Latest From Laura
Read the latest news & tips from Laura on how to improve your Dental Practice

One Hiring Strategy I Guarantee You Aren’t Considering but Should
Contrary to popular opinion, hiring people is not easy. Recruiting the right candidates and making sure they are good hires will take a lot of work on your part; in fact most companies can't do it perfectly without any help at all! Nearly three-quarters of businesses...

How to Re-Establish Systems At The Dental Practice
The last year has brought about many changes in dental practices. Most offices have spent the last 12 months trying to keep the office running and that has meant pushing aside some of the important systems and protocols that we rely on to keep things running smoothly...
DentistryIQ: Why Office Manuals Do Not Work
As Originally Published in Dentistry IQ on February 9th, 2021. Here is the problem with the idea of buying an operations manual “off the shelf”: Every office is different. Every business does things differently. Each task is done specifically the way that particular...

The Best Way to Train A New Dental Hire
When a new person is hired, typically the team is excited as it not only offers a new, fresh face to add to the team but it means additional help. The issue with the new fresh face is that when it arrives at your office, most of the team has not prepared for the idea...
One Hiring Strategy I Guarantee You Aren’t Considering but Should
Contrary to popular opinion, hiring people is not easy. Recruiting the right candidates and making sure they are good hires will take a lot of work on your part; in fact most companies can't do it perfectly without any help at all! Nearly three-quarters of businesses...
How to Re-Establish Systems At The Dental Practice
The last year has brought about many changes in dental practices. Most offices have spent the last 12 months trying to keep the office running and that has meant pushing aside some of the important systems and protocols that we rely on to keep things running smoothly...
DentistryIQ: Why Office Manuals Do Not Work
As Originally Published in Dentistry IQ on February 9th, 2021. Here is the problem with the idea of buying an operations manual “off the shelf”: Every office is different. Every business does things differently. Each task is done specifically the way that particular...
The Best Way to Train A New Dental Hire
When a new person is hired, typically the team is excited as it not only offers a new, fresh face to add to the team but it means additional help. The issue with the new fresh face is that when it arrives at your office, most of the team has not prepared for the idea...
5 Ways to Make Hiring (Almost) Painless
Firing and hiring is probably the least favorite part of the job for most dentists and office managers. In fact, some dentists dread this process so much they hold onto employees too long to avoid firing someone. Not only is it unpleasant to have to fire an employee,...
What to do when patients are not answering or returning communications
A member asked me for help and I wanted to share this with everyone. "Right now we have a Huge number of patients that are non responsive to calls/texts I know in some of my forums other office managers are pulling their hair out too but if the pt isn't calling or...
Ditch the Dental Phone Scripts and Teach The Front Desk To Have H.E.A.R.T
The phone is definitely not the most high-tech device in your office, but it’s the most important and it can make or break a dental office. Without it, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to use all those other pieces of equipment. The phone is the technology that keeps...
Training Is The Best Investment You Can Make In Your Team
Henry Ford said The only thing worse than training an employee and having them leave is not training the employee and having them stay. The Best Investment You Can Make In Your Practice Is Investing In Your Team. 40% of employees with poor training will leave the...
Sending Patient Statements: Tips for Collecting on AR and Balances
How to Send Statements and collect on Patient Balances - Without being the bad guy? In the dental office, we work really hard to do our best to verify patients' benefits. We enter the insurance correctly in the system. We get the most accurate estimate for the...
How to WOW dental patients with amazing customer service!
How to WOW dental patients with amazing customer service! Have you ever taken the time to see how differently your team members define ‘good’ customer service?
Dividing Up Front Office Duties
Dividing Up Front Office Duties. What makes a great front office team member? The number one attributed skill is multi-tasking.
Are You Frustrated and Burned Out As An Office Manager?
Are You Frustrated and Burned Out As An Office Manager? So many dental office managers feel that they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter what they do, they can’t make traction with their doctor, the office or their team.
Making patients comfortable in your practice
Customer service is important in all industries. In dentistry, there is an added issue with our customers, i.e. the issue of fear. Because of the added concern or fear that many people have, we must offer an even higher level of customer service.
7 Keys to Building Your Dental Office Dream Team
Every dentist dreams of having the best dental team. Likewise, every employee hopes that the office they work at will be an amazing office, and every patient wants to find an office that will be the best fit for them.
How to Successfully Implement a Nontraditional Hours Policy
How to Successfully Implement a Nontraditional Hours Policy. Does your office have extended patient hours, split shifts, or weekend hours? (Some quick definitions: “extended hours” refers to hours that fall outside of the normal 8 am to 6 pm range; “split shift” involves having two different shifts working…
Webinar Replay: What does your practice say about you without even saying a word? 40 Tips in 40 Minutes!
Welcome to the encore webinar feature of 40 Tips in 40 Minutes, with Laura Hatch and Andrea Greer! What does your practice say about you without even saying a word?
Dealing with dual dental insurances takes time, patience, and a little bit of math
Dealing with dual dental insurances takes time, patience, and a little bit of math. Dental office managers have big jobs dealing with insurance companies. The job is doubled when patients carry two insurances.
How can your dental office actually ensure that your patients are receiving great customer service?
Everyone in the dental industry knows that great customer service is one of the essential elements for success. Without patients, we don’t have a job. But what exactly does “customer service” mean?
Onboard Your New Employee Like a Rockstar
Turnover in the dental industry is huge, and most dentists or office managers dread the thought of having to hire yet again. The hiring process is a burden for so many reasons—increasing your already heavy workload with doing interviews and reviewing resumes…
[Infographic] 12 Key Steps to Hiring Rock Star Employees
Our 12 Key Steps to Hiring Rock Star Employees Infographic is here to provide you with a no-nonsense guide to hiring rock star employees!
11 Ways to Attract More New Dental Patients Who Will Pay And Stay
The key to creating a stream of steady new patients is making sure you have several vehicles driving leads and a team who is trained and equipped to convert leads and maximize the word-of-mouth referrals from each person who walks through your doors.
Beyond the Interview: Two Vital Ways to Assess Job Candidates Before You Hire
Hiring is a huge headache for many dentists and office managers, here are two vital ways to assess job candidates before you hire!
5 Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid in The Dental Practice
Finding a good candidate for your dental practice is hard, but here’s 5 common mistakes you can avoid.
Why Dental Team Training is Essential (and How Most Offices Get It Wrong)
Online dental team training is one of the most versitile ways to improve your practice and customer service culture for your patients.
Front Office vs. Back Office: How to Unite Your Dental Team
Take a moment to put yourself in the following scenario.You wake up in the morning with a feeling of dread about going to work. First thing when you walk into the office, you’re greeted by an environment that is negative, dull, or just feels like an energy suck. You spend the day trying to just get your job done and avoid interacting with co-workers as much as possible.