Client: Judith Ong
Practice: iCare Dental Studio
Joined Prime Practice Management Program: February 2012

How were you introduced to Prime Practice?
I initially saw some advertisements for Primespeak and did this as a stand-alone course. I was really impressed by the dental-specific knowledge presented and so when we ended up buying a practice, I could see the merits of doing more work with Prime Practice.

We did the Practice Owner’s Workshop and signed up to the Practice Management Program and that was about 2 years ago.

What was the impetus for signing up?
Once we had bought the practice, we quickly realised that we had no idea how to manage staff. And there were no existing systems whatsoever in the practice. It seemed that everyone was in their own world doing their own thing and the Principal Dentist at the time worked incredibly hard juggling everything. We didn’t want to be in the same situation when we took over.

We realised that systems was a crucial element of a practice running smoothly having worked in other practices before buying ours, but didn’t know which ones we needed and how to implement them. We just knew something was missing.
We found we really needed help and Prime Practice were able to provide that support.
 

What have been some of the positive changes since you joined Prime?
There are a couple of things. First and probably most importantly for us, we realised the importance of recruiting the right team members. We have now built up a team that is really enthusiastic about their roles and love their jobs. Everything goes much smoother this way.

We have also put in place protocols and systems for most situations. Because everyone in the team knows what they are expected to do, we don’t need to run around micro-managing everybody. It is clear and efficient and most importantly, we are able to get on with our clinical jobs.

What is the biggest thing that changed?
Our biggest change was elevating our team. Being able to communicate clearly with our team what was expected of them was massive. Also, Prime Practice gave us the tools to create a direction and goals for our business. Having our team share in trying to achieve these goals helped. Also, we learnt HOW to give clear instructions to get the results you are looking for. Seems like an easy thing to do, but there is skill involved to get it right.

How have you found the coaching experience?
Coaching has been really helpful and definitely keeps us accountable. We aren’t able to be lazy or complacent and our coach makes sure we stick to what we have said. Our coach had lots of experience in recruitment which was also invaluable.

Have these changes affected your life outside of work?
We don’t have to worry so much about the practice outside of work. We have more of a life I guess!

How has Primespeak helped you and your team?
Primespeak really takes the pressure off selling to the patient. Using the skills from Primespeak, it is less stressful for the dentist. The patient asks us what we can do to help them with their problems. This has not only allowed us to hit our daily targets and able to do more comprehensive treatment, but relieved a lot of pressure from our jobs.