Episode 615: Complete Your Ops Manual in 90 Days!

It’s a necessary evil, building an operations manual and keeping it up-to-date. Kiera and Tiff quickly run through why it’s so important to have your ops manual current and relevant, and how the Dental A-Team can help you get there.

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Transcript:

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0:00:05.6 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, biller, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to 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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0:00:51.4 KD: Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera, and the one and only Spiffy Tiffy, coming to you today for 10 out of 12. We are here, Tiff. We are on the home stretch of this labor of love. System 10 out of 12 today, Operations Manual Creation. How are you, Tiff?

0:01:08.6 Tiff: I'm good. I can feel it. Like we are right there. We're at the end, we've got this.

0:01:13.8 KD: This is how it feels when you're almost done with your ops manual too. Like, you can see the end there. And if you don't know what that feeling feels like, get ready for it. We'll help you out. So on ops manual, Tiff, how much fun do you have listening to ops manual? I feel like this is a broken record system theme of consulting, because it's such a pain in the booty to get done. Would you agree?

0:01:37.0 Tiff: I do. And I think it's like... It's like a broken record almost, right? And it just feels like never ending because it's a restart. So when you get a new client in they're like first thing the operations manual and it's like, "Dang it. I could be working on so many cool things."

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0:01:56.2 Tiff: So you putting this together, and the idea is just brilliant because then it allows us to really dive deep with our clients, I think on other things that we're like, we are also excited about but push, the push the needle on other ways while they're in the background working on OPS manual. So I think it's really cool.

0:02:10.9 KD: Totally, and guys, if you have yet to join us, be sure to head on over to the dentalateam.com, click on that banner and be sure to join our OPS Manual intensive, it's three months in January. So January through March, we're gonna help you guys kick off this OPS manual. Also though, if you are considering, which you should just not consider, you should just do it, joining The Dental A Team family, we'd love to have you and guys... Any team member.

0:02:40.4 KD: So if you join virtually or you join in-person consulting, you actually get this OPS manual intensive included in your consulting next year, so we, like Tiff said, we got tired of spending our time consulting one-on-one with your ops manuals, so now we're actually running a three-month course every quarter for our platinum clients to be able to get their operations manuals done while we continue to coach them on other items. So it's going to be amazing. It's a weekly thing. But guys, OPS manuals, Tiff and I are just gonna walk you back down through dental A team's memory lane, where Tiff do you remember it was a quarterly goal, and we set it for our traction goal to get our OPS manual done as a consulting team. Do you remember that?

0:03:15.8 Tiff: I sure do. I definitely do.

0:03:18.3 KD: It was one of the most boring quarters, I think we have ever had, it was not sexy, it was not dreamy, Tiff how was it building all those protocols for you?

0:03:31.2 Tiff: It was boring, but I think that we... And I found ways to add elements of fun, number one, I always made sure I have my music on, number two, I made sure I had all of my... I'm a drinks girl, I had my coffee, my water, and my kombucha, I had all of my drinks ready. I made sure I was set up and I was comfortable and in a space where I could really create, and then I just busted it out and I copied and pasted, I used templates, and I feel like because we dedicated the time to it, that's why it got done.

0:04:15.2 Tiff: I don't think had we not been like, "Okay, this is happening. Here, block the day, block the time", I just talked to her practice [0:04:15.3] ____ earlier, actually, she's like, "We've got 25% left", then great work off the next three Fridays and get that 25% done and just get it done. And I think that's what we had to do, so it was not exciting, but it had to be done, it had to be done, and I'm so thankful it wad done because as we've onboarded people onto our team, they have something to go back and look at, something that teaches them how to use whatever product it is, and it's fantastic.

0:04:41.2 KD: I would agree. And I think Tiff there is nothing sexy, dreamy, amazing about making an operations manual, which is why it doesn't get done, you guys remember, let's go back in time to when Tiff and I did maximize case acceptance with you, I bet you were like, "Oh yeah. Turn this podcast up. It's gonna be so great." And then I'm like operations manual, and you're like, cool story Kiera.

0:05:00.1 KD: I feel the same way. Don't worry, I hate it too. But this is a necessary evil that will make your life so organized and so easy if you actually get it done, so the way to rate yourself on this one is to see, do you actually have an operations manual that is current, you can't just have it done it's gotta be current and relevant that you are utilizing, that means a vision, mission, core value statement, core values. Do you have an org chart? Do you have job descriptions for every single position in the practice, do you have protocols completed for every single position in the practice, do you have a 30, 60, 90-day onboarding for each position, and do you update this at least twice a year?

0:05:40.9 KD: Do you have videos for every single protocol within your handbook, and do you have this broken down into little guide books per position, and do you also have an employee handbook? Those are really guys. It's not hard. It is not a hard thing to do. What is hard is that when we have protocols, we actually update it, what's hard is getting this sucker made at the beginning, and then making sure it stays current. So like Tiff said, this is why I know you can get it down in 90 days because we've done it as a company, and don't worry, it was like a hustle at the end, Tiff I think you made a bunch like almost on the last day. Did you make a lot of protocol [0:06:15.0] ____?

0:06:18.1 Tiff: Oh, for sure, for sure, I am always that person you know about it, that's why you have to give me deadlines. I tell practices all the time, do not give anyone in your office a project if it doesn't have a deadline because I am for sure the one that's like okay, my deadlines on Friday, I will do all of this Friday morning, and it's gonna be fantastic.

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0:06:36.9 KD: Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and you guys... How was your 2022? I want you to look back and tell me, was it the year of years or was it a really hard year? Did you crush it? Or did it crush you? This is the time, guys, for end of year Dental A Team, Platinum is welcoming you where we will physically fly to your practice, we will come and we will elevate your dreams and make them into a reality, and guys, space is limited and prices are going up. This is not a sales pitch, this is not something where I'm trying to scare you into it, I'm just facing the reality of inflation is here, flights are expensive, and I want to see as many people as we possibly can and serve as many as we can, so if you wanna be part of our elite group of people, there are limited spaces, 'cause our consultants can only see as many. We are taking on 10 new Platinum offices by the end of the year, and that's it, that's all we have space for, so if you wanna be one of the elite 10, come join us.

0:07:38.3 KD: Be a part of our top notch elite doctor community, be a part of our office manager and hygiene and front office communities, get your operations manual done and live the life that you've only been dreaming of today. Email me, [email protected] and make 2023 truly a year that's unforgettable. We are a complete tax write-off, and like I said, we are only taking 10 offices, so don't get left behind, be one of those 10, and I cannot wait to give you the biggest warmest welcome to completely and utterly changing your life for good. Welcome to The Dental A Team. I can't wait for you to join us. [email protected]. Cheers to 2023 and making you your best self yet.

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0:08:24.2 KD: It's absolutely true. But guys, Tiff got it done, we have a dental consulting onboarding manual that we have used multiple times, it's amazing, we have a marketing one, we have a personal assistant/office assistant one, we have sales, we've got CEO, we've got all the positions in our practice, which honestly guys, as an owner of a company, one, it makes my company more valuable, but two... Holy cow. Take the stress out of it. If people turn over, I'm like, "It's fine." Not that it's fine, but I know I can either do the job or we can hire somebody to do it and have them do our exact way. So I want you guys to really look at your OPS manual, is it done if not, get this into a five star and just join or OPS manual intensive and get it done that way, because we will literally hold your hand through it.

0:09:17.0 KD: That's why it's in every single week come, we're gonna teach you guys what you need to do, you'll get a homework assignment, if you will, people pay us thousands, and I'm talking like 10, 15, 20 plus 1000 dollars to come in and do an OPS manual with them. And so you guys get all of that value for a fraction of the cost, so get this checked off, guys, I wouldn't even put this as a system that I need to work on because there is a solution for you, we already have the OPS manual created for you. We already have the training time, we already have it planned for you, and even if you have your operations manual done, I think updating it is also equally as hard, so don't worry, Dental A team, we're coming at it, and we are going to be updating these.

0:09:52.5 KD: Thankfully, every time someone comes in, we do update or when they do leave, like we had our marketing girl leave and I asked her to go through and update all of her positions, every time we hire a new consultant, we go back through this onboarding guide book, make sure all the protocols are the same, like we just switch softwares. We used to use as Asana and now we've moved to ClickUp, well, guess what, those protocols are outdated from Asana, we need to update and make those protocols correct. So we have two... Don't worry, dental A team has January pretty much blocked off. Yep, you better believe it we'll be updating your OPS manual, but you've just gotta have that cadence, so guys, this is one you could check off your list, get done, and give yourself a five star. So let's check to see how is it? Are you utilizing it? Do you have onboarding for every position, and if not, give yourself a lower rating, I would actually say Dental A Team, if we're on a one to five, I'd give us like a four out of five. And if we're on a one to 10, I would give us a solid 8.5 to nine out of 10 on our protocols. Tiff, what about you?

0:10:49.2 Tiff: Yeah, I think I agree, I agree on both of those, 'cause I think they just need to be updated, like you said, for the new systems, and lucky for us, it's towards the end of the year and we'll be right there updating them.

0:11:01.3 KD: Exactly.

0:11:01.9 Tiff: And I think we do a pretty good job of snagging it, and I saw the other day that had already... He already had some ClickUp tutorials and stuff that were in there, and like, this is fantastic, we do a pretty decent job at realizing this is something new, we've gotta teach the team, so while we're teaching the team we might just as well build the protocol.

0:11:18.8 KD: Exactly. So we're taking the hard work out for you guys, so I want you to give yourself a rating I agree with Tiff. We have a ton of things already in there, but guys, it was a full-blown... We are hunkering, down rolling up our sleeves and getting this done, and I will say there has never been a day since that OPS manual has been done for us that I have regretted the time, money or effort spent to get this done, not once. And I don't think any office who's actually gotten it done and utilizes it ever feels that way.

0:11:47.3 KD: So guys, join us. Give yourself a rating, like I said, if you're below a five, just sign up, it'll be amazing, head on over to the dentalateam.com. I super can't wait to see you there. Give yourself a rating and be sure to join us next week. This one's way sexier guys practice profitability, we're rolling you guys into end of year, it is perfect timing for it, so we'll see you in January at OPS Manual Intensive and next week for Practice Profitability. Tiff thanks so much, I super appreciate you being on this and also for making our OPS manual, I think we've actually got it dialed down, and I will say you were actually the inspiration for me to get an OPS manual done, 'cause me as an office manager, I didn't actually have one.

0:12:29.0 KD: And you had one, and so you've always been an inspiration to me of it really is possible for our practice to have it, and I think we've done that successfully for so many practices, so thanks for being the motivation for it, the inspiration for it. And then also teaching it so easily to all of our practices.

0:12:45.2 Tiff: Yeah, for sure. Thank you for telling me that I love that.

0:12:48.7 KD: You're welcome. Alright, guys, as always, thank you for listening and we'll catch you next time on The Dental A Team podcast.

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0:12:56.9 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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