When you have a solid hiring process that weeds out the losers, you have a better chance finding great people who can and will do the job you need them to do. And that is the first step to building a better practice.
In last week’s post, I discussed what you can do right now to locate high quality team members for your practice.
Have you ever found someone for your front office who you thought was the ideal candidate; you hired them, put them on post, and about a month later were thinking, “why did I ever think they were a great fit?” Yeah, me too.
Sometimes the winners don't win and it's a shame, because it's our fault.
That’s because there’s a second step, just as essential as the first, that’s needs to be in place to secure their (and the practice’s) continued success; and that’s training.
Previously, I wrote about the “willing and able” employee.
A great employee has to be willing and able to do the job you hire them to do.
If they aren’t BOTH, you end up with someone not producing at the level you need them to. You’ll also end up with a low producing employee that’s holding you back OR you’ll be back at square one looking for someone new for the team.
In that previous post, I talked about ability as being able to do the task or tasks necessary without needing reminders or hand-holding. That’s the ideal employee and it’s what we all strive for in our practices. But many times, we forget one thing when it comes to ability:
We cannot expect someone to do a job and do it well without giving them the training to do so. Ability must be viewed in the context it is applied in.
So, their being able to do the job is related to how well we train them.
Recently, I was speaking at a conference of private practice owners and the topic was the cost of not training your front office staff.
And I asked the question, would you all agree that many times, those working at your front desk are mainly high school graduates with ‘some’ higher education? Everyone agreed.
And then I asked, And would you agree that there’s no formal education out there to train someone to work in the front office of a practice? Again, everyone agreed.
This lack of education and formal training is detrimental to the employee and your practice. They will lack confidence and certainty which will result in their making mistakes, not achieving their weekly targets, and more questions being asked.
Do you remember when you started your professional training?
You didn’t know what you didn’t know, right? You weren’t very confident, you lacked certainty, and you probably asked a LOT of questions. And each time, your professor gave you what you needed to increase your ability.
That's your job now. To build a team and build them up, just like your professor did for you. Your patient care, your practice growth, and your ability to have the time needed to dream without worrying what will happen next depends on making sure that everyone on your team is qualified to do what you need them to do. And that means the front office.
If you want to keep the winners winning and improve your front office retention, you need to make sure they get the training they need. If you have all the knowledge and skill to train your front office staff, and have the time to get it done, do it now. If not…
Here’s some good news, you don’t have to do it alone. I spent 6 years developing systems and training for my front office. And I’m now working with practice owners like yourself to help you implement them in your practice.
My program offers:
Front Office academy-level training that can be used to train new hires and for quarterly competency reviews
A manual that walks your staff through systems, patient handling, use of stats and graphs to measure success
Proven systems to follow that offer stability as you grow and consistency of action to prevent patient and staff confusion
This system includes ALL the files you need to ensure a well-run front office – no recreating necessary – it saves you time and money in the long run
Training on use of the files and how to implement
Drills and Practicals to ensure staff understanding and to test and retest competency
Owner questions to use to assess how well they have studied and can implement the what they’ve learned
Access to me to answer questions, work out issues, provide more certainty through consultations and Voxer
Want to learn more? Click here to schedule a FREE Discovery Call to learn more about my programs and how I can help.
Wishing you the best, today and always!
Dee
I started Front Office GURU with a single goal in mind and that’s to help private practices thrive. Your front office plays an integral role in your success and yet, most practices don’t have set training and systems to ensure that everyone in the front office manages patients the same way.
Don’t wait until the perfect time to get started because there will never be that perfect time, that perfect staff.
As a practice owner, former manager, and the Front Office GURU, I understand the difficulties you face because I've been there. And my programs provide the solution.
Are you struggling to train your front office team? Unsure how to go about establishing a proven training program for your front desk? Not sure where to start or what your options are?
Click here to schedule a FREE Discovery Call to learn more about my programs.
The Front Office GURU Training Academy is an online training platform for you and your front desk! It's great for team building and establishing successful systems and training for your front desk. And the BEST part? YOU don't have to recreate the wheel - it's ALL done for YOU!! Just set up your team and they can get started right away...
Your Patient Care Coordinators will feel welcome and supported as the training is ALL about them. And even MORE is coming soon! Click HERE for more info and get started right away!