Leveraging Technology to Fight the Great Resignation Trend
Curve practice management software allows offices to streamline and automate training and front-desk functions.
Finding great personnel has always been a challenge — and it has just gotten harder recently. According to a poll from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute, approximately one-third of U.S. dentists (including specialists) are actively hiring front desk team members.1 And this is not unique to our profession. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred what is called The Great Resignation — the large-scale exodus of talent as employees leave in search of better wages and working conditions.2
It’s time to invest in technology that helps us get leaner and smarter. We need to think about how our front desk teams can automate functions so we can account for a potential labor shortage. If these functions are more routine, then we’ll simultaneously improve our team’s job satisfaction and retention.
Customizable Cloud Technology
A year ago, I decided to switch my legacy, server-based practice management system to Curve SuperHero. There are a lot of features that make Curve clever. As a cloud-based platform, it allows me to access my charts from home and keep my data more secure. This system is also highly customizable, and I can dashboard data for visual reporting. But the features that have been most beneficial for my practice during these times are the ability to onboard front desk personnel and automate some of their functions.
Training new team members is a significant cost to any business. Curve helps us solve this with Curve Community online learning. It offers everything from quick references to comprehensive webinars that will teach your team best practices. During The Great Resignation, we’re fortunate if we can hire folks with significant dental experience. Curve Community will instruct them in navigating Curve and help polish their skills. But we must also be prepared to hire talented people from outside our industry. For these individuals, Curve will also teach them the basics, such as claims processing.
Automating Office Tasks
Once your team is trained, Curve can help automate some of their tasks. For example, Curve GRO, the company’s patient engagement software, allows practices to customize appointment reminders. Our practice instituted a combination of escalating email and text reminders for unconfirmed appointments, thus simplifying my team’s to-do list. All of those patient communications would have taken significant time and labor. Fortunately, Curve GRO essentially allowed us to “add a person” without adding to our payroll.
Our profession will continue to face economic challenges post-COVID-19. Even when the labor market stabilizes, dental practices will be well served by leveraging technology to reduce overhead and increase efficiency.
References
1. American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. COVID-19: Economic Impact on Dental Practices, Week of August 16. Available at: https://surveys.ada.org/reports/ RC/public/YWRhc3VydmV5cy02MTFhNzY3N2MxNTExNjAwMTc3NjJkYmEtVVJfM3BaeGhzWm12TnNMdjB4. Accessed October 6, 2021.
2. Hsu A. As the pandemic recedes, millions of workers are saying ‘I quit.’ Available at: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millions-of-workers-are-saying-i-quit. Accessed October 6, 2021.
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From Decisions in Dentistry. November 2021;7(11)22.
