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 August has been designated Dental Office Managers Appreciation Month by the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM).  A sincere “Thank You” to all Dental Office Managers and front desk teams, I truly appreciate YOU!!

Having been in the dental profession – in the business office - around 30 years, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into our day.  So on a lighter note let’s talk about hats!  I’m talking about the MANY different hats the business team wears as we travel through our day!

***(1) Turban:  Because….You’re a Mind Reader!

~“You sent my insurance to the wrong carrier.  I know I hadn’t been in to see you in quite sometime….I’d changed jobs 3 times… and I gave you the wrong insurance card…. but that’s immaterial… YOU should have…. known who my insurance carrier was!”

*** (2) Wizard’s Magic Wand:  Because….You’re an Absolute Scheduling Wizard!

 ~“I realize I am a few minutes late, 35 minutes to be exact, but I was going right be the Dry Cleaners, so I popped in there to drop off my cleaning.  I knew it wouldn’t matter, after all It’s “just a CLEANING appointment”!

~ “Oh come on now, your schedule can’t be that full, all I need to do is just run in, let him take a quick look and zip right out.  It won’t take…. 5 minutes!”

 ~“I just spoke to your hygiene coordinator, I told her I wanted to see VICKY, it has to be a Wednesday….no earlier than 4:15 ….and my insurance runs out in 3 weeks. I mean how much more flexible can I be? I gave her a date, a time and a hygienist??  Come on work with me here!??”

•  You’ve heard of a MALOX moment?   Well…. this is a METAMUSL MOMENT!   You just want to say….“Mr or Ms PAYNE take some Metamusl and loosen up!”

 *** (3) Top Hat:    Because…You’re  A Magician ~You make it ALL work out!     

~Dr InRoll-em walks the patient to the front desk and says:  ….Livvie, I looked at tomorrows schedule and saw that 30 minute open spot at 10:30.  John is going to come back for that little MODFL on  # 2 …..AND  we’ll just go ahead and do those other two restorations he needs on #3 and #4 since we will be right there…..  Oh  John, I see you are overdue for your cleaning, but our hygiene schedule is full tomorrow… Oh well,  while you are getting numb, why don’t we just clean your teeth and take that panorex and that way, John, you won’t have to make but one trip!!  That will work just fine in that 30 min spot!!

~Dr Bring-em-in …..What?  We have an emergency NEW patient on the phone?   Well sure…..tell them to come right on over ….What?     Sure we can take a look at the neighbor that’s bringing them, not a problem….. Lunch?  Not a problem either…we’ll just work right on through…..

**  ALL TEAM MEMBERS ARE MAGICIANS….YOU ALL WORK MAGIC !

*** (4) Construction Helmet:  Because…You’re Constantly Building Relationships!

Emotions are everywhere….Moods and Attitudes!   I ‘m the one the patient talks to first and it’s my smiling face that they see when they walk in, so….let me get this straight… No matter how frustrating MY day is…I still need to be able to build those bridges to better relationships?!!

*** (5) Fireman’s Helmet:   Because….You Put Out Fires All Day Long!          

Sniff Sniff……Does it smell like smoke to you…    Well, no need to worry, I do this every day.  You see its up to me to put out the fire when:

• A Patient Cancels at the last minute
• The Patients shows up 20 Minutes Late and we Reschedule 
• The Patients Insurance check is late or didn’t pay as expected 
• The Patient says “My insurance company said your fees are too high

NOTE:  ***I have yet to have a patient call me and say “My insurance company said THEIR  R & C fees are TOO LOW!” 

• Its up to your front desk people  to keep the flames down…I know it it gets hot in the Treatment Rooms….But try calming down some of the patients on the phone or at check out….. By the end of the day not only are you exhausted and feeling a little singed…..You’re also starting to think about  HAZARDOUS DUTY PAY…..

*** (6) Combat Helmet:    Because….Sometimes it’s like a Combat Zone

• Whew…I feel like I’ve been dodging bullets since I got here
• Insurance claims were mis-filed and statements went out late
• Patients are calling angry because their insurance should have covered their last procedures
• Production is DOWN….. Broken Appointments are UP
• Collections are OFF….. And the PRESSURE is ON!  (Sound Familiar? )

*** (7) Bunny Ears:   Because….. (This is My Favorite!)

“Wow… 

• I’ve put out the fire with that account call,
• I worked out scheduling that big case, 
• Smoothed that conversation with Mr. Payne and
• Insurance is reconsidering Ms. Diamonds case….Whew! ….~ OOPS there goes my phone again!…

With your EARS on…COME WHAT MAY…….You just keep going and going and going!

How about it dental team, how many of these “hats” have you worn?  Do you have a favorite Metamusl moment to share or a “hat” I’ve missed, I’d like to hear about it.

Technorati Tags: dental front desk, Dental Office Managers Appreciation Month, Livvie Matthews

Mashable released a great post by Jennifer Van Grove How Women Use The Web (Report) stating more women than men visit social networking sites spending as much as 30% more time on the sites and are more engaging with the sites than men. 

This ties right in with my recent post 4 Social Media Myths and relates to Myth # 2 – Social Media Platform Are Only For Teenagers.  Read Myth #2 here:

Myth #2: Social Media Platforms Are Only For Teenagers

Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are no longer sites just for teenagers.  Businesses have found these networking sites to present an incredible opportunity for connecting with and engaging their audience.  

According to Inside Facebook, a Facebook tracking source ,the fastest growing demographic is Women over 55.  Women also comprised over 56.2% of Facebooks audience, and 45% of Facebook’s US audience is women over age 26.  

What does this mean for you:  Women make approximately 80% of the decisions concerning purchases for themselves and their families. 

What percentage of women are in your practice and what’s their average age…bet they fall into one of these two ranges above.  Women are extremely active on the Internet and social media networks.  When the phone rings at your office, well over the majority of the calls are from women scheduling appointments or getting information.  

Social marketing and women presents tremendous opportunities for your practice to be able to connect, engage, and communicate in real time. 

Unlike the old traditional marketing of placing a static ad in a telephone book, magazine, or direct mail out,  and once printed there was no opportunity to connect and engage.  Social network marketing sites are all about relationship marketing ~ connecting and engaging ~ which is what we’ve preached in dentistry forever. 

Cosmetic Dentistry in years past was thought to be only for celebrities ~ the rich and famous ~ however we all know it’s the trend, it’s here, and it’s not going away.

Like Cosmetic Dentistry, Social Media is not a fad, it’s not going away, it’s firmly planted and here to stay. 

With Facebook passing their 500 million active users and buinesses gearing up for even more social media  marketing, it’s time to realistically look at your marketing plans in terms of what can social media do for your practice, which social media networks will benefit your practice the most, and how soon can you get started. 

If you are already utilizing social media in your practice, you may be ready to crank it up a notch expanding on what you’re already doing. 

But if you are one of the practices not yet started with social media, don’t worry, it’s not too late…in fact, it’s really the perfect time, because most practices have only been using it for a few months, but it’s an incredible opportunity you don’t want your practice (or your bottom line) to miss out on!

How are you using social marketing in your practice?  What benefits have you seen?

Technorati Tags: benefits of social media, Dental Marketing, engaging and connecting, engaging social media, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media and women, women using social media

Do you find yourself being Reactive to whatever comes along?  Never quite knowing what to expect or what your response would be when something out of the ordinary happens?  Or are you Proactive and have tried to anticipate what’s needed BEFORE it’s needed?

Proactive -vs- Reactive  makes all the difference when it comes to your practice and as an added benefit, it greatly reduces frustrations!

Being PROACTIVE involves nine specific areas:

P     PERSISTENCE

Persistence is the key to success in your practice and in social media networking! Sticking with it almost to the point of being stubborn. You keep at it. If it doesn’t work the first time, you don’t quit, you try it again and again. It may need to be rearranged, tried a different way, “tweaked” a little or revised, but the point is….you keep trying, you keep working it. Be persistent!

R   RELATIONSHIPS

Trust is the basis for any lasting relationship. Get to know who your patients are. Listen and understand their perceived needs and wants. Use their names often, pick up conversations where they left off at their last visit. Use social media to interact with your patients and build relationships. Your patient may not be able to explain the in-’s and out’s of the procedure or how you did it, but, your patient knows how he/she was treated and what type of experience they had while visiting your office, your social networking site, or purchasing your product. Build relationships!

O   OPPORTUNITIES

New services, options and availability can create tremendous opportunities for revenue and profit from existing (as well as new) patients. Seek to provide so many services and benefits that your patients choose to keep returning, even if their insurance changes or they move and the drive is a little further away. Every patient is an opportunity looking for a place to happen. Look for opportunities!

A   ACCOUNTABILITY

Any contact with a patient~ office visit, e-mail, social network site, web site,  or ezine ~reflects on your practice.  Each staff member should “own” the patient and be held accountable by their interactions for patient satisfaction. It’s all about service! Your “absolutely outstanding service”! Be accountable!

C   CONSISTENCY

You must be consistent with patients at each contact. Relationships are building with patients or possible new patients each time contact is made. The worst impression you can make is to meet your patients needs and expectations on one visit and then fall short during subsequent visits. Patients need to know what they can expect. Be consistent!

T   TENACITY   

Along with persistence and consistency comes tenacity. Holding firm and strong. Stay focused. Create a daily, weekly and monthly schedule and stick to it. Set your goals and stick to them. Develop your policies and procedures and stick to them. Be tenacious!

I  IDENTIFY

20% of your patients are providing 80% of your profits! Identify your patients who are in this 20% category to find the “core” of your business. What can be done for the other 80%? Identify your patients!

V   VALUE

Your services must be perceived with value by your patients. Value = Quality and the patient defines “Quality”. The “quality” appearance of your office or social site. “Quality” of patient interaction. “Quality” of your service. Market the value of your service!

E   ENTHUSIASM

Enthusiasm is exciting and contagious! Patients can distinguish your enthusiasm, or the lack of it, over the telephone, in your e-mail, or in person… within seconds. It is crucial the atmosphere of the practice, whether over the telephone, e-mail, ezine, online or offline be one of enthusiasm:  A love or passion about what you are doing!! Be enthusiastic!

Remember: Every patient-viewer is an Opportunity looking for a place to happen! By being PROACTIVE you will be ready for those Opportunities because you can leverage the….Dynamics Of A PROACTIVE Practice!

Technorati Tags: caring dentists, Dental Marketing, Draw patients, Livvie Matthews, Patient Relations, Proactive practice

Twitter and Facebook and Blogs..oh my!  YouTube and LinkedIn and Amplify…oh my!  Are you wondering how to fit all the pieces of the social media puzzle together? Are you feeling overwhelmed before you even get started?

Social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming, you can keep it simple…yes, simple.   There’s all the talk about social network sites, all the technical programs available, all the tools, all the applications, and there’s video…it goes on and on.  Where do you start and where does it all go?  How does it all fit together?

Putting jigsaw puzzles together is a great past time and if you’ve ever put one together you know you start out with putting your outside pieces, your frame, together first.  This becomes your “template” and your guide for where the rest of the pieces fit in the puzzle.

When starting with social media think of it as your jigsaw puzzle.  You’ll need to define your objectives, define your target market, and create your strategy.  In other words, define what it is you want to accomplish by using social media (your objectives), who do you want to reach (your target market), and how you are going to accomplish those objectives (your strategy).

Do you want to become the “go to” dentist in your area?  Are you wanting to grow your “family” dental practice?  Maybe you want to become “The” cosmetic dentist in your area or want to grow your practice’s email list.  Just what is it you want to accomplish?

Your objectives, target market, and strategy become your plan of action and your plan of action becomes your frame…your puzzle template. 

Once these pieces are together you’re ready to start filling in the rest of your puzzle…choosing your social networks.  To do this, you’ll need to be clear on your target market and familiar with which social networks they prefer to use the most. 

Let’s put this in perspective:  If you work out of 3 treatment rooms in your practice and your patient is seated in TR 3 and you’re seated in TR 2 waiting for that patient, you aren’t going to accomplish anything…you’re not where your patient is.  In other words, if you are on Twitter and your target is on Facebook…see the importance?  You want to go where the “eyeballs” are…be known and be seen where your target market is.

Just like your regular puzzle, you add one or two pieces at a time.  When choosing your social networks, start slow with one, possibly two, of the network pieces.  Many like to start with Facebook or Twitter and a blog.  As you get comfortable with these pieces, you have the option to add more pieces to your social network.  But the key is finding and working within your comfort level.

Whether you’re putting together a 500 piece puzzle (a couple of networks) or a 2000 piece puzzle (most of the networks) keep working and soon your social media puzzle will all be together in one good fit!

Technorati Tags: Dental Marketing, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, overwhelming social media, social media plan of action, social media puzzle, social media puzzle pieces, social media strategies

Opportunities abound with social media.  Social media platforms, social media strategies, social media marketing, but often it’s hard to get your message noticed.

Brian Rice of Social Media Today says:

…the question is how business owners can get themselves noticed without getting themselves marked as spammers.

In his post 5 Things You Should Do in Social Media to Get Heard Brian gives 5 easy to follow tips for getting your message noticed and heard. 

My favorite is the 1st one: Keep Your Message Simple.  I’m a big believer in keeping it simple.  Never underestimate what your audience knows…keep it basic.

Brian ends by saying “Social media is an art.  And like any other art, the more you practice social media the better you will become!”

Which one is your favorite?

 Keep being social!

Technorati Tags: engaging social media, Get your message heard, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, Social Media