The true value of support and training in the dental practice

If you ask any successful business what its most important asset is, almost all will say good employees. Although some employees are experts when they walk in the door, a majority are coached through various forms of training and support from their bosses and companies. Great employees can have an immense impact on the success of a dental office, with benefits coming in the form of increased productivity, increased morale, happier patients, and a better overall practice.

Create a more efficient office

The adage, “practice makes perfect,” is true, but sometimes practice isn’t enough. To be the best at their job, employees often require continuing education and workplace training to stay current on industry news and knowledge. An educated employee can often provide different perspective and think of improvements that will benefit the practice as a whole.

Highly-trained employees can be the difference between companies that are stuck in their old ways and succumb to failure and those that adapt for the future and succeed. Having workers who fully understand the dental industry and recognize when change is needed allows dental offices to implement new workflows and create a more efficient office.

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Decrease turnover and increase morale

Employee turnover can often have negative consequences on an office. When experienced staff members leave, it’s hard to fill their shoes. Instead of continually recruiting new employees, it makes sense to create an environment where people don’t want to leave. Continuing education opportunities can often play a large role in a positive environment where employees feel supported. When employees feel valued by employers that invest time and resources into them, this can lead to increased loyalty to bosses that value employees enough to make a commitment to employees’ well being.

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Ensure more satisfied patients

Patient satisfaction should be the number one goal of any practice, and employees play a major part in ensuring a patient has the best experience possible. Investing in proper phone etiquette and communications skills training for employees can create better interactions with patients and fewer instances of patient dissatisfaction.

Patients can also often tell whether or not an employee is proficient at their job. Recruiting and training skilled employees to be expertly trained in all job aspects gives patients more peace of mind when entering the office. Visiting the dentist can be stressful enough for some patients, so it’s important that employees make the appointment as easy as possible.

Enjoy a better overall practice

To put it simply, great training creates great employees, and great employees create great dental practices. In order for your practice to operate at full capacity, you need employees that can handle the rigor and stresses of day-to-day activities while keeping their composure. Ample training and continuing education opportunities create confident employees that react to situations as they come and make wise decisions that benefit the entire practice.

Training can seem like a large upfront cost, but it’s often the deciding factor between the success and failure of a practice. When thinking about implementing a training program, ask yourself this question, “If I don’t spend this money now, will I spend it later in lost revenue and employee replacement?” More often than not, this answer is yes.

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Offering employees opportunities for training and continuing education ensures long lasting success by increasing employee productivity, creating better office morale, and keeping patients happy with their service. Training and support can be a positive difference in any practice and start a legacy of success.

Note: This article is sponsored by Patterson Dental as part of the Dental Practice Management Partner Voice Program, which provides a way for leading dental manufacturers to share quality content with our audience. Patterson Dental offers a wide range of dental products including Eaglesoft Practice Management Software, CAESY Patient Education Systems and the RevenueWell marketing communications suite, which are backed by the renowned support and customer service team at the Patterson Technology Center. With multiple support options and more than 125 years experience in the dental industry, Patterson has the resources and expertise to help customers and practices reach their greatest potential.