Rebecca Morris, practice consultant for DPAS Dental Plans, talks about how a motivated team can lead to a really successful practice.
I am working with a very successful squat practice, one that I really admire and which has wholeheartedly embraced and understood the benefits of team-building. As a result, the staff feel motivated and are rewarded to go the extra mile for their patients, because they know that their success is driven by them working together as a team.
Plan driven
The practice is 80% DPAS plan-based, which is an outstanding achievement for a practice that started from scratch. They have developed a choice of plans administered by DPAS that are so well thought out and competitively priced that it makes no sense for their patients to choose the alternative fee-per-item option. This strategy has helped the entire team recognise the benefits of plan membership for patients, ensuring they are extremely comfortable promoting the plans and thereby making the practice a success.
Building a successful practice begins with comprehensive staff training, giving each staff member the confidence they need to feel that their contribution is an important part of the business. Having well-trained and informed individuals who understand what is expected of them increases the motivation of the whole team. This encourages plan promotion, which in turn leads to a flourishing business and increased practice revenue.
In this particular practice, the team’s efforts are rewarded with pay scale increases, measured both by training and sales achievements as well as by time invested. Again, this financial motivation encourages each individual to work towards their future goals and so the business continues to grow.
Creating a team approach
Creating a team full of happy and enthusiastic individuals can be difficult and sometimes offering individual incentives does not engender a ’team’ approach. But in this case, the principal made team building an intrinsic part of each person’s daily responsibility. This means that everyone is focused on working as a team and understands that, using this approach, they can all share in the success of the business. This has created a hard-working, professional and profitable practice and a happy and truly motivated team.
For more information on DPAS Dental Plans visit www.dpas.co.uk, call 01747 870910 or email [email protected].
