Jameson Blog
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Next week in Plano, Texas, dental assistants from around the country will gather for a one-of-a-kind meeting that is designed specifically for them — Professional Dental Assisting (PDA). This is the fourth year for PDA having made previous stops in Indianapolis (twice) and Norfolk, Va. Cathy Jameson was one of the keynote speakers at the first PDA in Indianapolis, and her message of the dental assistant’s value has been echoed by other speakers in PDA’s history.
I was recently asked to pen an article for a magazine devoted to the dentist about the current state of dental assistant salaries. Of course, I accepted the offer and wrote the article below. Sadly, my article was rejected because the editorial team at the magazine felt it was "too negative toward the doctor." I was also told, "The doctor hears these complaints all the time, so why print them?" Folks, there is a thing called "reality" out there. Yes, these are tough times. Yes, people are hurting right now. Yes, dental assistants deserve more pay. If you don't believe one or more of these three statements, you're burying your head in the sand. That's my take. Dental assistants ... keep fighting the good fight. Keep believing you're worth every penny you make ... and much, much more. I wrote the article below with you in mind. I am the editor of Dental Assisting Digest (DAD), a monthly e-newsletter that goes out to more than 25,000 dental assistants around the country. I love my role with DAD because I enjoy talking to dental assistants and getting their perspectives on office trends and favorite products. I've heard more than one doctor say his or her dental assistant is the heartbeat of the practice, and I am a firm believer in that statement. During my talks with dental assisting groups around the country, one of the hottest topics among them seems to be salaries and benefits. I recently put together a salary survey and sent it out through DAD, asking dental assistants about their hourly wages as well as their perceptions of their pay and benefits. Last June, we posted our first DAD salary survey. During that survey, almost 800 DAD readers took the time to fill out the five-question online salary survey. Of the respondents, 81% made less than $22 per hour, and a whopping 97.7% made less than $30 per hour. In January, we wanted to find out a little more about those 97.7% who made less than $30 per hour, so we asked dental assistants to fill out another survey. This time, 502 responded with their honest opinions about their wages. What did we learn? The majority of dental assistants who answered fall into the $16 to $18 per hour range, with 35.6% in that range. What was the best news from the survey, in my opinion? There were only 3% of respondents who made $10 or less. What was the worst news, in my opinion? There were 3% of respondents who made $10 or less. I am so looking forward to being at PDA 2009 next week. I know these assistants will leave the meeting energized, refreshed, and ready to make their job not just a “job” but a “career.” My hope is that their employers will see the dedication in their eyes of actions, and reward them. [ add comment ] ( 195 views ) Over the past year Jameson has provided a “mystery patient” service to our clients. In a nutshell, we call in as a prospective new patient and participate in a new patient call with the business administrator. Throughout the call we are evaluating the level of customer service, whether they are implementing communication skills taught to them by their Jameson coach and if they are gathering the appropriate information – and are able to lead that caller to the optimal end result – scheduling an appointment! We then give that information to the client’s coach and they are able to work on these areas with the team at the next consult. Here are a few simple items that are more often than not missed in these calls: 1. Ask for the caller’s name. Sounds simple enough, right? You would be amazed at how few calls I finish end with the dental practice knowing my name! How can you move into the driver’s seat of the conversation if you never know the person you are speaking with on the phone? 2. Speak clearly, pleasantly and loud enough for the caller to hear you. I have often found it difficult to continue a conversation with a dental practice if I can’t understand what they are saying or if they sound less than thrilled to be having a conversation with me. Think of local stores, customer service lines, or businesses where you’ve had great customer care. Call and speak to them over the phone – take notes on what you liked about those call experiences and implement them into your practice’s telephone technique! Who says that healthcare providers can’t be just as customer service oriented as the next business? Sometimes it’s as simple as a clear, pleasant greeting! 3. Stay in control of the call! In a new patient call, there’s quite a bit of information you need to gather while also moving that patient to ultimately scheduling a new patient appointment with you. It is imperative that you answer that caller’s questions, but it is just as important that you stay on task and don’t lose control of the call. This way, the caller feels listened to, but you also are able to get that conversation to go where you need it to go – into the schedule! This is easier said than done, but can be accomplished with a little active listening and great communication skills! There you have it – three simple items that seem to wreak havoc on business teams throughout the land! Take the necessary steps to eliminate these problems and you will find more and more new patients walking through the door! If you want more help with this area of your practice, Jameson now offers a special program focused directly on telephone technique and the new patient experience called the Mystery Patient Program. Give us a call today to discuss scheduling this program for your practice: 877.369.5558. [ 1 comment ] ( 1151 views ) I just returned last night from the IDS meeting in Cologne, Germany. If you've never been to this meeting, you should put it on your plans for 2011. It happens every two years in Cologne, and it is THE place to go see the newest products and advances. And talk about big ... the IDS meeting in three times larger than the Chicago Midwinter Meeting. This year, the three main product themes seemed to be CAD/CAM, implants, and minimal intervention. Can you believe there were 170 companies were there with CAD/CAM? Unbelievable. Three main thoughts jump into my head when I think about my week in Cologne... 1. What recession? The economy was talked about time and time again, but you certainly couldn't tell it from the hall floor. Business was good. People were energetic and positive. Life seemed good. The positive effects from Chicago carried over here, and I'll be anxious to see what things are like when most of us reconvene in California for the Spring CDA. I'll also have the chance to visit a smaller state show next weekend while I go to Portland for the Oregon Dental Conference (I'm speaking on going green in the dental office, so please stop by if you'll be at the show). 2. FDA approval knocks a lot of products out of the U.S., and maybe that is not such a bad thing. 3. The IDS will never be able to be replicated in the U.S. Never. No one should try because the American mindset of a trade show is so different than here. Can you imagine dental teams going to trade shows in the U.S. without speakers or CE opportunities? To see what the IDS is like, check out http://www.ids-cologne.de/ [ add comment ] ( 808 views ) Are you a member of Facebook? If so, log in and search for Jameson Management, Inc., as a group and join! [ add comment ] ( 881 views ) I returned earlier this week from the Chicago Midwinter Meeting and I must tell you, the downturn in the economy did not seem to be a factor on the McCormick Place show floor. People were lined up to get in for the opening of the exhibit hall on Friday morning, and many exhibitors I spoke with said nothing but good things about the booth traffic and sales made. Several reps told me their company made their sales goals for the meeting, which I thought was a tremendously positive indicator. I attended several press conferences and listened with interest about some of the new products being launched. Two that stood out to me were the KöR Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System from Evolve Technologies (www.korwhitening.com) and Trimira's Identafi™ 3000 oral cancer screening device (www.trimira.net). Both seemed to have the technology that would "wow" dentists and patients, and I think we'll be hearing positive comments about these products for some time. Next up? A trip to Cologne, Germany, for the IDS Meeting. This meeting happens every other year and we'll often see products launched at this meeting that won't be available in the United States for another year. Talk about a sneak preview! And, of course, the food can't be beat. I'll drop my next installment from Germany. Until then, be sure to check out www.dentaleconomics.com and our community at community.pennwelldentalgroup.com. Kevin Henry Managing Editor, Dental Economics Editor, Dental Assisting Digest Editor, Dental Office Editor, Proofs [ add comment ] ( 570 views ) |
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