continuing education Have a morning huddle Set some clear expectations about the day ahead. The morning huddle is a perfect way to recap what happened yesterday and provide updates of the patients expected today. It should begin at least 20 minutes before the fi rst patient is expected to arrive to ensure the staff realizes it's important that everyone be present and prepared. If you as the dentist don't attend your own morning huddles, don't expect your staff to be there on time. Schedule effectively Make sure your entire staff knows how long dental procedures actually take. A front offi ce person may see "four fi llings" and assume it will be a quick appointment, but we dentists know that four MODs in diff erent quadrants will take a lot longer. My teams aim to schedule nonproduction (crown seats or finishing root-canal procedures) fi rst thing in the morning and right after lunch. Th is ensures we stay on time for new patients and recall patients throughout the day. Incorporate a staggered schedule to give more fl exibility for patients who want to take care of treatment immediately. Th at means booking at least one chair empty while the others are fi lled with appointments to allow the opportunity for same-day treatment. dentaltown.com \\ OCTOBER 2017 95http://www.dentaltown.com