Client interview, September 2016
How were you introduced to Prime Practice?
We were referred by a few friends who were enrolled in the Prime Practice Management Program and getting great results.
About 4 months after starting our own practice, we found out that the Practice Owner’s Workshop was coming up in our area. As we were experiencing some difficulties with growing our team and wanted to know how to manage it, we decided to attend the workshop. That was about 3 years ago.
What did you gain from that workshop?
Fundamentally, we got a sense of clarity around what we wanted to achieve with our practice. We were able to look at our financials differently, begin to understand benchmarks, we got some clarity around our business. And we realised just how different the business side of running a practice is to the clinical side. And we figured there was a lot to learn…
3 years on, the main thing we have to be proud of is our really great team culture. We have managed to hire and maintain an amazing team with 4 dentists, 1 OHT, and 7 support staff (and looking for 1-2 more). I think this is as a result of hiring well (with the help and support of our coach) and tools to motivate them in the right way so they can be at their best.
How have you found the coaching experience?
Our coach is amazing. She checks in with us that our financial and personal goals are all on track. But she also makes sure the emotional side is on track. She provides loads of support not just for us, but for the whole team.
Sometimes the coach will have calls with our PM, or depending on who in the team needs some support. Could be our front office or clinical co-ordinator… which is great. Helps us to ensure that everyone on the team is supported because we can’t physically be everywhere doing everything. Knowing everyone is supported allows us to get on with the dentistry.
Sometimes we also have help from other specialists within the Prime Practice business, for example, Phillip Palmer comes on to our call if we need to add in an employee dentist, or on-boarding a new dentist.
You’ve attended many workshops, which has been your favourite?
Primespeak has really enabled our whole team to see how to use the right language and educate patients. All of our dentists have done Primespeak and it is a requirement when a new dentist starts working with us that they do this first. Being able to get all our dentists to speak the same language is priceless as it removes the pressure and sales of dentistry. That way, we also know that the dentists working under our practice name are all doing the right thing.
How has Prime Practice helped?
Owning a dental practice can be stressful. Prime Practice has definitely helped manage this stress.
We get the support from our coach, which I just mentioned.
We attend workshops which really allow the team to get motivated together and learn to trust each other… Instead of being reactive to stressful situations, our team will brainstorm the best solutions and leave out the emotional side. Because of this, each individual is encouraged to grow personally, and then as a team.. Gives each team member more clarity and purpose to their roles and the team therefore manages itself to a large extent.
If there is spare time, our team members will log in to watch some Prime videos. Depending on what we need at that stage, our practice manager will pick one that is relevant and share it with the team. The girls review the team related ones and the dentists often review the Primespeak related ones.
On the business side, Prime Practice helps us measure our KPIs and our monthly production to make sure we are on track and hitting targets. We know where we stand and we know we are heading in the right way.
Prime also provides support around recruitment and HR, even having all of our employment contracts right and checking in as to what is the right thing to do in tricky situations.
With Prime, there is someone to turn to no matter what the problem is…