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CDS Member News and ArticlesProfessional News Articles : FRONT DESK by Mary M. Byers, CAE : Troubleshooting 101 Troubleshooting 101March 5, 2010 Troubleshooting is an essential element of any successful dental practice. But many valuable hours are lost when the wrong problems are being solved or there’s an incomplete understanding of the challenge at hand. The following tips will help insure your troubleshooting tactics are as effective as possible. Make sure you fully understand the problem. Listen carefully and ask questions in order to identify—very specifically—the problem you are trying to solve. It’s a waste of time to seek a solution without first understanding what the problem is. When a problem involves patients, fully determine how you can help them and work to understand the background leading up to the problem in order to minimize the time necessary for troubleshooting. Often, patients don’t understand what they are asking for or what they need or want in terms of a solution. The more time you spend understanding their perspective, the more likely you will be able to provide a solution that satisfies them. Identify relevant resources. Is there another staff member who may have experience solving the problem you’re working on? If so, you can save yourself time by asking for his or her input and experience. If other staff is not able to help you, identify other available resources such as the Internet, reference books, friends and family, your local library, etc. Using existing resources should make it easier to find a solution quickly and effectively. Be persistent. Effective troubleshooters are willing to stick with a challenge until it’s addressed—even when the process is frustrating. They are also patient, flexible and open-minded. They keep their eyes on the successful resolution of problems and refuse to give up even when a lot of work is required. Ask for help. When you’re attempting to solve a problem and run across someone who is uncooperative in helping you, ask, “If you were in my shoes, what would you do?” Asking for another person’s opinion/advice shows you value them and their experience and is a great way to invite them to help you. Sometimes, even the grumpiest people will soften when you use this approach. Pause and reflect. Take time to pause and reflect as you move through the troubleshooting process to insure you remain focused on the heart of the problem and don’t get distracted by tangential issues. Ask yourself if you’re using the most effective means possible to solve the problem. If you’re not, make a course correction. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Take time at a staff meeting to determine what problems keep cropping up in your office. Then, invent a system for addressing them. Doing so will prevent you and your staff from reinventing the wheel every time the issue pops up. Establish polices to address the most frequent concerns and communicate your expectations clearly in order to minimize the number of issues that need to be addressed on a regular basis.
Evaluate and assess. After you’ve solved the problem, review what you did and how you did it. Ask what you’ve learned as a result of your search that will be helpful the next time you need to troubleshoot. Celebrate your success and be sure to share the results with fellow team members so that they benefit from your experience. CDS presents Front Desk, a column addressing problems dentists and staff members experience in the office. Front Desk is prepared by Mary M. Byers, CAE, a professional speaker and freelance writer. Ms. Byers may be reached at mbyers@marybyers.com or www.marybyers.com. Send suggestions for topics to be covered to review@cds.org. © 2010, Chicago Dental Society
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