Episode 684: How To Keep Monotony Out of Your Morning Huddles

 Tiff and Dana are giving tips for having strong and fun morning huddles every single day. They break down tactical pieces (strategies, goals, busy-time prep) and good culture opportunities to incorporate. Remember: A strong morning huddle is more beneficial than a whimsical one.

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Transcript:

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0:00:05.8 Kiera Dent: Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent. And I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants, where we have traveled over 165 different offices, coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you. Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental, and I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast.

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0:00:51.6 KD: Hello, Dental A Team, listeners. This is Kiera. And you guys, you are in for the best treat of your life, Consultant Takeover. That's right. Get ready. They're dropping some dynamite. Our consulting team is incredible guys, and we are so blessed and so fortunate to have them sharing tips and tricks with you today. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

0:01:14.0 Tiff: Hey, Dana, how are you?

0:01:16.9 Dana: Good. Thanks, Tiff, for having me.

0:01:18.8 Tiff: Of course.

0:01:19.1 Dana: How are you?

0:01:19.8 Tiff: I'm so good. Thank you. Thank you. I love podcasting with you, and with Brett, and with Kiera, obviously. But I really love this new format that we have, and I think it's interesting because, I've said it before, but we used to do our podcasting on Zoom, so we saw each other no matter what, which I think helps. You're not talking to thin air, so it helps seeing each other. But then now I think it's really cool that... For whatever reason, social media has just gotten wild with these videos, and so I just think it's so cool that everybody gets to see us now because we saw each other before. No, no, I love it. So I'm excited to be here with you today. I love podcasting with you, I love your ideas, and I felt like today's was very Dana, right down Dana's alley. [chuckle] The idea that I had, I was just like, this is so you. You do really well with getting a lot of really good team investment and involvement and just making things fun for them. And I think one piece that practices really struggle with is morning huddles and staying consistent on them, but then also, we do them every day, and so they become monotonous. They become the same old routine.

0:02:29.5 Tiff: And I remember being in practice, and I remember my hygienist, I have one in particular that I can picture her face, and I hope she still listens to our podcast, she knows exactly who she is, and she would just be putting her jacket on, zipping or buttoning it up, she's getting her stuff together, and I'm like, "Girlfriend, we just started." And she's rolling her eyes, because it's the same thing every day. And we would review so much information that didn't matter to her life, [chuckle] and so she checked out. She would bust through her stuff, she'd check out and not listen to anything else. So I think here at the Dental A Team, we definitely strive to do things differently, and we strive to always make things fun, make things easy. And I think you do really well with that, Dana, especially when it comes to team meetings like morning huddles. So I thought I'd pick your brain today and really give the audience a couple of tools to spice up morning huddle. Like how do we make a... Number one... Two things. I think number one, how do we make a morning huddle really strong? So what are the pieces that really matter to be involved in a morning huddle? And then number two, how do we bring the fun in so that they don't become monotonous? What do you think?

0:03:39.4 Dana: Yeah, yeah. And I think it's really mapping out the important pieces. And I listen to a lot of morning huddles. When we're in practice too, we watch and participate in a lot of morning huddles. And the one thing I always say to office is, if I can look at the schedule, if I can look at the schedule and see it, I don't need to say it at morning huddle. [chuckle] I can just see it on the schedule. So I think it is being really strategic about the pieces we talk about, 'cause if we're just reading the schedule, we can all look at it on our own time. We don't need to take those 15 minutes to say that Joe Smith is coming for a prophy today and he's having to bite wings and... All of those pieces. So I always say, "Hey, look, if we can see it on the schedule, let's just leave it on the schedule. Let's bring to morning huddle really tactical pieces and the important information that we need to share with each other.

0:04:26.3 Dana: And then I think too, making sure that we're always strategising when we're in morning huddle. Yes, we can give this information, and we want important patient information to be handed over to other team members so that we're prepared, and that we can keep patients safe and have great appointments, but I think really using it to strategise, so looking at the schedule and saying, not just what's on there, but hey, look, this area is gonna be really busy. Like what can we do together to make sure that we get through that really smoothly? Can we have treatment plans already presented for same-day treatment that we found in morning huddle? Can we put together trays for those things that maybe patients will accept for same-day treatment? Can we have those trays ready? If we've got an area where we're double, triple booked here and we maybe squeeze in an emergency, let's prepare, prepare those trays, slap on names, keep them in the back in Siri. So really, really strategising.

0:05:23.7 Dana: Same-day treatment is a big thing I always say. And look for it both ways, like oftentimes we'll say, "Okay, who in hygiene has outstanding treatment that we can put in doctor side?" But there are patients in doctor side who haven't come for their routine preventive services, so looking at it in both ways. Also too, this is a great time to really notate patients that have outstanding balances that we know. They've gotta check out, they've gotta see our front team no matter what. So I think it is thinking about ways that you can strategise and really be tactical in morning huddle. Not just reading things off, not just... And then I think morning huddle is just a really great culture opportunity because it's the one time usually in practices that all team members are together. So finding ways to celebrate individual team members, celebrating as a team, even just doing something fun, whether it's a joke, whether [chuckle] it's sharing something that you're thankful for.

0:06:17.9 Dana: It might not have to do with the office, but that's okay. We also wanna connect with team members on a personal level. And I think morning huddle is just a great opportunity. And then when we feel like, "Okay, maybe we've kind of burnt out," just switch it up. Even if you're switching up your themes for your morning huddles every year, or every quarter, we want team members, yes, to know what to expect so they come prepared for those pieces, but it is okay to really switch it up and change it up and have it where team members are truly engaged.

0:06:47.4 Tiff: I totally agree. I love that. I love the strategising and the tactical pieces. I think that's super, super important. One of my favourite things to do is always to pull on today to fill today and tomorrow. It just makes it so much easier. If they're already here, that's up-leveling their patient experience, in my opinion. So I love that you said tactically, to make sure that we're strategising and preparing for anyone who might be able to do treatment today. So if they've got unscheduled treatment in their chart, could we fit that in when they're here, and if so, let's have a treatment plan in a tray ready to go for them. I love that.

0:07:24.4 Tiff: So I think key pieces that I took away really are the tactical pieces, so making sure we're prepped and ready, so make sure you guys have morning huddle prep sheets to make this very easy for you, have the dental assistants and the hygienists go through all of those pieces that Dana was just talking about. So the night before... So tonight, I'm looking at... It's Friday, so I'm looking at Monday, and I'm looking at my patients who are coming in. If I'm a dental assistant, I've either got a column or I've got a doctor, and I'm looking through, not only do I need to know what we're doing on Monday, and I'm not talking about that at huddle, I love that you said that if I can look at the schedule and see it, I don't need to know, so I'm looking to see, do they have unscheduled treatment that's still in their chart? Do they have an unscheduled cleaning or recare? Have they ever been seen for a recare? How many patients come in on doctor side and never make it to hygiene ever? And then also, do they have family members that need cleanings or that need to come into the practice in general?

0:08:25.3 Tiff: So my sheet is gonna say patient name, it's gonna say unscheduled treatment, and then it's gonna say unscheduled recare patient and family, and then any notes, so latex allergy, birthday, medications that they might be taking or are allergic to, anything like that, I'm gonna put that on there. And then hygiene, I think, is the same exact thing. You're going through your column, you're looking at your schedule and you're saying what treatment is outstanding that they didn't get done since their last visit, do they have any family members who are due for their cleaning or need to come in in general, and then any medical notes as well. So I think that's huge. I think that's super tactical, and making sure that we have those forms. And I think for a front office, making sure you've got a form there too, that's going over the goals, 'cause we need to make sure that we're hitting goals, but like Dana said, where are the busy times in our schedule. I love that you notated that. I love to have that on the morning huddle agenda for the front office. So it's goals, then it's where are we today in comparison to where we should be, and then what's the busiest time of today so that we can strategise and predict what needs to happen, but then also, like you said, what openings do we have?

0:09:38.6 Tiff: So if the front office is coming and saying, "Hey, we have a 10:00 AM and a 2:00 PM opening," now, my back office is saying, "I have unscheduled treatment or we've got unscheduled recare. Well, can those fill my 10:00 and my 2:00 PM appointments?" So we're strategising, and we're really using what we have today to make today even better. I think that's huge. So I love that you said the tactical. That's Kiera's favourite words. So tactical pieces are really to be strategised. So make sure you've got morning huddle agenda for the back office, morning huddle agenda for the front office, and that you're hitting all those pieces and you're giving the patients the best experience possible, and sometimes that means doing same-day treatment so that they don't have to come back again. I think in my opinion, my busy lifestyle like, oh my gosh, if you could do it all for me today, please by all means. I don't have to come back for another appointment. Do anything you need to to get all of this taken care of today, please, because I don't know when I can come back. So that's huge.

0:10:36.9 Tiff: And then I think that leads to a really strong morning huddle, if I'm honest. Those tactical strategising pieces really make for a strong morning huddle. And if you're coming prepared, Dana, I would say they could probably be done with those pieces in three to five minutes. They just bust through it, they're tactical, they strategise and they move on. And then you've got the culture piece, which makes it fun, which I think we do really great in our company with making morning huddles fun, and finding what works for you. I've got practices that will go over core values, pick a core value every week, and that's what we talk about every day, we talk about wins. I've got a practice, they're near and dear to my heart, and I know they listen to the podcast, and they know who they are, in North Carolina, and they do dad jokes. [chuckle]

0:11:23.6 Tiff: So Dr. Nate actually comes in every day with his phone prepped. And every single day, the associate dentist will come in, and he does a morning huddle, a dad joke, and it's just so hilarious. And all of us laugh so hard. I look forward to it when I'm consulting them. The team looks forward to it. But there's so many simple things, celebrating the wins, celebrating, like you said, Dana, the team or team members, I think that's huge. A lot of practices will do... Gosh, what is it? There's... Why can't I think of it? Superhero of the week, things like that, and then... I love it. Or awesome jar, pull out awesome jars. What else have you seen, Dana, that's really good culture pieces?

0:12:07.6 Dana: And then even reading patient reviews, 'cause not everybody in the team gets the time to check them. And so the front, when we're getting an alert, say them. Read them to the team so the team knows. And especially those where team members are in the reviews, where patients take the time to actually put names that help create those experiences and celebrate that. And I love the joke. I think having that joke, or even a quote, having a quote of the day that really helps the team align and get started in a positive direction.

0:12:37.5 Tiff: Yeah, I love it. I love it. Awesome. Well, I think you can have really strong morning huddles very easily, and I think, honestly and truly, creating the strong morning huddle is easier than having the whimsical morning huddle that I see in so many practices. It simplifies it. It makes it faster. It makes it very tactical, and you really just get to move on with your day, which is what most people want. They don't wanna be huddled in the break room forever, they just wanna move on. So make sure you've got your morning huddle agendas, make sure you're looking for... Biggest pieces are openings in the schedule, and what are you gonna do with them? So what are your unscheduled treatments for the day, what are your unscheduled re-cares for the day? Don't forget to look at family members, and really just strategising how you're gonna get that same-day treatment taken care of, and then celebrate each other, have some sort of fun engaging something, mix it up, I would say, by quarter, by week, by day. Whatever you want that to look like, just kind of mix it up, make it fun and engaging, see what...

0:13:32.9 Tiff: Oh, dance parties. Dance parties are so much fun. Anyways, whatever you guys decide to do, those are your tactical pieces. And I'd say, go create a really strong morning huddle. And if you need help with the agendas, if you need help with the strategising or what it needs to look like, this is what we do all day, every day. You guys, morning huddles are our jam. Consulting is our jam. We do all of these pieces, but truly, all of our practices are doing morning huddles, so we've got this down. And if you need help, just reach out. We're all here for you, [email protected]. We want to help you. We want you to be successful, and we wanna know that it's working for you. So if you've got a second, please, by all means, drop us a five-star review, let us know what's working, what's not working. Did this podcast resonate with you, do you need a stronger morning huddle. Tell us the things so that we know what's working so we can do more of what's working and less of what's not working. Let's make all of our lives easier. So go kill it. Dana, thank you so much for being here today. I truly appreciate you. I knew this was gonna be a good one for you. You're so smart when it comes to these things and really being tactical and strategising these types of things, and I saved this one special for you, so thank you for being here.

0:14:46.3 Dana: Yeah, thanks for having me. It was always so much fun.

0:14:48.4 Tiff: Oh, good. Good. All right, guys, go kill it.

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0:14:55.8 KD: And that wraps it up for another episode of The Dental A Team Podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.

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