“It’s the little details that are vital.

Little things make big things happen.” ~John Wooden

Hello friends,

It’s the little things that can make the biggest impact on your practice growth and the happiness of your team.  The little things that I am sharing today, are FREE or very low cost and most only require seconds of your time.

Here is a list of 25+  things you can do starting today to greatly improve your office and in turn your personal life too! All it takes is doing a little bit more.

If you didn’t get a chance to read Part 1 & Part 2 of my Improve your Office series, please check them out here: Improve your office – first impressions & Improve your office – Make a Change .  Feel free to share them with your friends.

25+ Little Things to Improve your Office:

1.  Hello, Good Morning! –  Make it a point to greet your fellow team members every morning. Let people know that you see them and acknowledge them with a hello.

2.  Smile More – Smiles are contagious. Smile before you pick up the phone, smile to passersby, smile to your team mates and smile in the mirror. Smiling will boost your mood, puts people at ease and makes you more likable.

3. Say my Name – everyone likes to hear his or her name. Greet your patient’s by name. Use their name during treatment. Thank them by name for coming in or calling.

4.  Say “thank you” –  Express your appreciation.  Thank you Mr.Patient for coming in, Thank you Mrs.Caller for holding, Thank you employee for your hard work today, Thank you co- worker for your help, Thank you doctor for coming in to do the exam, you get the idea. Saying thank you Improves your Office and your Health! Check out this article: 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits Of Gratitude That Will Motivate You To Give Thanks Year-Round

5.  Choose to be Positive – Your attitude is a choice and that choice is 100% within your control. Avoid spreading negativity by sharing bad patient experiences, personal problems, or problems with other team members. Choose to be happy and positive.

6.  Be kind – Be kind to your patients, strangers, sales reps and callers.

7.  I’m sorry –  Accept responsibility when you are wrong. Be honest, simply say “I’m sorry I/We messed up”. (Tip: Keep small ($5) gift cards for coffee to give to your patients when you’ve messed up, ie: running late, lab case mistake, appt. mix up, etc.)

8.  Friendly Greeting – Warmly greet every person that visits the office. Even if you’re on the phone or taking care of a patient, you can acknowledge the other person with a smile.

9. Say Please –  Make it a habit to say please every time you ask for something.

10.  Offer a proper handshake- A nice, firm handshake shows confidence and makes a good impression. (Tip: When a new patient comes in to the office, come from around the desk and welcome them with a handshake.)

11.  Check it twice – Before you send that email, letter or text, check it for spelling errors.

12.  Social Media Sites – If your office is using social media sites be sure to like and follow the pages of local businesses within your community. Click the LIKE button or comment on their posts. Easy way to build relationships.

13.  No Cell Phones – Turn down the volume and put your cell phone away while you’re on the clock. Ask your family and friends to call the office line in the event of an emergency. Be fully present during work hours.

14.  Write it down- start and end your day with to-do lists. Write a note or set an electronic reminder to check on that claim, call your patient, check voice mail, etc. Writing things down prevents you from forgetting things that are important. (Tip: Avoid placing sticky notes around your work station. Clutter is chaos to the patient.  Place reminders in a notebook that you frequently refer to or set electronic reminders.)

15.  Commendation – Commend a fellow team member when you catch them doing something “right”. Commendation boosts morale.  (Tip: Employers, commend & reward the behavior and actions that you want to see more of.)

16. Business Cards – Carry your business cards with you and use them! Get your team personalized business cards to hand out to patients and people they do business with. (Tip: Use the back of the business card with a call to action invitation.)

17. Stay on Time – Respect your employees and patients time. Do all you can to start the day on time, stay on time and end the day on time. (Tip: If you are constantly running behind schedule it might be a good idea to review your scheduling protocol. How much time does it really take to…,  Where should we schedule emergency patients… etc.)

18. Patient of the Day! – Select a patient from the days schedule to be your “patient of the day”.  Give them a certificate, a small gift and take their picture to share on your social media sites. Fun and inexpensive way to exceed your patients expectations.

19. Post- Op Calls – Doctor and Hygienist, call your patients at the end of the day to see how well they are doing. (Tip: Call all patients that received an extraction, perio treatment, difficult procedure, were fearful or new to the office.)

20.  Pre- Op Calls – Doctor and Hygienist, call the new patients on your schedule and let them know you are looking forward to meeting them. Start building your new relationship early by exceeding their expectations before their very first visit.

21.  Send a Card – In this electronic age, rarely do people get “real” mail. Send hand-written thank you, get well, thinking of you, anniversary, sympathy and  congratulation cards to your patients.  They will truly appreciate it! (Tip: Keep a supply of cards on hand in the office.)

22.  Everybody Clean Up – Pick up the piece of paper from the floor, Wipe up the spill up from the counter and Keep your work space clean.

23.  Replace the roll of Toilet Paper – Yes, I said it. Even if there are still a few squares left to spare, replace with a fresh roll. While you’re at, go ahead and fold the toilet paper into a pretty fan. 😉

24. Huddle Up – The morning meeting is essential for a successful day. If you tried in the past to have a morning huddle and it didn’t work out… try again! However, this time, please follow these tried and true suggestions & tips for morning meeting success.

25. Negative Gossip – Refuse to listen to gossip and stop speaking & spreading gossip. Simple as that.

26. Dress the Part – If you want it to be a great day, start by looking great. Wear clothes that reflect the excellent care you give your patients. Professional, clean and wrinkle-free clothes.  Brush & style your hair, if you’re a woman put on some make-up, wear a special piece of jewelry, etc.

27. Verbiage Matters – Use these words often: Absolutely, I’ll be happy to, My pleasure, You are very welcome, Certainly and Right away.

28. Memorable Goodbye’s – Make a great last impression with a friendly goodbye…be sure to use the patients name. “Thank you for coming in.” “It was great to see you today.” “We really appreciate having great patients like you!”

There you have it, 28 little ways to easily Improve your Office.

“I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.” ~Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Do the right thing, as a team work together to implement these little things in your office every day. Print this list and review it at your next team meeting.  Enjoy practice growth with a happier team and happy patients.

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Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty