I recently spoke to a group of optometrists and staff about key performance indicators (KPIs) and what my practice does each week for staff meetings. As I talked, I decided to back up and ask how many group members had regular staff meetings and, if so, how often. I found very few had regular staff meetings. I was shocked. Establishing regular staff meetings has been one of the best things my practice has done.
It’s about time
When we first started planning meetings, we tried different times. Some were after hours, but we soon learned people wanted to keep their free time. We tried scheduling them at the end of the day, but that tends to be a coveted time for patient care, especially for kids after school. The interruptions were rampant during lunch meetings.
So, finally, we settled on Wednesdays, for one hour, at the beginning of the day. The phone is forwarded to voicemail, and the doors are locked. We have uninterrupted time.
Meetings run by staff
My practice holds weekly meetings primarily run by staff, beginning with KPIs that the staff calculate. We discuss patient numbers, revenue per refraction, optical and contact lens sales, multiple pairs sold, and patient no-show rates. We look for trends and discuss reasons we may have missed goals.
Sharing those numbers is critical for many reasons. For example, missed appointments seem like a treat to staff during a busy day. However, if they know the office’s average revenue per refraction, they can assign a missed amount of production for every no-show. This makes the effect on the office’s bottom line more real.
Consistent messaging
Regularly scheduled meetings provide a time to simultaneously share things with the entire team. Instead of decisions being filtered around the office, everyone has the opportunity to hear the same message. It’s also an opportunity to address any concerns.
Efficient training
We found onboarding a new team member was much faster when we used our staff meetings for training sessions. Going over basic terminology, office protocols, and general procedures provides a way to integrate all new employees into the organization. The meetings help to establish culture, vision, and mission.
A positive culture
A positive culture is vital to the success of a business. Team meetings are a part of creating that culture. That culture includes a safe place for people to address questions or even brainstorm. For example, we intend to have a grand opening for one of our newly remodeled locations. The staff has generated ideas of what might add to the celebration.
Last week, one of the staff brought a breakfast pizza to the meeting. As we happily ate our pizza and drank our coffee, I couldn’t help but think how important those morning meetings have become to the culture of our office.
Time well-spent
Having that weekly time to sit and visit about the office, our kids, our dogs, or whatever other items we want to discuss has been invaluable. It’s an opportunity to get to know each other better outside our office roles. After all, sometimes we spend more time with each other than with our own families. OM
