In the lab, we set it up in a couple different ways. First of all, there is a frame bonus for any frame sold over $220. I believe it is $11 currently. Then there is also a lens/options bonus of $7 when the amount exceeds $175 I believe. Therefore, even if the girls dont sell a high end frame they can still get a little something on the lenses/options part. It doesnt sound like much, but it can quickly add up to several dollars per hour for them. I have found that for a bonus to be effective, it must be readily achieveable or it becomes more of a de-motivator than anything else. Also, I have also discovered that not every employee is motivated by money. You can sweeten the pot as much as you want but there are some that dont respond.
As for the front office, we know how many spots there are in the schedule for each office. We assume there are some of these spots that simply wont be filled(patient cancels at the last possible minute or doesnt show). I believe that while there are some of these things that cant be helped, many of these spots can be filled and stay filled if your staff is properly trained on the phone with patients. My staff has a script for every possible scenario they would encounter on the phone. When they set up appointments, they are sure to tell the patient we have set aside the doctors time exclusively for them. You have to make patients understand this so that they dont decide to head off to the beach on a nice day and leave you with an empty chair. If they call to cancel at the last minute my girls are quick to either see if someone else in their family can take their place(if it is a complete examination of course) or if there is any way they can still make the appointment. You would be surprised to know how many of these patients that no show do so because for some minor reason their appointment becomes inconvenient for them; this is BS and you have to call them on it(I am not saying you harrass them). If this fails, we have a long list of patients that want to be notified if sooner appointments become available and we then call from that list to fill the spots. So, my office managers get a bonus that ranges from $300 to $500 depending on the number of empty spots in our schedule.
At the end of the year, my wife shops personally for each of my 20 employees. She usually spends between $70 and $100 on each of them. My two office managers get $1000 bonus each, and we always have an big production for a Xmas party. At the party we pass out gift cards for costo, target, the mall, etc for $60 each. I am reexamining our bonus system because I feel we could some things better. I do believe that if you can tie your staff to the success of your practice, then everybody wins. You also have to be careful about how you set up a bonus. If you have not learned yet, taking these things away is damn near impossible.
Posner
