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Identifying the Office Manager Position by Sandy Pardue

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Like many other dentists, you may have considered hiring an office manager, but you may be unsure about what role they would play or question whether you need one. You may have even thought about the extra overhead you would have if you hired an additional staff person. Perhaps the last time you tried to get some help it didn’t work out, or your colleagues shared their horror stories with you. Or maybe you already have someone working in the office with the title of office manager, but you are not utilizing them or they are not meeting your expectations.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine if you need to make some changes:
  1. Do you feel overly stressed?
  2. Do employees ignore your requests?
  3. Are office collections less than 98 percent of production?
  4. Is the office experiencing high staff turnover?
  5. Do you find yourself consumed with administrative tasks?
  6. Is your patient retention low?
  7. Are policies not being enforced?
  8. Does office production fluctuate?
  9. Do employees come to you with problems
    10. to solve for them?
  10. Is employee morale low?
  11. Is there little time to train your team?
  12. Do you ever feel like it is you against the staff?
If you answered yes to the majority of these questions, you may consider making some changes.

The Office Manager’s Role

The office manager’s role varies from practice to practice because needs are varied. Utilization of an office manager depends on how much management responsibility you want to have. If you are willing to take some of the responsibilities, you may find that your office is fine with motivated staff and teamwork. You may even consider having a front desk manager as a solution. But without some sort of management, practices start experiencing missed opportunities and chaos.

Be sure not to confuse the office manager position with a front desk manager. A front desk manager manages the front desk staff and all the activities in that area. They are responsible for making sure the schedule is filled and productive, and the office is collecting money for services rendered. They oversee all of the administrative functions that make those things happen. The office manager role, on the other hand, is much broader and includes management of other areas of the practice beyond the front desk. You must determine which would be the best for your practice. You will always be the “boss,” but an office manager can be helpful in training and directing your team on your behalf.

Why Some Office Managers Fail

Avoid the “bump up” to fill the office manager position. It is tempting because you don’t have to go through the hiring process and she already knows the office systems, but when you “bump up” an employee it is often difficult for him or her to succeed due to lack of respect from co-workers. Keep in mind that her being a great scheduling coordinator doesn’t qualify her for office manager.

It is important to find the right person and define the role of the office manager in your practice. If you hire someone and give him or her the title without having a plan, that person will most likely fail in the position, even if qualified.

The top five reasons office managers fail:
  1. No job description
  2. Doctor not formally designating the person as the manager and committing to the person or giving
    needed authority
  3. Doctor not directing staff back to the manager when they come with complaints and problems
  4. Long-term staff not wanting to take direction
  5. Lack of training

Spouses as Office Manager

You may be thinking about bringing in your spouse to be your office manager. I’ve seen many make it work successfully while others struggle miserably. When it works well, it can be a great thing for all involved. If you are unsure about bringing in your spouse as office manager, there are several questions you should consider:
  1. Does he/she have managerial skills?
  2. Are you doing this to save money?
  3. Can you both leave personal business at home?
  4. Does your spouse have qualities that’ll benefit the practice?
  5. Will he/she be willing to commit to regular work hours and follow the practice rules like other staff?

If a spouse does not have bona fide managerial skills and training, he or she may mismanage staff, causing upsets and turmoil. If either spouse is unable to put aside ego for the common good, he/she could end up airing a lot of marital laundry in the office. This will cut across production and cause staff to lose respect for both of them. All of these things must be considered before making the decision to bring the spouse in as office manager.

Hiring the Best Office Manager

Choosing an office manager is a big decision and shouldn’t be rushed. A good manager will make your life much easier as he/she will oversee the many details of running the practice. If you are looking to hire, take your time and make sure you interview as many applicants as you can. The right office manager will free up your time to focus on your patients with less stress. Having the wrong person in the position can be disastrous for you and the practice. Once you decide you need an office manager, you must decide how you will utilize this person.

Below are several important qualities to look for during the hiring process:

1.Good Communicator – This person will be representing you and speaking to just about everyone who comes in contact with the practice. It’s important that the manager communicates clearly, completely and effectively. He/she must also be a good listener, since the manager will be handling patient upsets and requests from your team.

2.Maturity – Managers must be emotionally mature and not get pulled into office gossip and office politics.

3.Leadership Ability – It’s important that this person has the ability to motivate your team and keep them focused. The OM needs to be someone who will set a good example for others.

4. Observant – Effective managers know what is going on. They are watching the numbers, they know when to compliment staff and when to work with them to improve performance, and they do it all in a timely manner.

5. Organizational Skills – You need to find a detailed-oriented person who has the necessary skills to handle all the particulars that come with managing a dental team. The OM has to be on top of many different activities at once.

6. Positive Attitude – A complaining, unhappy office manager will set a bad example and create a miserable team.

7. Passion – This person must see the big picture and be committed to assisting you with achieving practice goals. The OM must enjoy the work and be passionate about helping others. The person must be a cheerleader for your practice and feel there is no better place to work. The rest of the team will follow.

Once you are ready to start the hiring process, your first step is to have a complete job description. This is important because it is an overview of the position, listing out the duties, responsibilities and salary range.

Sample Office Manager Job Description

  • Recruit and hire staff
  • Oversee all employees
  • Handle patient upsets
  • Oversee customer service actions
  • Access and monitor office trackers
  • Backup admin staff when needed
  • Ensure practice meets production and collection targets
  • Create and update training manuals
  • Train new and existing staff
  • Execute staff meetings and huddles
  • Daily staff management
  • Staff dismissal
  • Manage staff schedules
  • Manage staff compensation and benefits
  • Keep the office calendar updated with CE courses, staff birthdays, etc.
  • Coordinate staff functions
  • Oversee office facilities, cleanliness and maintenance
  • Manage office marketing strategies
  • Work as a liaison between doctor and staff
  • Oversee projects
  • Liaison with IT person and software support
  • Utilize a purchase order system
  • Monitor overhead
  • Know and be able to work all administrative positions
  • Keep the employee handbook updated and employees current and trained on its contents
  • Store and maintain of employee personnel records
  • Assist with bookkeeping and record keeping
  • Assist doctor with special projects

How to Determine Compensation

Determine the salary range and benefits you can afford based on your current staff costs. Search local listings online so that you will know the compensation range for your area. You could also consider asking applicants about their salary expectations. Applicants experience levels will affect the salary range, which is another reason determining what you can afford in advance is preferable.

Receive and Evaluate the Résumés

As the résumés start to arrive, look at each one, paying attention to the length of employment at previous jobs. Do not consider them a good candidate if they change jobs every year or two. Look at their work experience and the types of jobs they have held. Ideally you will find someone who has held a managerial position in the past and is familiar with the types of duties you will need done by them in your practice. Verify that their skills are in line with what you are looking for. Also verify employment history with previous employers and speak personally with the business owners when you do so.

Start the Interviews

Once you find some applicants who meet the criteria of the job, invite them in for an interview. Have them each fill out a standard paper employment application so that you can see their spelling and handwriting skills. There are some red flags you should watch for such as the applicant arriving late or speaking ill of their previous employers and co-workers.

You may consider testing the applicant as well. I recommend the Wonderlic test found at www.wonderlic.com. This test will give you the applicant’s ability to do the job, which is something many folks unfortunately learn too late.

Preparing for the Office Manager’s Arrival

Once you have made your decision and someone has accepted your offer, it is time to make preparations for his or her arrival. Prepare a workspace with all necessary equipment and supplies. Have his or her job description available and any other supporting manuals or useful data. Check on them often and keep the communication lines open.

The team needs to be aware of the responsibilities you have assigned to the office manager. You must announce the office manager’s arrival to the staff and show commitment to this being a positive move for the practice.

Many of our clients tell me that having a trained office manager keeps the production moving up and has reduced their stress. A trained office manager offers your practice the best chance to prosper. When we see a bad manager, we often find a lack of leadership – it is rare to have a bad manager under good management.

  Author's Bio
Sandy Pardue is an internationally recognized lecturer, author and practice management consultant. She has assisted hundreds of doctors with practice expansion and staff development over the past 20 years. She is known for her comprehensive and interesting approach to dental office systems, and offers a refreshing point of view on how to become more efficient and productive in a dental practice. Sandy is director of consulting with Classic Practice Resources. She is also a consultant to leading dental companies for product evaluation and design. For more information, please e-mail sandy@classicpractice.com. You can find Sandy on Dentaltown.com by her display name “Sandy Pardue.”
Dentaltown Magazine
April 2024
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