A dental practice is a place that depends on smooth-running systems: systems for appointing, collecting and delivering the right patient experience. Without these, any practice would quickly collapse into chaos.
The problem arises when the same systems that help you maintain control also allow you to become entrenched in a comfort zone. We put these systems in place to help us master the many complexities of operating a practice. Once those are mastered to a certain level of competency, there is tendency to not want to disturb the flow by introducing new measures. It becomes easy to "hide in the system." But of course growth depends on introducing the right disturbances and presenting ourselves with thoughtful challenges to our assumptions of how things are and how they can be.
For instance, you no doubt have an accounts receivable system in place where you issue statements, track collections and send follow-ups at the 30- and 60-day marks. But what about a system for ensuring that all patients leave complete for payment, so that there is no significant accounts receivable to worry about? Every dental practice has a system for patients to appoint ahead. Not enough have a system for educating patients on the value of those appointments so they show up on time without the "babysitting" I talked about in my article, “Are You Still Babysitting Your Patients?”.
In other words, you need to have systems in place that will create tension for closing the gaps and keep you accountable to a growth trajectory. It means never being satisfied with good enough and always being willing to endure a shake-up in the routine if it means opening up new possibilities. It's the "what's next?" philosophy of champions, and to stick with it you have to have a set of systems that won't let you hide. You need systems that not only make things easier but that also make you better.