The Big Capacity Attitude
Back in the early days of visiting offices, we would notice some that were busy and some that were not.
The big difference was not their procedures, though the better offices had them. In fact, many offices had their procedures more defined and better followed despite struggling to survive.
But there was one big difference we noted.
The busier offices often had a motto on the front desk: “Always room for one more!” And it even went beyond that.
The busier offices had a front desk that was almost aggressively friendly. They had an attitude that was wide open and welcoming. Their front desk had an attitude that everyone and their uncle should come in for an adjustment or just to get checked.
On the other hand, the less busy offices frequently had more rules, often focused on collections and insurance rather than getting people in.
Here’s an example I will never forget…
It was in an industrial down. Two doctor-office. The front desk staff member was new -- and new to computers. She had worked in a manufacturing plant that downsized. I remember visiting the office and seeing her look at the mouse and then looking at the screen to see how the cursor moved.
She was middle-aged and very friendly, but computers were new to her. The doctor had someone in billing who had worked as a paralegal. She was very detailed and efficient but was frustrated because of computer errors from the front desk. Understandably.
Dr. Jim Sigafoose was giving a seminar in town, and the doctor scheduled the front desk staff member to attend to learn more about chiropractic. Dr. Sigafoose, or “Siggy” as he was affectionately called, was a chiropractic educator. He had a gift for communicating his understanding and passion for chiropractic and chiropractic results. (We had the privilege of working with him on and off and recommended him often. A very special soul.)
The staff member returned from the seminar as a different person. She was a chiropractic promoter, enthusiastic about helping people see her doctors. I watched month after month as the visit numbers climbed to their “best evers” in years.
But the billing person had had it. She convinced the doctor to let the front desk person go and find someone who could enter daily charges correctly and use a computer. So, he fired her.
Visits went down, and the doctor had to let his associate go.
The correct solution was hiring another person for data entry while supporting the valuable front desk assistant. The ROI would have been easily worth it.
Billing and patient accounts depend on accuracy. But it is a different mindset.
The front desk is your cheerleader, the first and last contact with your patients and potential patients. The front desk can drive your office volume. But they have to have a “high capacity” mindset.
EXERCISE: Ask your front desk team if they can handle 10 new patients tomorrow. Ask them if they can see 150 or more visits tomorrow. They should say “YES -- can’t wait” cheerfully. If they say “no way,” find out why. What are their reasons?
Now, do the same for yourself!
Dig into these reasons. The physical “limitations” may simply be ones that coincide with mental limitations.
Open up the capacity. Turn the lights green.
Have the Big Capacity attitude.
I cover this in my book, The Goal Driven Business.
We also learn tools to overcome this on our Practice MBA starting March 31. If you want a full office, sign up for it soon.
And stay Goal Driven.
Ed
PS. MBA 2025. Our next MBA program will begin March 31st. We only take a limited number of students, so if you are interested, please get on our wait list today.
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