Clutter – the enemy within

Gavin Willis of Paradigm Design Solutions explains how, by reorganising your storage systems with the task bin, you can dramatically improve efficiency and profitability.

Most of the dentists I know are pretty hot on detail. It goes with the territory.

So it’s ironic that their practice storage systems are generally little more than cupboards and shelves with a few drawers thrown in for good measure. I call this disorganised storage. (Or organised chaos). Its impact – far more costly than one might immediately think.

Unless a practice has storage systems that allocate a place for everything (and everything in its place), it can easily become cluttered. And once a practice allows this to happen, chances are that untidiness will become accepted and permanent. Putting it simply, clutter is an insidious enemy that can weaken you in many ways.

Let me explain… but before I do let me assure that I have an answer that is not only inexpensive but will absolutely make your practice more efficient and more profitable.So please read on.

Staff and efficiency

If your staff do not know where things are kept because they do not have a specific place, it goes without saying that time will be wasted in looking. Apart from this causing frustration it also loses the practice money, because the ensuing delays have a domino effect.

Again, if your storage isn’t regulated, staff will either try to create their own individual systems or they will adopt a laissez faire attitude to where things go. Either way the result is costly chaos.

Patients

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but untidiness in any part of your practice is not going to impress your patients. And we’re not simply talking about a few magazines lying about in…