Ep. 12 - Getting Clinical

Welcome back to Practice Talk! with your host, Lacie Ellis. Today, we’re thrilled to be joined by Pheebe Lafreniere, a seasoned professional in the orthodontic field. In this episode, Pheebe shares how her journey began in orthodontics and discusses the rewarding aspects of her job, like building lasting relationships with patients. Together, we tackle vital concerns, from motivating clinical staff to help with marketing efforts to managing the dynamics between front and back office teams. Plus, you'll hear practical tips on scheduling, patient care, and creating a positive workplace culture. Let’s dive in!

 IN THIS EPISODE: 

• (:34) Lacie introduces Pheebe, and she explains how she began her journey in the orthodontic space

• (4:06) Pheebe describes what her favorite part of the job is

• (7:25) A listener asks a question and has a concern about the clinical team not being enthusiastic about helping with marketing efforts

• (12:12) Pheebe discusses some of the hangups staff have regarding social media

• (13:47) A listener poses a question about the conflict between the front and back office teams

• (18:54) Pheebe describes why lack of hygiene creates her biggest frustration, and Lacie spoke about struggling with doctor time management

• (25:21) Discussion of working in columns, having morning huddles and other scheduling issues, and Lacie explains Patient Queue Technology, designed to coordinate with any website

• (30:55) Pheebe explains how her office works hard at valuing the staff/patient relationship and knowing something about each patient

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Looking at your staff’s and clients' families might be an excellent place to look for assistants. You should also keep your eyes open to friendly people who are interested in the orthodontic field.

• A great employee enjoys building relationships with patients. 

• Working in the orthodontic field is rewarding because you change someone’s smile, which they will have for life.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

What follows is an AI-generated transcript. The transcript may contain errors and is not a substitute for watching the video.

Narrator: (00:00:00) Welcome to Practice Talk, a deep dive into the world of healthcare practices, where we invite team members to share strategies to make your work life easier. Now your host, Lacey Ellis.

Lacie Ellis: Welcome to Practice Talk. Brought to you by people in practice where we specialize in digital marketing, website development, SEO, and so much more. I'm excited for today's conversation, where we will be discussing all things clinical with my friend, Phoebe. Phoebe currently works in a very busy orthodontic practice in Utah.

She's been working in the ortho field for about five years, um, Phoebe started out in sterilization and slowly worked her way up to being an assistant. She is also in her third year of college and hopes to graduate with a bachelor's in two years. So welcome Phoebe. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here.

Thank you. Yes. Thank you for joining me. Um, so as a reminder to our listeners, don't worry about taking any notes (00:01:00) today. We will put together a printable that we'll be able to download for free from our website filled with the details of today's discussion. So Phoebe, let's talk about how your journey working in orthodontics started.

Okay. So, um, it started with my mom. My mom was an assistant for 17 years and then she moved to the lab for about five years. Um, I would come into the office and like help her make retainers and stuff like that. And then I had an interest in what the assistants were doing. So I'd kind of like see them working and stuff and ask them questions when they'd come into the lab, whatever.

Um, and then I started helping with the sterilization. So while my mom was working, I'd go out and help them a little bit with like sterile, um, and then the doctor started asking me to like come in more days of the week. Um, and then he asked me to travel to different locations, started getting put on the schedule, stuff like that.

Um, And then, let's see, and then I would take all (00:02:00) the patients records and I would help out scan for retainers and stuff like that. And then the other assistants started showing me how to untie and do adjustments and stuff like that on my own. Um, and then I eventually started doing like. Pano repos, like cement, 40s, and then eventually full bandings on my own.

Um, and then I did all this during high school, so I would only go for like half the day. I would have school in the morning and then I'd come in for the afternoon. Um, and then once I moved to college, I moved away from there and then I started working full time in the summer and. Now I mix up school and work.

So I'll do like school different days and work different days. So that's what I do now. 

Lacie Ellis: Perfect. So, you know, I think that's a true testament to something that I get asked all the time is like, how do you find like really great people? And I'm like, I don't know, look at the kids of your assistants now, because they're going to grow up and you know, if, if their parent is a great assistant, then they'll (00:03:00) probably have that good personality and work ethic as well.

Um, you know, look at the. Parents of your patients is a good place to find, you know, people who might be a good fit for the practice because they are used to your vibe. They kind of know the practice a little bit. So current employees, former employees, their family members, like there's such a big pool out there of potential great, uh, team members.

And you just have to keep your eyes open for them. And like in my case, um, the doctor's wife, Uh, must've saw something in me. I'm not quite sure what, uh, while I was working in a photography studio and she felt like I was a good fit for the practice and was like, Hey, you know, you should go check this out.

And I was very resistant at first, but now I'm super grateful that she did that. So, um, I love that your journey started that way as being like the kid of the mom, you know, and you're watching your mom do all of this and you're like, Ooh, that might be something that I want to do one day. So I love your (00:04:00) story.

So what's your very favorite part about working in an ortho office? 

Pheebe Lafreniere: So I love like the relationships that I make with the patients. Um, I love seeing like the patients outside of work and usually I'll let them recognize me first. Like, I won't be like, I'm doing your braces like to them, but, um, if they recognize me without my mask on or anything, then I like being like, oh, my gosh, stuff like that.

Um. Like in the office when they come in and being like, how was that? That we did last time? Like stuff like that. I don't know. I love making like relationships with the parents and stuff like that too. Um, I've even had a professor at school. Uh, he recognized me from the office. When I came in, he was like, oh my gosh, you worked on my son.

It was so funny. So I, I love getting recognized or stuff like that. Um, I also like how confident I am with my work just because I've been doing it for so (00:05:00) long. That's very much like muscle memory. And so I like showing off my skills or like showing the doctor what I can do and stuff like that. I, I think it's so fun and I love knowing what I'm doing very well.

So, um, another thing is like training, like when a new assistant comes in, because then I also keep all my information like. Up to speed in my head. If that makes sense. So 

Lacie Ellis: absolutely. Yeah. No, I loved the same thing that you do, like building the relationships, not just with the parents of the patients and the patients, but also with like the team.

I'm still really good friends with many of the people that I started working with in an ortho office. Um, you know, we get together all the time. I get, I even get random Christmas cards from parents of patients from. Yeah. And I haven't worked in office for a really long time. And so it's just, you really are building relationships.

And I do think a big part of what we do here on this earth is like connect with other people. And so it's a (00:06:00) really cool place to be able to connect with people. Um, and for me, And I've told this story before, I don't know if I've shared it on the podcast, but, um, I loved like seeing kids gain some confidence, like, you know, they come in and they don't want to smile and they don't want to show their teeth.

And then all of a sudden they, like, kind of bloom into the, like, the person I think they were like, always supposed to be, because they've got this confidence and they want to smile and they want to talk and they're not like scared anymore. And it really hit me. Um, when my son got scanned for his Invisalign.

I like sat there in bald and the ortho was like, dude, are you okay? And I was like, I'm okay, but this is the thing, like this is the smile he's going to have forever. You know, like you're the job you get to do is really impactful on somebody's life. And I think that's my favorite part of orthodontics is like, you really are changing somebody's life and it doesn't feel like it.

Cause you're changing ties and you put the wires in and it just feels like you're going through these steps, but it's like (00:07:00) a true. You're really changing something about somebody that they're going to take with them for their whole life. So to me, that's like the most special part of working in an office.

So, um, all right. So, uh, we like to get questions and comments from our listeners. We also, um, have our people in practice clients send us questions or comments about our topic. So let's listen to our first question. 

Guest Question 2: Our clinical team is not very enthusiastic about helping with our marketing efforts, but they spend so much time with patients that we could really use their help.

Any advice as a team member about what would motivate you to help more with marketing efforts? 

Pheebe Lafreniere: So, um, for me, I like when we make stuff a challenge or a competition. Um, I think having different challenges, like who can get the most five star reviews, um, in a week for like, A 10 gift card, or even like a 5, like coffee gift card or something, because I feel like it makes everyone want to do it more.

(00:08:00) And, um, just, I feel like, especially when you're sitting there waiting for the doctor, that's when you can easily be like, oh, here's this, um, or also having something to give to the patient if they do it sort of thing. So, um. Even something small, like, like a candy or something that they have, like, Oh, if you do this, we have these candy bars or something like that.

I don't know. Then it gets the conversation going easier, I think. And it makes us want to do it more. Cause then it's like, Oh, I got more reviews than you kind of thing. Especially when you're like close with your other coworkers and it makes it more fun. I don't know. That's, 

Lacie Ellis: that's what I think. No, I think that, I think that's great.

I also think, um, and maybe correct me if I'm wrong, but when I worked in the office, I felt like. Maybe things weren't explained to us about what's going on with marketing. Well, and so I was really hesitant to talk about things. Cause I'm like, I don't really know when this starts or when it ends or what the prize actually is, or I don't know.

It just like, if I was uncomfortable with how (00:09:00) to explain something or didn't understand all the details of it, like, I'm not going to talk about it. Cause I'm going to look like a dummy, like sitting there talking about something I don't understand. So I think like. Really making sure the whole team knows, like, this is what we're doing for marketing.

This is our goals. And then like, for me, when I'm working chair side, like I want to have something to talk to these kids and even, you know, adults about that's not like school and the weather and how's work. Like, let's talk about something that really benefits us. Like, you know, we like to reward our patients for, um, For being on time or thank you for wearing your shirt and like, just having the ability to like, spoil your patients a little bit because they're doing something that helps with marketing.

Like you said, like a treat or something little like, um, I think those are some really helpful things as far as like being on the team member side. I think it's like communicate what's going on to your team and then like, Give me some tools that I can use to (00:10:00) reward the patients for doing these things.

Like, I don't know. And it gets them excited to do it too. So that's, that's, yeah, I love that. Do you feel like sometimes you don't like know all the details about what's going on with marketing so that maybe you're like, you are more hesitant or like, are you, maybe your team's like really good about telling you what's going on.

Pheebe Lafreniere: Not always, especially being like, Part time now and stuff, not being there all the time. I can definitely see that. And it feels a little funny, like begging for a five star review too. Like, I'm almost like, can you give us a five star review? And then they're like, why? I'm like, I don't know. 

Lacie Ellis: It's a nice, it makes everybody feel good.

Pheebe Lafreniere: Like, I don't know. It's so funny. Um, so yeah, maybe some little. Prize or whatever, but I definitely think any kind of competition and stuff like that always makes it fun. But yeah, um, not knowing exactly what it is and stuff like that is definitely something that needs to be worked on. I guess. I (00:11:00) think everyone should know why they do it and why they do the marketing and stuff like that.

Um, we've had, we've had 1 where it's like, you wear a wristband, um, which says our ortho. Practice, whatever on it, um, you wear it for a week and then you come back in and we take it off you and then you're put into a drawing for like a prize. I think that's a fun one because when I tell them, oh, it's a price to win 100, they're like nine years old and their face is like, yes, like I'm doing that.

So then I'm like, Cool. Like then they're 

Lacie Ellis: happy. I'm happy. You know? Yeah. I've seen that one and they like it because it looks like a concert wristband. So it's like, I went and did something cool. Like ask me about this cool thing I did, but they're really just walking around with the office advertisement right on their arm for like a week.

It's great. Um, do you think, again, like with your team, is it something that. Like, I work with some teams where they just, the team members don't want to be on social. And so they don't want to have their pictures taken and they don't want to take pictures of patients and be like, can we use this (00:12:00) on? I don't know.

There's like this discomfort with the social media piece of marketing with team members. Sometimes do you experience that in the practice you're in, or is it just everybody's fine with 

Pheebe Lafreniere: it? You know? It definitely depends on the assistants because some are definitely more shy towards it. They're like, no, I don't want to, um, but, uh, funnily, funnily enough, uh, we, I got, um, my.

Like all my assistant stuff to start making Tik Toks. Cause I have like ortho Tik Toks that would come up on my, like, for you page all the time and they were so funny. So, um, I would be setting them to like my assistants and we'd be like, let's do this one next week. So then I finally have gotten more people to make the Tik Toks and stuff like that.

Um, so yeah, they definitely were shy to it, but I feel like the more that I would ask them to make the Tik Tok and stuff like that, um, they really liked doing it. So that made them more comfortable with it, but I can totally see like. Being nervous for the camera and stuff like (00:13:00) that. But, 

Lacie Ellis: and, and I'm like, you know, if you don't want to be the one on camera, like that's totally fine.

Then help us find great moments in the practice that we can capture, you know, like be the advocate for the patients being front and center or something. If you don't personally want to be the one on camera, but I love, I do think it takes, um, one of the youngins like you who are excited about social media and understand how it works.

Cause I think that's part of the other fear with. Certain generations with social is just like, they think it's going to blow up and they're all of a sudden going to be like TikTok famous. And it's really actually hard to be TikTok famous. So, um, like calm, calm down. You're not that you're not going to be that famous overnight.

So, um, yeah, anyway, so let's listen to our next question. So 

Guest Question 2: we always seem to have conflict between the front and back office teams. Do you experience this in your office, and what, what do you think is the most (00:14:00) helpful thing to do to stop this kind of negativity or improve these kinds of relationships?

Thank you. 

Pheebe Lafreniere: So, um, at my office, we have this problem daily. This is something that All the time. I feel like it's like, why'd you schedule them for this long? You didn't schedule them or you scheduled them outside of the little like template thing. Like, I feel like we have that all the time. Um, but something that I think can help is cross training.

Um, I've had times where the front desk needs to step away for something and they've asked me to, um, check people in and set up appointments, stuff like that. Um, And I think everyone thinks that they have the hardest job, so, like, the front thinks it's the hardest, like, stuff like that. So, I think if we, um, get a little bit of experience in each other's field, we can understand the struggles of each other and give each other a little bit more, like, cushion, if that's the right word.

Um, but I just think understanding how each other work and stuff like that could (00:15:00) definitely help. And. Just see how each other work or teaching the front office why we need 30 minutes to just take an x ray or like, have the doctor look at the x ray. Like, I feel like it's just good to. Yeah, no, I 

Lacie Ellis: understand if that makes sense.

It does because that's exactly what I always tell practices that are like, oh, we just have this divide between the front and the back or like, everybody thinks that the TC just is a princess sitting up in her office, like not doing much, like, or the front office is trying to ruin my life with the scheduling.

And then you sit up there and you realize, Oh my gosh, these parents are crazy about their kids schedules. And like, I get it as a parent. I'm also like, I'm, I'm trying to keep a lot of balls up in the air all the time. So just deal with me with scheduling this. Can we just come in 10 minutes later than when you want us to come?

And sometimes the office will be like, no, you need to come in at your time. And then I'm still going to show up 10 minutes late. So, you know, like you can (00:16:00) only do so much at the front desk to like make everybody, all the patients and parents happy and make your team in the back happy. But then I've worked, you know, front and back.

So I've worked in the back and I've been like. You're going to, you're going to put an emergency in where, like, you're going to put a broken bracket in, excuse me, where, so I don't get lunch today. That's what you're telling me. I don't get lunch. So I think that when you do work in those positions and maybe you don't want to train somebody to be a back office assistant as far as cross training, but so have them do the sterilization and watch how the back office flows and work.

Um, and everybody should sit in the TC room and sit in a console and just observe it because I don't think that people do that enough in the team to understand the stress and the pressure that a TC has because they are trying to keep your practice alive. Right? Like, that's the thing. They are trying to get those starts and those conversions.

And, um, it's a really, it's a stressful job. Like, you know, you (00:17:00) have to answer a lot of questions and deal with finances that can be really uncomfortable sometimes to have those conversations. So you're right. Everybody does think they have the hardest job in the office. And in some parts you do, you know, like front desk really deals with a lot back office.

It's very technical. What you do really could, could be stressful. Change the way somebody's outcome of their treatment is. And TCs are just trying to keep the practice alive and keep people, you know, happy and coming in and converting. So, um, I think you're a hundred percent right. Cross training is like my number one thing.

I do think also having a really healthy discussion with your team about gossip. And this doesn't have anything to do necessarily with the front and back office, like that tension. But when you get predominantly women. Working together in a practice, um, it's just nature, like people just talk, but I, you know, I was trained in a practice, um, that they were like, we just have a (00:18:00) zero gossip policy.

Now, is that realistic? Probably not. But like, um, but we tried, we tried really hard not to have anybody talking behind somebody's back, especially at the practice. Like, if you want to go home and call your bestie from work and like. Then about somebody, I guess that's, um, up to you, but when you're doing it in the office and the patients could potentially hear you and that person could potentially hear you, like, it's just not worth the drama.

I just can't. I can't handle it. So it feels like high school all over again. Sometimes it does. I think just having those. Exactly. So having those upfront conversations, when you hire somebody that like, we just, we just don't allow that here. Like, it's just not part of our culture. I think is it's healthy to at least try to try to try to go down that road.

So what to you is the most challenging aspect of working in an office? 

Pheebe Lafreniere: Um, funny enough, in my opinion, I feel like it's. Really bad (00:19:00) hygiene. I feel like there's only so many ways you can motivate like your patients to stay on top of brushing. Like there's only so many points you can give them or stuff like that.

Like it gets to a point where like, even if you're like, you're going to have permanent circles on your teeth. If you don't brush above the brackets, like it doesn't matter. It gets to a point where they're like, we don't care. Like we're not going to brush our teeth. So honestly, That is the biggest in my opinion.

Um, and their sensitivity goes up a lot and I try to explain that to they're like, it hurts so bad. I'm like, you got to brush your gums. Like, I promise you, they wouldn't be this swollen. It wouldn't hurt putting this color tie on if they were like, not so giant and puffy and bloody. I like try to explain it to them.

But there's like I said, there's only so 

Lacie Ellis: much you can do, but. I mean, that is such a good point. I hadn't even thought of that as being like, looking back at my time in a practice as being like, so frustrating. But like the 1, the people and you knew (00:20:00) exactly who they're going to be like, every assistant knew, like, this is going to be a rough 1 because they're going to bleed and like, be uncomfortable and they don't brush.

Well, or they come in and. Like just eight Cheetos. I'm like, why, why, why, or Oreos? I'm like, why, but why right before your appointment, would you eat something that was like caked in your brat? It's just, yeah, those were hard times in a practice for me. Um, I also have worked in practices where we really struggled with doctor time.

And that was like really frustrating as a team member, because you like, we worked columns in that practice and you're trying to stay on track with your columns so you can. Make all your patients happy and that see everybody on time, but if the doctor's in the TC room for 20 minutes Like and you've got a full clinic.

I don't know it. I I didn't I have never worked in a practice where we had a Clinical coordinator, but I assume that would really help that situation of like making sure the doctor is (00:21:00) where? Doctor needs to be in order to have things run smoothly. 

Pheebe Lafreniere: Yeah Um, yeah, we have like a patient flow assistant. So she's like the lead and she's still working in a chair and stuff.

Sometimes if we'll have an extra assistant, um, she'll be the one that's not in the chair and she basically just tells the doctor where he needs to go. Um, we all also will have like our, um, it's called patient flow. It's just our. Flow of patients, uh, like, we try to keep it up on our screen so we can see who's next, who he needs to go to and see if this patient's been in their chair for way longer than they need to.

And he needs to go there next stuff like that. So what we do at our office is we hold up our gloves when we're ready for him. Um, we don't make it like. Obvious and like throw them up in the air, but we'll kind of like stand up and like, be like, Hey, we're ready for you. So sometimes if he's getting real chatty, um, or, uh, it's just taking a long minute, we'll kind of give him like a little wave and he'll be able to see it and be like, all right, so I like (00:22:00) finish up his conversation so he can come to us.

So, um, I think that works really well. That's something that my office does. That's that I really like, um, The only thing is there's only there's not really much you can do if he's chatty in the TC room, like knock on the door and be like, Hey, we need you out here. Like, there's not really much you can do.

So I want to get out there and be like, all right, we got so many people here. Like, we need you in the back 

Lacie Ellis: cause like stuff like that. But yeah, I know as a TC, cause I've been in that room that like, you know, when the doctor is like, uh, you're not helping me, like, Close this case and, like, get them converted to a patient because you're, like, over, like, you've lost them and doctors get so excited to share all this knowledge that they have.

And sometimes the patients are, like, they glaze over and the TCs, if you're a good TC, you're reading that body language and, you know, so the office I worked in the longest, we had, like, a color. Sticky note. Um, (00:23:00) and the only time that I think it was green, it was like lime green. The only time that lime green sticky note thing came out of my desk is when that was my cue to tell the doctor to like, stop talking.

And so I would like pull it out, put it on the desk and kind of make it obvious for the doctor to see. And he's like, Oh, all right. Well, any other questions? Yeah. You're fanning yourself.

Chop, chop. Um, Because as a TC, like, I know in the clinic, you're, You want to clear the clinic so you can get the next round of patients back and stay on time and efficient. But it's stressful as a TC because you're like, stop, like you've sold, they understand the treatment. Stop talking like we've got this.

And the doctor needs to be able to be like, I'm going to leave you with my expert and exit the room. And so it's good to have some cues in there as well. But I do think having somebody coordinate the dot where the doctor should be is super helpful. And so that, um, patient flow, is that part of your orthodontic software?

Yeah. (00:24:00) Yeah. Okay. 

Pheebe Lafreniere: We use, uh, it's called ortho track is what it is. Okay. I really like it. I've just gotten really used to it too, but I, I really like it. 

Lacie Ellis: I assume most softwares, Dolphin and cloud nine and all of these probably have some type of patient flow. Um, but I know some offices use the headsets and like they have a headset on in direct people places to me.

I have enough voices in my head. You know, I don't need an extra one. So, um, I think that wouldn't work well 

for me, 

Lacie Ellis: but 

yeah, no. And I feel like you'd want to be more present too, which I mean, if that works for your office. Great. But like I said, I, I feel like it's better to be more present and not have like a little.

Yeah, I 

Lacie Ellis: know a lot of offices have like a light system as well. Um, so like red, green know where the doctor's going again to me. That's great. But if everybody's green or red, like. At the same time, all that is. I'm just too type a, uh, for that. I think, I think I'd be panicking the whole time. Like we have five red (00:25:00) lights, we need to go be stressful.

So I think just seeing your patient flow and having somebody coordinate where the doctor goes, um, is super helpful. Um, so in line with my experience, struggling with, um, You know, doctor management, um, how do you guys, I know you talked about the, you know, Do you work in columns? I guess that would be my question.

How do you stay on schedule in your column? And where do you guys put emergencies? Like walk me through a little bit of the workflow. 

Pheebe Lafreniere: Um, so we don't do columns usually. Um, sometimes I will try to persuade or convince the other assistants to do like for the afternoon, like, Oh, let's try to do columns. And then if it doesn't work, obviously then we all just grab whoever we can.

Like, it's more of like a. Fun thing, instead of like, everyone has to do columns every day sort of thing. So we usually just grab whoever kind of thing, but obviously then we struggle with (00:26:00) people not wanting, or like cherry picking and grabbing the quick check or the quick 10 minute emergencies and then leaving the bandings for the same few people, whatever, but I feel like that's something, as long as you talk a lot and have lots of like, Conversations and stuff like that.

It helps with everyone working on everything, if that makes sense. Um, so for emergencies, usually, uh, in the morning we have one assistant every week, so, um, let's say if it's my week, I open for the week, so I come in a little bit earlier than everyone else. And I look through the schedule. I write down all the emergencies for the day.

So whatever we already have scheduled. Um, and then when we're doing morning huddle. Um, I will go through and say the emergencies. Like we say the patient's name, what the emergency is, why that could have happened, like how far they are in their treatment, like whatever information that you need, basically for that.

Even if it's like a pokey wire, we try to be (00:27:00) like, they have this much longer, like trying to kind of figure out what the problem was so it doesn't happen again, sort of thing. Um, obviously they're like inevitable. Like there's only so much you could do, but, um, That's basically what we do for emergencies.

And then obviously other stuff gets added on throughout the day. They kind of throw those in, like, the side column. And if we're not super busy, then I believe they add more. I'm not too sure the front desks, um, like, what exactly they do for that. But I just know they just show up and I clip their wire. 

Lacie Ellis: So, and do you see, do you see your ops appointments in the back?

Do the assistant see them or does the TCC them in the exam room? 

Pheebe Lafreniere: Usually if the TC doesn't have someone, we will, we will pull them back, take their x ray. And then if the doctor's like, yeah, let's start them or has all the information, like if they're ready to start. And we fill out a little ready for treatment slip and we go give it to the TC.

This is if they're not busy. And then usually we can have the (00:28:00) parents go back and talk to the TC. So usually we start it. But then if one, okay. The doctor says they're not ready. Like we can wait a little longer. They need, they have more like eruptions or we're waiting for more baby teeth, stuff like that.

Then, um, we will usually just, you know, set up another appointment and let them go. Or if the TC is busy, then I'll write down the parents phone number on the back. And I'm like, our treatment coordinator will contact you with any financial questions and stuff like that. And then I will schedule them and stuff like that.

So that's if the TC is busy, but usually if they're not, then they'll like schedule and stuff like that. 

Lacie Ellis: Okay. Yeah, that's good to hear because, um, so we have something at people in practice called patient queue. It's a technology that can go on any website. Basically, usually, um, and it goes on the websites that we create as well.

And we have virtual appointments on there. Um, so patients can take. Photos of their smile and sentiment and find out what their treatment is. But I'm finding that a lot of offices are using that for their OBS now, which is like super interesting (00:29:00) because they're saying like those ones that, you know, need to lose like five more baby teeth, but you don't really want to say we're waiting for five baby teeth fall out.

Cause then mom's not going to come in until all five of those teeth are out. And you might. Miss something potentially that could you could have fixed sooner, but they waited too long. So it is really important to see these patients, you know, about every 6 months, 6 to 8 in most offices. But they're using this technology for the virtual appointment to be like, hey.

Instead of taking off work and pulling your kid out of school, let's just have you take snap, some quick photos. Doctor's going to take a look at them and then they'll let you know, yes, we need to have you come in. It's time to like really visually maybe take a new x ray or something, or everything looks great.

We're going to check in and have you come in office in six months. So I think that's a super interesting way to use that because it's going to help free up some chair time and also take some weight off of your team, especially those ones where you know. This patient's not going to be ready for a hot minute, you know?

So like, (00:30:00) let's just, everybody needs to take a breath, but like, why have mom take work off and the kid get out of school, if you know. You're just like trying to keep that patient engagement and connection, you know, 

Pheebe Lafreniere: yeah, no, I totally get that. And then I feel bad, like, them sitting down and then I'm just like, looking at the x ray and I'm like, there's no, we're not gonna do anything for like another 2 years.

I can tell you that. Exactly. Looks good. And the doctor like, yeah. Kind of looks in their mouth and stuff like that. And so I, I love that. That's a great idea. Cause then you're right. Doesn't have the parents off to take work off. Kids don't have to miss school. Stuff like that for an appointment that does nothing, basically not nothing, but.

Lacie Ellis: You know, yeah, that, that feels, yeah, I just, wherever I can help a mama save some time or a dad save some time in their schedule. Like I'm all in for that. So what is the number one thing that you feel like your office just really has nailed down and does really well? 

Pheebe Lafreniere: Um, something is having great relationships with those (00:31:00) patients, which is something I mentioned before.

Um, I feel like everyone knows everyone from somewhere genuinely. I think it's so rare that we have a patient that none of us have. Like, I had some other kind of connection with, even though we see so many a day, I feel like constantly as patients are walking in, everyone's like, oh, my gosh, how's your mom?

How's whatever? The doctor has great connections also with the parent. Obviously, when he's chitchatting so much, but, um, I feel like you, like, everyone remembers a ton of stuff. I am just very impressed with that all the time. I, um, have also tried to be better about that. Like, remembering stuff, especially when you go 6 weeks between seeing each patient.

I feel like sometimes I'll have a little bit of a hard time remembering, but, um, I feel like something that they do great is like, Just knowing them more than what's like their teeth and stuff like that. Um, another thing that we'll do sometimes is (00:32:00) we'll have little notes about the patient that has nothing to do with ortho.

So it would be like, um, like. Moved back from wherever like they'll just have little things in there that we can kind of see and then we're like, oh, yeah You moved you moved here from like Spain or something crazy and we can like See it and then they think you remember sort of thing and then they're like, yeah And I think that's something that my office does great and I love seeing how everyone makes different like relationships and stuff or it's also it also helps being in a smaller town because You I live in definitely a smaller town.

So everyone knows each other a little bit easier. I can see how that'd be harder in like a big city and stuff like that. Um, when I first got trained, I don't think it was as everyone was as close as they are here. Um, like I said, cause it's just a smaller town and people know each other a little bit better, but, um, that's something that I think my office does really well.

And also the patient flow is something that's great too. I think that they (00:33:00) are really good about, I mean, obviously you get. Put behind, like, like I said, that's inevitable, but I love 

Lacie Ellis: that I was going to say the same thing. I was reflecting on, like, the last practice I worked in, like, what did we do really well?

And I think it was customer service and I think when your office can really nail that and it's not, I can tell just by the way you're talking. This isn't out of like, This is something that we check a box and we are supposed to remember these. And it's because you truly care about your patients. And when, like when a practice can really come from that level of like, we care about our patients and we, we're just trying to like make everybody happy and comfortable.

And like, you're going to have those people that you, you're never going to make them happy. Like just accept it. That's just who they are in life. But, um, I mean, I think there were some patients that if I dare say they were even maybe excited to come and see us because like it's a place where they felt safe and comfortable and good.

And, um, I think I (00:34:00) maybe I've shared this once before, but when my son was ready for ortho treatment, um, we lived in an area where I hadn't worked in any of those practices. So I didn't really have a strong tie to the practices. I knew which one I kind of thought maybe did like higher quality.

orthodontics, but I just didn't know. So I took him to three offices. Also, I'm a marketing geek. So I wanted to see how these offices all function differently. Um, so we went to three offices. One met with a doctor in TC. It was fine. They were very nice. Whatever treatment plan left. We go to the next office.

It was just the doctor we met with. He didn't have a TC. He made a couple weird comments to my son that he, my son was like, Oh, okay. That's whatever, you know, but the office was like beautiful. Um, they had like a ice cream sandwich bin when you walked out that you could grab like an ice cream on the way out.

So like. You know, 13 year old boy was very excited. Um, and then the third office we went to was just like the tech office, every bell and whistle. They had the (00:35:00) iPads. They had just all the things were there and it was super high touch, super high tech. And they, all the treatment plans were very consistent, very similar.

He wasn't a super hard case. He didn't wear his retainer. So he's ready for round two of treatment. Now, um, but so I just let him decide. Cause I was like, this is all very comparable to me. And I felt like every one of those doctors would do a good job. So I let him pick and he was like, oh, I would like, um, I would like this to go to this office and I was like, But why, you know, cause then I was curious and, um, he was like, because I just felt safe there.

And I thought that was such an interesting thing for a 13 year old boy to say. But I think making your patients feel safe and really welcome. Um, like when you nailed that and really care about your patients, like. There's no better customer service out there. So 

Pheebe Lafreniere: no, definitely. Especially when like the other assistants are, well, like (00:36:00) jump into the combo or stuff like that.

I feel like we tease a lot of our patients, but obviously if you can tell that they like, think it's funny or stuff like that, I'll a lot of times be like, so what are we doing after this? I'll tell them that I'll be like, so what are we, what are, what's our plan after this? And a lot of times they'll be like, Oh, I'm going to this.

And I'm like, Oh my gosh, that's perfect. I needed stuff there. Like The other assistants are like, Oh, sweet. I needed stuff from target too. Like, I don't know. And then they like are laughing and they love coming and stuff. So I, I love that too. I think making them feel safe is a very big part of it. I agree.

Lacie Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I really hope that everyone enjoyed our conversation today as much as I did. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your valuable insights, Phoebe, you are fabulous. And I am just grateful that you were here with me today. Of course. Thank you so much for having me. Yes. So our goal with this podcast is to give you truly tangible items that you can use in your day to day life at the office and to elevate the voices of (00:37:00) people that actually work in an office and sit in the same chair that you sit in every day.

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