Integration for Continuous Success
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
Daniel Alter, MSc, MDT, CDT
It is during times such as these that every laboratory owner and manager should seriously assess what works and what does not, and explore ways to continuously improve. It is an opportunity to better align with your dentist clients' needs and wants, as they too are grappling with similar matters. How can your laboratory provide solutions to their pain points and desires in order to make things better in their individual practices? Whether they are looking for more efficient workflows or improved products, knowing their needs can help you position your laboratory to offer solutions and thereby provide an elevated customer experience. This will strengthen working relationships and create opportunities to gain new prospective clients.
Congruently, similar questions should be considered for internal manufacturing processes and effective organizational mechanisms. Can we achieve better and more efficient manufacturing protocols? Is the laboratory current with its technology and product offerings? Is the talent in the laboratory educated and proficient in the services provided? And what can management do to ensure that everyone performs to their greatest potential? Answering these questions will guide us to the best position our laboratories can support, allow us to develop a stronger standing with our clients, and inform us on how to improve our abilities in order to offer the best possible solutions.
Furthermore, the company's culture and employees' desires are essential factors to integrate into optimal day-to-day procedures. Empowered employees who feel as though they are part of something larger and that their input is vital to the success of the laboratory will engage wholly and take greater pride in their work. For managers, it is as simple as asking questions, listening to answers, and subsequently formulating a plan to follow through on the employee feedback.
Integrating back into the work environment doesn't need to be, nor should it be, a process of recreating the status quo; rather, it is an opportunity to rise above these challenges and plan for a future that is brighter and in which you are better equipped to succeed.
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