The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said, “Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” Which is why some dentists and teams prefer to skip morning huddles. Too many times morning huddles turn into ten minutes of going nowhere.
However, when morning huddles are constructed effectively, you strengthen teamwork and communication, which ultimately makes the patient experience even better. So what constitutes an effective morning huddle?
For starters, effective huddles always discuss new patients. Who referred the patient? Why did the patient leave his/her last practice? Does the patient have specific dental concerns? Knowing this information ahead of time helps doctors and teams make a great first impression.
You can also share pertinent reminders about established patients. Did someone just get married or get back from vacation or get a new job? Patients are always impressed when you remember key things about their lives. It shows you care about more than just their teeth.
Next, huddles are ideal for troubleshooting scheduling bottlenecks. You can discuss how to mitigate situations where you may run behind. And you can plan ahead in case you end up with more emergency requests than you have blocked in the schedule.
Finally, the huddle provides a great opportunity to update the team regarding goals. Not only discuss where you stand versus your established performance goals, but also what you and the team can do if you are behind for the month.
Assuming huddles are organized and run effectively, you and your team can deliver an even better patient experience, which can ultimately lead to more production, more new patients, and higher treatment acceptance. Not bad for an extra ten minutes each day.