IDA WINR with Guest Shelley Renee

I have a special guest with me today. Her name is Shelley Renee. I'm going to allow her to tell us a little bit more about herself.

Shelley:

I am from a very simple, humble, deep woods way up in northern Maine, and just happen to have the privilege of working underneath the dentist who brought me in.

I babysat for him before I started very small way back as a teenager and totally fell in love with dentistry. I just love it. I love people. I love being a part of creating smiles, and I never left.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of running across people like you, Dr. Lawson-Myers, and I have had the opportunity to learn all these amazing tidbits.

And it was just gems everywhere so that I could absorb them and then later be able to share them back. I never went back to college.

I stayed in dentistry. And then I continued to take courses that supported practice management. It was fantastic. Totally fantastic.

Heather-Dawn:

Well, lucky for us, you got bitten by the bug. And I guess with all that you've learned over the years with practice management, you've been able to help teams figure out how to do it best for them.

Shelley:

Absolutely. There's one thing that sets me a little bit apart, in that, I believe in simplifying all the craziness we see around us and bringing it down to the basics, to simplicity.

Because then we can enjoy the patients, we can get to the heart of life and its meaning and not worry about all these other little details, but truly simplify our day.

And whenever I work with teams, my eye is on how I can make this easier. How can we make this more fun with less stress?

Heather-Dawn:

Two of my favorite terms are less stress and more fun. As you know, we focus on sharing about our dental assistants and giving little pearls and that sort of thing. So, do you have any gems or tips for us today?

Shelley:

I do. Because assistants, to me, are just the life of a practice. They tightly weave our teams together. As a matter of fact, I was looking at a mention of assistance, and I kept coming across terms about threads and weaving.

So I did a little research on it. And it talked about how you actually make tight woven threads. And it sounded like the perfect description of an assistant because it talked about the weft that weaves itself back and forth, back and forth, and creates the fabric.

When I think of our assistants, they are the movers and shakers. They move back and forth between patients, departments, and systems, and they carry the information and tie it together. And it's in that handoff that they really bring the strength of the team, and that sets the tone for the patient experience. 

Heather-Dawn:

You're so right, Shelly. So many times I will recognize that a relationship is built between the patient and the dental assistant and they're relying on the dental assistant to say, “Is this okay?”

Shelley:

Oh, you are spot on. They are the most relatable people in the office and the ones the patients are most eager to connect with. It's a beautiful relationship, and that can spread through how the patients and the assistants interact. I do have a simple little tip, a little acronym.

It's W I N R. I like to think of it as a winner. The whole team should think of this as they greet the patient, as it's like a little baton they're passing, or it's our little thread that we're weaving throughout the office.

So “W” would stand for the "welcome", a warm, fuzzy welcome; how we greet the patient; how we extend our hand; how we shake their hand; how we connect; the welcome that wows the patients.

Next, would be the “I” for "information". Patients are nervous, and they love us to talk with them throughout the day. What's going to happen today? What's on top for today? What comes next? What can they expect?

And that's one of my biggest words that I'm always stressing to the assistants, what comes next? What will we do today, then what comes next? What are the benefits that come in next? That's all the important part and that is the “N” - the "next". 

So our welcome, the information, what comes next, and my favorite part of the handoff is the "rave" - the “R”.

So as we are bringing the patient back, we're welcoming them, telling them details of today, what comes next. 

But if they were to be introducing the doctor, they would rave about Doctor Lawson Meyers, "you should see the veneer she just did on the patient before you, a beautiful work." Or "you should see how she took care of this little family just before you she does a beautiful job with this little family."

So I teach assistants to rave with specifics. And you should see how it breaks down barriers. You should see how a patient instantly bonds. And it's just four simple letters. W I N R, winner.

Heather-Dawn:

I love it. I think it has all the ingredients for a relationship. Who doesn't want to be greeted warmly? And everybody wants to understand, to get some idea.

And, you know, patients are naturally anticipating, so if you tell them what's next, it really helps to decrease their anxiety. And of course, if you are passing them on to someone who's going to take the baton from you, you want to know that you're being passed on to somebody who's fantastic.

Shelley:

Exactly. It's not only for the patient but that the team members hear what comes next.

So there's this cohesive knowledge that's being passed.

There’s clarity, and every step of the patient process is crystal clear knowledge of what we're doing today.

What comes next and why is this team member just so amazing?

So from the entrance, the front desk team, when they take them and when the patient is brought back to the front desk team.

They would say, for example, "Sally is going to take care of your next visit. She is a whiz at getting you the most benefit from your insurance. She will take amazing care of you."

So, once again, I’m raving about the next team member. It creates such an amazing atmosphere. The team member feels good, the patient's perception of “wow what a team,” all by simply raving with each patient, each interaction, each time.

Heather-Dawn:

Well, you know, it seems like you are truly a whiz at making things simple and making things fun. Because that makes them repeatable. And what better for a team than to be consistent, to be informative, and to be big fans of each other?

Shelley:

Yeah, it makes everybody feel good. And the clarity and the accountability pieces are there. This is what we're doing. This is what comes next. Raving. The pieces fit and it's just a simple repeatable process like you said.

Heather-Dawn:

I love it, Shelly. And, you know, we call this podcast the irreplaceable dental assistant. And can you imagine if one of the team members brought this? "Hey, let's look at this. This is something we could do." Wow, wow. Every team member would look and say, "That's great.”

Because it's simple. It's easy to do, and it's certainly going to make us look good in the eyes of our patients. And after all, isn't that what we're after?

Providing quality care and making people feel comfortable and supported. And by the way, always remind them that this is the A-team. We work well together; we support each other. And we're always showing some kind of evidence that we are each other's greatest fans. Yeah, I think if I was a patient that would be where I would want to go.

Shelley:

Totally, as and when they hear each other speak kindly, and specifics about what they excel in, the trust goes way up. So the patients are ready to get healthy; they're ready to accept treatments.

And their work is just seamless, from scheduling to insurance to treatment. It's seamless because it's been repeated between team members. I think the only way to go is the four simple little steps.

Heather-Dawn:

And you know what I think it does as well? It inspires each team member to live up to the rave.

Shelley:

Now, part of the fun is thinking, "What can I say next?” “What's my next thing to rave about them?" So it lets them be creative, which gives you like a little secret chuckle inside, you know, totally to be talked about so positively all day long. Wow.

Heather-Dawn:

Wow. Yeah, and, you know, they say teamwork makes the dream work. So the more cohesively the team works together, the more they're going to soar.

Shelley Renee, I can't thank you enough. You think that you just sprinkle some little gems. But these little simple steps could transform a whole office. I'm serious, with very little effort, because sometimes you get advice, and it's okay. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

But how are we going to start this? This is something you could decide to implement tomorrow. And it would make a difference, even if everybody doesn't do it all the time yet. You know, and it could be something that you build until the entire team gets on board.

And as you say, it becomes fluid. So if somebody wanted to contact you or reach out to you, where would they be able to find you?

Shelley:

So it’s my name, shelleyrenee.com. I'm just honored for this opportunity. You amaze me with what you teach your assistants. It's a pleasure and they will thrive.

Heather-Dawn:

With guests like you, they can't help but thrive. I am so grateful for your willingness to take the time to talk with me, it's gold. I appreciate it. I don't take it for granted. And I hope that you will circle back and come and share with us.

Shelley:

It would be an honor.

Heather-Dawn:

You are most welcome. Have a great one, Shelley Renee, and thank you. Well, my irreplaceable dental assistants, we certainly did get a winner today.

We were reminded to be welcoming, and informative, to make sure that our patients know the next steps, and to be raving fans of our team members. Some of you may have more to rave about than others.

But as we said, as people begin to anticipate that you're going to rave about them, they're going to step up to the next level. By being an irreplaceable dental assistant you can elevate the level of the team, just like pouring out positivity.

So I'm encouraging you to just stay in the group and to be a winner. Because the more you contribute, the more irreplaceable you become at the office.

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This is Episode 6 of my Irreplaceable Dental Assistant podcast.

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