Dental Team Training: Getting The Best Return on Investment

Think back to when you first decided to you wanted to be a dentist and how you felt when you discovered what education and training was going to be necessary. And, with the rapid pace of change in dentistry today, no doubt you feel the need to continue learning just to keep pace!

Why do I mention this when it may seem so obvious? To urge you to also consider your team’s training needs the benefits you can accrue for your practice by meeting them.

As the CEO of my own team, I can attest to the value of a properly trained staff and how it can improve productivity and employee satisfaction. Other companies have enjoyed the same results.

Yet, despite the validated benefits, it is often tempting to reduce training time in order to cut costs.

Yes training is an investment in time and money but let’s look at the two types of training dental offices can take advantage of and that will pay huge dividends down the road.

First, there is the training necessary for effective individual staff roles. Team members need to know what the expectations are, how to effectively perform their required daily tasks and what skill development is necessary for future improvement/career growth.

Second (and what is naturally dear to my heart), is training that ensures practice management software is used as effectively as possible in the dental practice. Regardless of what system you are using, here are just some of the reasons to arrange software training for your staff:

1. Improved Practice Performance
   Properly trained staff help you run a successful practice. They are better equipped to use the software to handle patient inquiries, appointment scheduling, transaction processing, and to identify treatment opportunities that lead to increased efficiency and profitability.
2. Quicker Transition
   In most cases, staff that receive proper training can be up and running with key features much quicker compared to proceeding without any guidance.
3. Reduced Need for Support
   Staff who already know what to do request support services less often – this saves you time and money.
4. Fewer Errors
   Properly trained staff make fewer errors. More importantly, errors will not be compounded over time since they are eliminated/avoided at an early stage.
5. Less Stress
   Well trained staff feel much more confident using the software, are less stressed and are able to remain more focused.
6. More Efficient Knowledge Transfer
   With your software as the facilitator, you can cross-train staff to be capable in more than one aspect of the practice. This will help keep them interested and prove helpful when setting schedules or filling in for absences. In addition, if more than one person on your team has special skills, you are less vulnerable if someone does leave the practice.
7. Better Staff Retention
   Quality training is a recruiting, job satisfaction and retention tool. Today’s dental staff want more than a pay cheque. Their focus is toward employment that allows them to learn new skills and reach their full potential.
8. Appropriate System Configuration
   For new installs, a key component of training involves understanding your practice’s profile, office protocols and workflow requirements and then configuring/using the system accordingly. When this is done properly at the start it boosts overall efficiency and can prevent many headaches down the road.

In summary, proper training is essential for your staff to reach full potential and capitalize on the full potential of your dental software. So book your next training session – not just a one-time thing – staff training is a long-term investment!