anything about the digital marketing profession, chances are you have had to hear several pieces of bad news in your career. It could be a simple algorithm change, government regulations, loss of productive employees, or even website hacks – sometimes, things just don’t work out as you … Read more
Insurance is an intimidating concept for most patients. Understanding what their plan offers, how much it offers, and what it covers in terms of treatments and care services could be really hard for them. Thus, it’s important for dental clinics to validate the patient benefits; just collecting patient information isn’t enough. Wondering what the ideal … Read more
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Last week, I had two dentists share with me a similar sentiment, “My team doesn’t support me.” When I asked them for more details, they both indicated that their teams got very upset whenever they decided, spur of the moment, to “squeeze in” more dentistry or more patients than they had originally scheduled. One of … Read more
I would like to tell you a story about a woman who was a great leader. Her name is Ione Miller, and she just happens to be my mom. Mom was a city girl who, at the age of 19, married a country boy (my dad Clem) and moved to a farm. She raised seven kids, … Read more
Dr. Sam Kherani Chief Dental Officer at 123Dentist What are the two key qualities you look for in a new team member? Attitude and good self-esteem. Attitude cannot be taught, but an individual who already has a good attitude can be taught most of what one needs to know. Good self-esteem makes sure that the … Read more
Not only have practices been struggling to attract new staff, but many practice owners are having trouble retaining current staff as well. In fact, 35 percent reported they had staff members voluntarily leave their practice last year. Most dentists took to the obvious solution of increasing wages to keep staff happy, and that is a … Read more
The chances are that your first step in marketing your practice was creating a fantastic website. It was beautiful, modern, optimized, and functioned perfectly. Now ask yourself, how many years ago was that? Has it undergone a redesign or significant update since, and how recently? It might be ready for a redesign or major update … Read more
Shawn Peers, President of Dental Peers, returns to Weekly Wisdom to discuss how you can find practice success despite the ongoing changes in dentistry. Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!
It is an interesting contradiction to talk to dental students about the importance of learning about the business side of dentistry. The response I receive to offering training on management, human resources, marketing and financial planning is that they are so stressed focusing on the clinical components they need to earn their degrees, they don’t … Read more
In March 2020, Oral Health published my most-viewed article. Surprisingly, it wasn’t about preparing, marketing and selling a dental practice. Apparently, in-depth talks about taxes, practice values, employment contracts and leases aren’t that sexy. It actually was a weight-loss piece entitled “Paying It Forward: 8 Ideas That Helped Me Lose 50 lbs in 6 months”. … Read more
Most professionals in today’s busy world face a challenge when it comes to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. More so, if you run a dental practice! You need to juggle offering high-quality dental services and the demands of running a business as well as finding some me-time. A quick life audit will tell you if … Read more
Your practice is your baby. Even if you purchased it from another dentist, you still put in the hard work to make it your own. You’ve toiled, fretted and challenged yourself to reach new heights. And now it’s nearing the time to move on. When the time comes for selling, it is critical that realistic … Read more