The Seven Goals of the Savvy Dental Office Manager

Are you a dental office manager looking to up your game and become a savvy to the needs of your practice and staff? Being an office manager is no easy feat – you’re responsible for keeping everything running smoothly, managing resources, ensuring employee productivity, maintaining a safe work environment, and so much more. But a savvy office manager is one who takes it to the next level, always looking for ways to improve the office and make it more efficient. Let’s dive into our top three necessities for every office manager, and then learn exactly what it takes to become savvy.

1. Leading people by example.
   Being a leader means listening first and speaking later. What do you do when you notice a decline in employee productivity? Are you upset or do you attempt to understand the nuances of the problem? Remember that your staff live outside of the office. Maybe someone has a big vacation coming up and they’re a bit distracted. Or a family member is going through unexpected health troubles. A savvy office manager is both attentive and empathetic in these moments and knows when to pivot to help someone out.

What types of goals does a dental practice have?

Every practice has financial goals that require careful planning and management. Your savvy office manager is instrumental in strategizing and implementing these plans. Each day, every administrative task attends to the workflow of the practice, from patient scheduling, vendor orders and dental billing. Are your processes efficient? Have you invested time in knowing your areas of improvement and success?

2. Strategizing the schedule and plan for the day.
   A dental office schedule should never be a “fill the lines and keep the doctors away from the desk” approach to office production.  Great dental managers know what procedures will provide the numbers for goal and what procedures can be overlapped and extended to capture the goal.  Strategy drives a productive schedule.  Having a well-planned schedule means patients will be seen on time and dismissed on time.  Patients feel important when their time is respected. Think of each person who walks into your office an as old friend versus a new customer.

How do you set goals in a dental office?

Many offices can struggle when it comes to maintaining consistent scheduling on top of goal implementation. So how do you best set yourself up for success?

3. Prioritize and streamline daily tasks.
   To sustain and increase the numbers that drive the practice, a savvy manager’s focus needs to be on what is most important to your practice goals.  Make it a daily goal to follow-up on unscheduled treatment and unscheduled recall appointments.  Often the “no shows” of most practices are there because “out of sight out of mind” directs the attention away from them.  Focusing on obtaining and maintaining an active patient base is essential, and patient recall is just the first step in getting there.

What are the four essential functions of a dental office manager?

A savvy office manager will always look for ways to streamline office processes. This includes identifying bottlenecks in workflow, eliminating unnecessary steps, and automating repetitive tasks. As well as this, working with staff to create an environment where responsibilities are delegated properly and teamwork is expected is crucial to long term success.

1. Working with staff on continuous policy and motivation.
   Are you connecting with your staff each day? Do you have a huddle to get everyone on the same page when implementing new procedures? What specific bottlenecks need to be worked on in order to get a project moving or maintained? A good work ethic by the leaders improves work performance of the team.
2. Be the vision for the practice through implementation of expertise.
   Lead by example of your work.  If you want to bring in new ideas and change for the better of the practice, be the one who makes it happen for the team and own it. A savvy office manager knows when to go above and beyond to prove their administrative expertise to themselves and others without becoming a tyrant. When we help our team, we help the practice and ourselves.
3. Understanding practice overhead and managing the numbers.
   Do you know the industry standard for dental office manager salaries and employee benefits?  How would you know whether you can afford to give raises or hire another person?  Do you know what dental supplies should be for your practice?  How do you know you aren’t spending too much on supplies? Overhead can be one of the greatest foes of any savvy office manager, but once it’s handled, every other process falls into place.
4. Know where the money is and where it should be going.
   Analyze daily and monthly reports to see where the practice is in regard to total accounts receivables. These numbers can quickly increase out of your control. With other daily tasks requiring your attention, how can the savvy office manager best manage a growing AR?

Outsourcing your dental billing for a happy office manager

The eAssist Dental Billing platform hosts dental-minded specialists who work with your office manager, not replace them. And when your savvy office manager needs a vacation, rest assured that your insurance aging is being worked daily and enjoy accountability in reporting. Communication is the primary motivator for any achievable goal, and without it, your office can struggle to maintain operational efficiency. Imagine having an outsourced team that is completely dedicated to your dental billing. And when that savvy office manager goes home for the day, you don’t even need to leave the lights on. Schedule a chat below and tell our Business Development Specialists what your practice needs to thrive and become savvy to your financial goals.