It is often said that the best way to learn a new language is immersion. Simply stated, it’s the concept that being present and surrounded by the speakers of that language with active context accelerates the learning process. Even greater than formal, structured education, immersion allows the learner to strip away all of the hypotheticals. The only new words and phrases that are introduced are ones that are people all around are using. This type of focus makes their use of their new skills much more impactful to those they are conversing with. At Zen, we believe in constant learning. One of our core principles is curiosity. After all, it was insatiable curiosity that gave birth to ZenSupplies in the first place. We wanted to learn more about everything that concerns our ZenFamily. What do our customers love about Zen? What do they need to be changed? What do they to be changed? From ordering to dental inventory management to reconciliation and payment, how do we improve the experience at every level? These make up a minute sample of the questions that we were dying to answer. That thirst for understanding allows us to stay rooted in our cause and plugged into our network, for their benefit. So much like learning a language, we took the opportunity to immerse our selves with our customers as soon as possible. The greatest number of users were in Texas, we were sitting in Chicago. That made the choice very easy. Despite the challenges of travel and working from the road, we knew we had to go where we were needed. We could have called all of the same clients or set up video conferences. We would have gained some insight. But there is no substitute for being shoulder to shoulder with the assistant, hygienists, and managers that have made Zen part of their daily lives. We found such wonderful works of art and culture all over Austin. From the very moment that we stepped into our first practice of the trip, we received immediate confirmation that we were in the right place! That first practice blew our minds with their organization and strong dental system software that, in some ways, were contrary to how we guide practices to run. This new perspective prompted even more questions. There were more things that we wanted to understand about their workflow. All of this feedback is invaluable to the curious. Had we not been able to physically see, touch, and feel these processes, the impact could not have been nearly as great. The revelations did not stop there. Meeting with over a dozen customers in almost as many cities, we picked up a tremendous amount of knowledge and feedback. We got right to work with this information. Some minor tweaks were implemented right away. Changing the color of a button, or moving a function to a place that is easier for the user were things that we could implement immediately, so we did. The things that will provide a significant impact but also require a significant amount of development were prioritized, planned, and scheduled for implementation. Austin skyline at Night We value all of the feedback from our clients and partners but something is truly extra special about the connections made in this way. Looking at each other eye to eye, and tackling challenges together makes for solutions that are far more applicable to the people actually using them. No changes were made nor features added over this trip that did not come as a direct result of the one on one attention both given to and received by our customers. When looking at the journey through this lens, racing through a blizzard, stopping to work in coffee shops, long hours driving and all of the other obstacles seem so small. Nothing could possibly be as important as doing the right thing for our users. Enjoying some down time with happy members of the Zen Family Apart from the amazing knowledge we were able to gain through visiting our current customers, we had some other great opportunities as well. We were able to provide world class customer support to local clients, identify best fits for ZenSupplies, explore Austin, and even host our fist Zen Meetup! Stay tuned this week for more details and stories from the road!
We are fortunate to have clients that are patient, provide critical feedback and stay by our side while we are building worlds greatest dental software. In only 8 months we grew to 50 active clients and 44 that are in the onboarding stage, so in no time we believe we will cross that significant mark of 100 offices. I can tell you that we have learned a lot and continue to learn every day and through our daily mantra of “Let’s screw things up” we continue to push the envelope. During my sales calls, doctors ask me “Tiger, what is the most difficult aspect of your system?” and unfortunately my only answer is Human Nature. Yes, the software part is easy, we can design pretty buttons, make it all work just like a Cerec machine, but the human part is the most challenging. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that it’s this way, it helps us build a better software, more intuitive, and by no means is this a “The world needs to change” article. This is to simply acknowledge that change is indeed hard! Remember trying to lose weight? Fix a relationship? Or grow your business? We have a lot of startup offices and doctors who are opening new locations, remember first 30-60 days, I bet it wasn’t easy. I bet there were days working late seeing patience, then working on marketing, then looking at the finances, and then writing an ad to hire a new dental assistant. Then eventually all the hard things led into building knowledge, systems, attracting the right people to get to the next level. On a side note, it shouldn’t be easy, these things need to be hard, for a simple reason that you want the life to be on your terms. How does this all relate to ZenSupplies and implementation? Luckily it’s easier than losing weight or looking for a new dental assistant, but it has similarities. Let’s break it down: Decision - just as deciding to open an office or building a startup practice implementing a dental inventory management system has to be a well thought out process. I’ve seen several instances where doctors make a decision to implement, then life takes over with busy schedules in and outside the office. More Importantly if your dental assistant thinks that you don’t need one and it will over complicate things at this point you know, it’s a game over. A well thought out decision builds reasoning beyond “let’s just try it” and runs deeper in the culture of the office. Leadership - the amount of times I’ve heard doctors’ say “Let’s give it a try and see what my assistant thinks” is staggering. Again luckily for us there are a lot more really hard working, positive, dental assistants and team members in the field of dentistry that are willing to put it all on the line for the success of the practice; however the 5% that’s negative just kills the mode of action. Moreover, I can’t imagine going into battle and the general says “Let’s try this strategy and see if our soldiers will like it”. Just to be clear my problem with this point not the assistants, but the doctors who are putting the “leadership hat” on to someone else. If you made a decision, stick with it. Which leads me to my last point. Take 100% ownership. Building systems driven practice is a hard task but it will allow you to step out from the day to day routines and build the life you desire. The process of getting there though is usually not an easy one. Let’s take Zen as an example - going through the training, 1 week morning huddles with a team, taking full dental inventory count (only 1 time) and learning to stick to the budget. All these things are hard especially when your team had full freedom. This is where our offices with GREAT leaders shine. They know how to delegate, not to get involved, but when need be to roll up your sleeves and get to work. For example, one office decided to get the entire team together to take full inventory count. Ordered Pizza and for 2 hours worked as a team to accomplish the task. More importantly when things weren't’ done, the doctor and the leader in charge for the practice took the blame and did everything in his power to remain focused on implementation. Now you might think, all this for an inventory system, then why do I even need it. You are correct, for inventory management it is an overkill, however if you look at all the systems that a dental practice needs to have in place, marketing, phone skills, presenting treatment, patient’s first experience to name just a few above mentioned is a must. Let’s finish on a positive note, just remember any hurdle you had in the past and turned into a system (from morning routine, to workout, even eating habits) you now don’t even think about. That’s what all systems should lead to or aspire to, giving you FREEDOM! Turn ON no Excuses mode! Tiger
If you’re anything like the practices we serve, gaining full control of your inventory is easier said than done. A lot easier. The reality is, the dental industry and standard processes in place don’t make managing inventory a simple task for most practices. But with the right approach, it can be. Since the beginning of 2016, when ZenSupplies first began, we’ve processed over 3,000 orders and organized more than 35K products. And through our observation and analysis of the 29 clients we serve and their inventories, we’ve never wavered from our core aim: to help practices organize and regain control of their inventory, and save them time and money so they can focus on their patients and providing them with quality dental treatment. While our product has been increasingly effective in accomplishing this with our clients, finding the best way to break down smart dental inventory management into as simple a step-by-step process as possible has been a trial and error endeavor, to say the least. Fortunately though, after more than a year of observing and analyzing practices, and countless brainstorming sessions, we’ve finally managed to fulfill that endeavor. If you want to gain control of your dental inventory before considering implementing ZenSupplies, below are five easy steps any practice can take even without the help of our dental software programs and training services. Determine your practice’s biggest inventory issues. What aspects of inventory frustrate you the most? What really drives you up a wall? It could be running out of product while a patient is in the chair. Maybe it’s not having enough team members who know how to place orders. Or perhaps just the amount of time alone it takes for you and your team to fill out and submit orders grinds your gears the most. If you’re like most practices, the list is probably long. Whatever your practice’s biggest inventory issues are, take the time to go through them with your team and write them out as you do. Then, once you’ve done this, take a consensus to determine your greatest three. This will provide you with the foundation you’ll need to start painting an accurate picture of your inventory. Furthermore, by identifying these core issues that the lack of an organized inventory process causes, you will also be able to determine your need level for a more robust inventory management system like the one ZenSupplies provides. Make a list all of the distributors you buy from. Once you’ve determined your practice’s greatest inventory issues, the next step is to compile a list of the distributors you work with - yes, even the small guys you only order one specialty product from. The key here is to continue developing a more complete and accurate picture of your vendor relations as it pertains to your inventory. When we first ask our new clients the question, “How many distributors do you purchase from?”, the most common response we hear is “three to five”. But after going through order history and invoices, we find that in most cases there are far more - often times upwards of 20. This sort of inaccurate picture makes gaining control of your inventory processes incredibly difficult, if not near impossible, as it leads to confusion among staff, and time spent on simply finding the right distributor for a given product. After all, how can you expect to determine which distributor to buy a certain product from if you don’t know you buy from them? From a pure business standpoint, knowing your vendors well is essential to your practice’s success, and will help you in myriad ways in the long run. Identify the major distributor you buy from the most. After hashing out your list of distributors, the next step you’ll want to take is to identify the major distributor you buy from the most (Patterson, Benco, Schein, etc.). In our experience, there are two types of practices: ones who buy products from various distributors fairly equally, and ones who rely on primarily one or two major distributors. Regardless of which one describes your practice more, it’s critical you determine the major distributor you buy from the most. Once you’ve accomplished this, you’ll need to print out all the invoices you have of theirs on file from last year. This may sound like an excruciatingly couple of hours, but it’s essential to fully knowing your distributor climate. For example, if your primary distributor is Patterson Dental and you buy supplies from them two times a month, you will need to print 24 invoices (typically 3 - 4 pages long each). Within this example, going through 24 invoices should take you roughly 3 - 5 hours. Doing this will not only help you gain a more complete picture of what you’re paying and if there are any price discrepancies, but it will also provide you knowledge you can leverage in the following steps. Consolidate products to your primary major distributor OR select 2 - 3 distributors that sell online and set up accounts for easy access. After you’ve determined a primary major distributor, you’ll want to begin consolidating your inventory with them. Using the information you’ve gathered from steps 2 and 3 and analyzing your invoices from last year (order volumes, product prices, etc.), you can enter into this dialogue with leverage on your side. If you elect the first option (consolidating to your primary major distributor), start the conversation with your sales rep by stating your situation. “X is the volume we did last year, Y are our expectations for this year, and Z are the prices we’ve found for your products online.” Having done this, then tell them you’d like to consolidate and ask them what prices they can give you. Naturally, this conversation can be a bit uncomfortable, especially if you have a long-standing relationship with your sales rep. This is where, as a dentist, you will need to make a decision on what’s more important to you: saving 15-20% on supplies, or maintaining your current relationship with your rep. Any good sales rep will respect your decision, and the opportunity to earn your business. But don’t stop there. Use the information you have at your disposal to negotiate pricing, particularly on your more common products (heavy body, fluoride, exam gloves, etc.). The second option is a bit more straightforward, but isn’t for all practices. However, if you already know that you will be purchasing products from online vendors, make sure you narrow them down to 2 - 3 and confirm following important details: Product quality and procurement (authorized dealer, no grey market products, etc.) Return policy Shipping speed Customer service capabilities (call center, order reconciliation services, etc.) Where they source products from Payment terms - 30 days If you find an online distributor with significantly cheaper prices but you are unsure about product quality, or more importantly, the credibility and legitimacy of that distributor, don’t order from them. No amount of cost savings is worth risking you and your practice’s reputation. Stop autopay on all your purchases. As soon as you’ve consolidated your inventory or selected 2 - 3 trustworthy online distributors to work with, have your office manager or an assistant contact your current distributors and request that autopay be discontinued with each. Ask for a 30-day net time invoice to be emailed to you. Some may exhibit resistance or pushback, but don’t be deterred. Not only are distributors legally obligated to fulfill these kind of requests, but this step is critical for being able to effectively control your spendings. In the 3,000+ orders we’ve processed, there have been a considerable number in which mistakes and overcharges occurred. This is by no means an indictment on distributors - we’re all human - but, well...we’re all human. Mistakes happen. Instead, use a more reliable, auditable method, like Chase Bill Pay. In the end, not only will this will help mitigate invoice errors and eliminate the hassle of paper order submission, it will save you hundreds of dollars a year. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ By the time you’ve completed each of these steps, your practice will have gained a clearer picture of your inventory, simplified its ordering processes, economized on staff time, obtained better prices, and begun the road toward savings. But most importantly, you will have taken back control of your inventory. Now, just make sure you keep it that way. Since this is what we live by at ZenSupplies, we have to add a sales plug! If any of these tasks sound too difficult or time-consuming, you can give us a call at 872-225-2ZEN!
Why incentive program is important? In the last 6-8 months I visited a lot of practices across the country and it's always surprising to me that doctors have same if not bigger expectations to their team members as if they own a dental practice software. I understand the perfectionism and being type A, however, please remember your team members will work hard and put their 100% if they inspired and feel appreciated. This is where a well designed incentive program will be important. Trust me, it's not the amount that matters, more of an act of appreciation for a going above and beyond. There are plenty of resources regarding building an awesome incentive program. However, we are interested in the one that involves overhead and dental supplies. So far we were able to find one that is designed and tested by our great friend Dr. Mark Costes, DDS and it serves a lot of great purposes. We have seen in our client offices a difference that bonus system can make. There are couple of aspects of designing a well accepted system: Simplicity - if it takes you longer than 20 seconds to explain it, it’s too complicated and will send a message “I really don’t want to create one, but here you go, take it…”. Covers the areas you need improvements and you can measure success. Before you start handing out bonus checks, your system needs to be easy to track and have tangible end results (in supplies, staying under 5% of the collections) Follow through - the biggest issues that I have seen is when the bonus is promised, goals are met, and the owner of the practice (dentists) decides to “We will pay them out in Christmas” when it’s only July in the calendar. This is the easiest way to lose your people and lose respect to you as a leader. This podcast will cover most important aspects of the incentive program and I really hope you implement one in your practice. Link to Dr. Costes' podcast on team incentives.
Dear Zen Family, Welcome to our Monthly Update! We really had a lot on our mind and on our plate and honestly we couldn’t wait to share with you. Please grab a seat and let’s go through all of this together. Software Update: New ZenOut is going live tonight. New and easier design eliminated unnecessary steps for removing products from dental inventory and ability to remove large amounts of products with double tap. New feature of adding products back with + button. Product Note. Any product in the inventory can have a custom note, just select a note sign and select if it’s an internal note or you would like us to send it to supplier along with your order. . We spent a lot of time improving internal processes and especially the ones related to distributors. Many of you experienced issues and occasional awfulness by the suppliers you link to the platform (from changing client prices, to having unintentional mistakes in billing) and in the last few months we were working very hard with vendors to address that. However, we made more significant progress with Zen Preferred suppliers, who we admire a lot for acknowledging the need for change in the industry and building a better customer experience (the number of preferred is small but the impact is significant, 20-30% savings on products, helping our clients get to 4-5% overhead spent on supplies) At some point in this QTR we will change how Zen Preferred vendors will work to achieve the following great benefits: Moving Preferred Suppliers to 2 Day Delivery Some of the smaller Preferred vendor will be moving to select zones with SAME DAY Delivery Options Process Payments and bring paperless billing (currently only a few distributors allow this feature) Process Returns and Refund Labels within Zen Ability to Chat directly with suppliers Automatic feed into stock levels of our preferred suppliers to avoid backorders *********************************************************************************** . Our belief is that you should have full power in deciding which products are high quality and which are not. Therefore, we are redesigning reviews of products and distributors. In QTR4 we will introduce a new product review feature that will allow you to easily write a review and share it with your fellow Zen offices. It’s the community that can decide what products and distributors should be 5 stars and the most loyal and trustworthy. *********************************************************************************** The one aspect that makes community a vibrant place is engagement! If we are creating Zen as a one-place platform we need to think about the engagement we can encourage between Zen members and distributors. In the future we will go a notch further by introducing chat ability with manufactures. *********** the end I thank you for reading entire update and grateful for every one of you! Tiger Safarov CEO ZenSupplies, Inc.
By Lauren Carlson Let's face it. Inventory dental inventory management in a dental office can be complicated, frustrating and, above all, time consuming. Instead of providing the best service and treatment to your patients, you (or your office managers or dental assistants) are busy in the supply closet counting gloves, masks, etc. until they're cross-eyed, all with the goal of maintaining steady daily operations in the operatory. But as the old adage goes, 'There's gotta be a better way.' And there is; in the past few years, technology-savvy startups have crafted new solutions that streamline and/or automate product counting, ordering, budgeting, and price comparisons. Instead of paying the high hourly rates of your skilled employees to complete these tasks, dental offices have outsourced this labor to dental software systems or individuals ready and able to efficiently manage inventory processes. So instead of focusing on products, your skilled staff members can provide better service to your existing patients, take on higher workloads, or train for completed procedures. Brian Mc Court, Global Procurement & Supply Chain Professional for Abra Health Group, has worked in the health and wellness industry for 15 years, with seven years directing supply chain and commerce. In his current position for Abra, a health collective that provides affordable dental services for underserved communities, Brian works to streamline team and client communication along the supply chain. As the health group continues to grow — Abra went from three sites to over ten in the past year and plans to double that number in the next 18 months — its many sites required better oversight of vital inventory information. Specifically, Brian needed support to help determine the amount of staff necessary and the roles that they fill. Improved processes would also help him visualize product needs, procure the necessary items, and control their flow into and use within the office. "Now's the time. We're kind of right in the middle of that huge growth," he said. 1. Streamline your reporting One way inventory management tactic that Brian uses to help save his team money is regular reporting. By collecting data, either using outsourced support staff, scanning product QR codes in the supply closet, or the old fashioned manual counting method, Brian ensures that Abra's many locations have up-to-date information on product needs. "[Dental staff] have a whole clinic to run," he said. "The last thing I want them to worry about is trying to figure out what they need. If we have better visualization of our inventory we can create KPI [Key Performance Indicator] report...and that can be done at the corporate level." By collecting all data in a single location and having one staff person oversee product needs for all locations, Brian says, he can better utilize on the ground staff to do what they do best. By consolidating the work of weekly reports under one corporate staff member, the entire health group saves time and money. 2. Manage the supply chain The COVID-19 pandemic has forced uncertainty and chaos into industries across the globe, but has especially impacted those in medical and dental services. As community health needs and worries shift, dental practice owners need to remain flexible to ensure that have the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and everyday supplies at the ready. Jordan Lorenz, Director of Special Markets for City Dental, has worked for the dental supplies distributor for almost a decade. "The business end of it is what I enjoy," said Jordan, who is inspired by the efficiency and constant evolution of the dental industry. His team works with dental office customers who use a variety of methods to place orders. Some place orders over the phone, others partner with a DSO (Dental Service Organization) or GPO (Group Purchasing Organization). Still others utilize technology platforms like Zen Supplies, a tech startup that organizes inventory data and helps offices compete for the best prices. For Jordan, "understanding what my office needs and when they need it." And "Operating in a lean way is the best method to save his clients money through better inventory management. When you have access to real-time data, "You're ordering the things that you need and you have tight control around that supply chain," he said. Also, by partnering with one of the inventory platforms mentioned above, you have access to dozens of suppliers at a variety of price points, ensuring that supply chain woes become less of an obstacle—both in emergencies, and in everyday patient care. "The one thing that probably the pandemic taught people was that...the more sources for products you have, the better," said Jordan, who noted that if a certain product is out of stock at a go-to provider, platforms like Zen Supplies offers relationships with additional suppliers. "You gain efficiencies if you have multiple suppliers available to you," he added. 3. Outsource the simple stuff For Julie Telles-Carrizales, Executive Assistant for Apex Dental Studio, improved inventory management was all about outsourcing the tedious task of counting. For two years, "I took on pretty much whatever needed to be done in the office...and that included inventory management," she said. However, the practice has recently outsourced its inventory counting to a virtual assistant who uses images of the office's stock to remotely count products. Julie has also crafted an in-depth spreadsheet with detailed information for exact product ordering that has cut down on manual ordering tasks. With outsourced data in hand and a streamlined center for her data, "It's just click click click," she added. This efficient system saves the dental assistants and dentists from using their skilled time on inventory. Instead, they can better care for their patients. "They're here for and with patients," said Julie. "A lot of them don't want to be stuck in the back taking numbers." Whether your role is in the corporate office of a health group, managing customer needs at a supplier, or on the ground in a dental office, better inventory management processes can save you time and money. By streamlining reporting, managing the supply chain with access to multiple distributors, and outsourcing simple tasks, your practice can begin operating more efficiently and earning more profit overall.
For Elizabeth Bueno, the clinical director of a busy, multi-location dental practice, incorporating ZenSupplies into her systems increased efficiency, eliminated stress, and spurred further business growth. After five years utilizing ZenSupplies for ordering and dental inventory management, River Run Dental Spa in Richmond, Virginia has grown from one practice to five, and Bueno herself has transitioned from a hygienist managing direct patient care to a director managing bourgeoning practice operations across multiple locations. "I have a lot going on...our practice is rapidly growing," said Bueno. "[ZenSupplies just improved the efficiency of ordering and training and supply inventory management." After hearing about Zen on a podcast over five years ago, Bueno and her team approached founder Tiger Safarov about signing up for a subscription model at just a few hundred dollars per month. "Working with Tiger from the beginning, he was kind of at the forefront of his company," said Bueno. "It was great to have that personal relationship with him from the beginning." At the time, with only one River Run Dental Spa location, "We really didn't have budgets that were shared with us or budgets that were super strict," said Bueno. Though "There was a lot of flexibility and grace with it," Bueno noted, it was difficult to manage exact inventory and spending. "With Zen, we were really able to have one dental platform, order from multiple distributors, get the lowest prices, create new relationships with new distributors, and manage our inventory and our budget all in one place." Because River Run Dental Spa is highly focused on the patient experience, outsourcing product management allowed new freedom to further enhance patient care while leaving the inventory logistics up to Zen. "We really focus on providing an exceptional patient experience and have really grown our practice through focusing on that main vision," said Bueno. Their priority, she added, is "Exceptional dental care...we strive to leave a lasting legacy in Richmond by creating an experience that's different than others and providing a place that isn't your typical, average dental appointment." Bueno also noted that the practice saves thousands of dollars each year on dental supplies through the savings comparative tools Zen provides. "It was kind of a no brainer." Typical dental offices spend about 5% of their collections on products, and after implementing Zen, River Run has maintained a 3.4% spend on inventory. Instead of spending hours on organization, ordering, and searching for the best prices, River Runs Dental Spa staff can focus on providing the best patient experience possible. "Because it is just a click of a couple buttons...and the way that the storages work within Zen, makes it super efficient," said Bueno. Saving time, money, and energy has resulted in exceptional growth for the business. "We're continuing to grow. We plan on opening several more practices over the next couple years," added Bueno, who is currently overseeing the opening of River Run's sixth office this fall. "That's super exciting."
Many of our friends have been asking "What is going on with Zen?". Well, we have been very busy and now I'm excited to share with you what's new, what's coming in the next few months and what's the format for ZenOne Podcast. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubS2BNRNyhc[/embedyt] About our YouTube Channel: Hi friends, my name is Tiger and I'm the founder and CEO of ZenSupplies, a dental inventory management and ordering dental platformfor Dental Practices across US. We focus on building a simple solution for our clients to manage inventory, place all orders in one place and customize products your way. If you like videos about efficiency, inventory process and smart ordering as much as we do, please subscribe to our channel. 🔗 LINKS ZenSupplies Blog: https://www.zensupplies.com/blog/ ZenSupplies Podcast: https://www.zensupplies.com/zenone-podcast/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4I-NnQ8VfQ73hQS80gDB4Q Follow us on Instagram: @zen.supplies
Angie Bachman, Director of Education at Design Ergonomics, shares her story from Dental Assistant to Supplies Sales Rep and to a role at Design Ergonomics where she helps dental office systems to truly get organized. We cover many things including my favorite topic, a career path for Dental Assistant how practices can create one to provide a path for your team. Other topics include: - Career Path for dental assistants, clinical track and business track. How to make it work - Ways to motivate the team - Becoming an Expert in the field - Empowering the team to make decisions - How to design workflow of the dental practice software for maximum efficiency - How to layout Inventory storage in the dental practice
Since we started Zen in 2016 I knew that the only way to grow and build the right solution is to say “Yes” to everything. The ability to say YES, perhaps at the expense of thinking through, is a strength and I try to lead my incredible team with this in mind. We said yes to: Can I add any distributor to Zen? Can I add a dental inventory system to Zen? Can I add an Amazon account to Zen? Can I add my budgets to Zen? Can I do a price comparison on Zen? Can I order Costco water through Zen? Can I add all of my team members to Zen? We said yes to DSOs, Private Practices, Manufactures, and anything that could help our members have a better purchasing experience. All of these questions and our default YES answer helped to shape what we built, launched, and plan for future developments. We also said YES to a lot of internal projects, especially in the last 2-3 months. From launching daily, and then weekly, live webinars, podcasts, and weekly blogs. We were quick to change the dashboard so we can stream live events to our members’ ZenDashboard. With all of these changes, we did just enough planning to get the taste and not get caught in “analysis by paralysis”. Did we lose focus at times? YES. Did we pay the price? YES. But if we are set out to build a truly unique company with a culture of doing vs planning, then why worry about small missteps. Certain projects we had to scale back and some we continue doing for a simple reason of “building a muscle”. So where does it all lead us to? Zen has grown and gained a great customer base. We’ve built so much to try different technical avenues, that the right step forward is to start pulling back from some of the “Yeses” and narrowing down our focus on what is really important. There is also something that is an absolute must for me personally: are we building something difficult and that will help to change the industry? Copying something that has been done before just simply doesn’t excite me. Perhaps Zen is in the stage of humble reassessment of “what did we learn” and “what is our focus”. Perhaps today is more important than ever to think through all that we learned and focus on one direction? So, is change the right step forward? Tiger Safarov
Dear ZenFamily, Happy Monday to all! We hope everyone had a phenomenal weekend. As we jump into another busy week, we’d like to share a recap of live events and webinars for last week (the week of July 20) as well as some exciting live events that we have planned for the week of July 27. So here goes! On Thursday, July 23 we invited our friends at ProEdge Dental (https://proedgedental.com/) The "Wizard of Water" Mike Rust and Kellie Thimmes to share more on launching 2 new products, to bring light to what these products are and how they can help dental offices. Once again, we discussed the issues related to water treatment within a dental practice. If you remember from the last webinar, Mike is a great guest and we can talk for hours. Here is the podcast: https://share.transistor.fm/s/38ba3035 By the way have you seen their awesome video clips? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSugiQTRVaxwnOIiCj3eog/videos On Friday, 7/24 at 11 am CST, Tiger hosted our traditional "15 min Friday Supply Availability Update" for Zen Offices! Please join us Every Friday at 11am Central for a live update on what is going on on the market and availability of dental supplies. All you have to do is login to your Zen account, app.ZenSupplies.com For the week of July 27, we have planned the following events: 1. On Wednesday, 7/29 at 11 am CST we will host a webinar with Mary Govoni on OSHA/CDC Updates and What are the Options if we Run Out of Gloves/Wipes? By many of your requests we invited Mary Govoni to the live webinar to discuss the new OSHA/CDC guidelines, requirements, and simply what's working and what our teams need to know about infection control. Tiger will ask Mary about the current shortage of Nitrile Gloves and Surface disinfectants (wipes). What are the options if we can't buy any more (which our team is working really hard to make sure that doesn't happen). Mary's Bio is Here: Mary Govoni is an internationally recognized speaker, author and consultant, working with dental teams for over 40 years on clinical efficiency, infection prevention, ergonomics, and team communication. Mary is a Certified OSHA Outreach Trainer and assists dental practice across the country in achieving compliance with regulatory requirements. Mary also is known for her practical approaches to implementing dental system software and protocols to enhance patient safety, privacy and data security. Mary a past president of the American Dental Assistants Association, a member of the American Dental Hygienists Association, a member of the Organization for Safety Asepsis and Prevention, the Academy of Dental Management Consultants and the Speaking and Consulting Network. She has published numerous articles in Dental Economics, The Dental Assistant Journal, RDH Magazine, Dentistry Today, Inside Dentistry and many others. Together we can PLAN in Advance! The benefit of the LIVE Webinar is that we will be able to answer YOUR questions during this time. So please join us at 11 am CST on Thursday 7/9! All you have to do is login to your Zen account, or follow this link: https://livewebinar.com/659-178-092 2. And of course, per our new Friday tradition, on Friday, July 31 at 11 am CST, Tiger will host a 15 Minute Supply Availability Update with a Special Guest. Everyone is beyond ready to get back to work in a safe environment. The ZenTeam is spending countless hours every week doing due diligence, learning about FDA approvals, learning about product shortages, and sourcing new vendors. In addition, the landscape of the supply chain is constantly changing and so are the prices of PPE products. Therefore, Tiger will host a 15 min live event EVERY Friday at 11 am CST to go over what we learn during the week. We will share EVERYTHING-good, bad and what to prepare for. Simply login to your ZenSupplies account and join us there for all live events! Thank you to all for participating in our live events and we look forward to seeing everyone during this week’s webinars!
Happy Monday to all! As another busy week begins, I’d like to provide a recap of the live events and webinars we’ve had at Zen this past week as well as some exciting live events that we have planned for the week of June 29! So last week, on Thursday, June 25, we invited Tim Twigg to discuss the post COVID hiring challenges and Tim also provided an Update on the PPP Forgiveness. For many dental office systems across the country it's been really challenging to bring the team back, adjust the schedules to the new guidelines and hire new team members. Tim helped us better understand "the tsunamis of the coronavirus", the most recently asked HR questions and what the hiring process should look like for dental offices. Please find the full webinar here: https://youtu.be/ftdRF5OMYyY And here is the podcast: https://share.transistor.fm/s/0030262a On Friday, 6/26 at 11 am CST, Tiger hosted our traditional "15 min Friday Supply Availability Update" for Zen Offices! This Friday Jordan Lorenz, Director of Special Markets from Dental City joined Tiger to review the supply availability. Please join us Every Friday at 11am Central for a live update on what is going on on the market and availability of dental supplies. All you have to do is login to your Zen account, app.ZenSupplies.com For the week of June 29, we have planned the following event: Wednesday, July 1 at 12 pm CST, we invited Jen Guarino, CEO of ISAIC to discuss The Importance of Supporting US Based Manufacturers. With the 4th of July holiday coming up in a few days, we decided to host a webinar on the importance of supporting US based manufacturers. There are a lot of discussions on US made products. Some were surprised with "why we don't make masks anymore" and "Why US made PPE is as expensive as from outside of the US". These and many other questions I would like to address with Jennifer Guarino, CEO of ISAIC (Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center), a fashion non-profit that changed their direction to making Gowns and Masks during the pandemic. Please tune in on Wednesday for an exciting live discussion. Please check out ISAIC (Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center) here: www.isaic.org. If you would like to jump on the webinar and share your experience and challenges (many are concerned that US based manufacturers are more expensive), Tiger will add you in! The benefit of the LIVE Webinar is that we will be able to answer YOUR questions during this time. So please join us at 11 am CST on Wednesday 7/1! All you have to do is login to your Zen account, Or follow this link: https://livewebinar.com/353-515-414 Since the Friday supply availability event falls on Independence Day (observed) this week, we will be having our next 15 minute supply availability live event on Friday, July 10. Thank you to all for participating in our live events and we look forward to seeing everyone during this week’s webinars!
Let me start with a bunch of questions that I still don’t have all the answers to. How is it possible that during a pandemic that we are left with no masks, gowns, respirators? How did we get to the point that we have to rely on another country to get us protection equipment? If we would have US manufacturing kicking in full gear would we even have to shut down dental practices across the US? How can we help turn things around to start manufacturing products in the US again? Lots of questions and I also hear a lot of excuses, “too expensive”, “Who would pay X amount for a mask made in the US”, “What’s the problem with making things overseas?”, “We don’t have the material to make the product here”, “Labor is too expensive in the US”. Remember the days when American made was a big thing, at least I do! Growing up in Russia I remember craving Levi’s jeans. It was a huge shortage and if you can get a pair, you could literally sell them on the black market for double the cost (reminds me of the current PPE struggle :). To me, Levi’s was an epiphany of the quality. When you wear American jeans it was a statement. It was Freedom! So why can’t we get back to making things here, in the US, again? In search of answers to my above questions, I frequently asked our distribution partners “Why can’t we get US-made products"? Some were even able to get the equipment but couldn’t source the raw material. We continued to ask and most of the time the answer was “It’s impossible”! Until one day, one of our Zen Members sent an email with an introduction to a nonprofit organization in Detroit, Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center, originally started as a community-driven nonprofit for apparel manufacturing, that had to change gears during the pandemic and start making gowns and masks. So as usual, I got in the car and drove to Detroit to see how in the world a nonprofit is figuring out how to solve this “impossible” challenge. After being greeted by Kimberly, who checked my temperature and asked medical-related questions, I was welcomed to the manufacturing floor. I was Wowed from the first minute: equipment, people, space, drawing boards, raw material, the meeting room, all of it makes you feel part of something special. Makes you feel you are part of the big dream! A short walk through: https://youtu.be/GQ7JxbXEXvA After a few minutes of meeting Jen Guarino, CEO of the ISAIC, I started trying different gowns, masks and kept on asking lots of questions. Curious to find out the answers? In this short interview I ask Jen Guarino, CEO of the ISAIC nonprofit organization, important questions related to US manufacturing: The cost of manufacturing products in the US and what are the drivers of cost? How to stop losing trade skills due to manufacturing moving overseas? How Manufacturing is solving a lot of the problems that our society is going through today? Is it too late to bring manufacturing back to the US before we lose trade knowledge? I really hope you find this interview informative and I ask you to pledge 20% of your ordering to the US-based manufactures. Full Interview is here: https://youtu.be/ykI5AdTaiYY Tiger Safarov CEO, ZenSupplies Inc
Dear ZenFamily, We are thrilled to announce that we launched “Live Events and Webinars” on the homepage of your Zen Account!!! As we wrap up our third week of live events, I wanted to share a recap with everyone on the week of April 6th. Tiger was joined by 5 fabulous speakers this week who all shared wonderful resources, knowledge and ideas with the ZenFamily. So here is a recap of what happened this past week: Monday April 6th: Dental Assistant Survival Guide During Quarantine with Julie Varney, CDA, RDA, COA, FAADOM, CDSO, CDSH, Mentor of Dental Assistants Rock and Ronda Holman, RDA, Educator, Podcast Guru of DA Rockstars Podcast to walk through a survival guide for dental assistants during the current times of uncertainty. Both Julie and Ronda are founders of "Dental Assistants Rock", a dental platform for support and guidance for every dental assistant! All dental assistants are currently wondering-how do we survive during the current times of quarantine? What can we expect as a result of the coronavirus? Tune in here to watch the full webinar: Tuesday, April 7th: Dental inventory workshop Marie Kondo Style with Tiger Safarov. Tiger reviewed what SPARKS JOY for each office in the Marie Kondo style! Tune in here to watch the full webinar: Wednesday, April 8th: Story from the Trenches: Seeing 7-12 true emergencies every day with Ivana Bueno, director of operations from Dental 360 and Associates in Chicago, IL to share with all of us the current situation in their office. Ivana's office has been seeing 7-12 true emergencies per day, with limited team (or almost no team at this point) and a full schedule, for the emergency only times. Tune in here to watch the full webinar: Thursday, April 9th: Mary Beth and Missy Fryer on Preparing Yourself for What Life Throws At You. We invited two special guests, Mary Beth, founder and CEO of Dental Support Specialists and Missy Fryer, co-owner of Buckeye Dental Solutions, to discuss what it means to prepare yourself for anything life throws at you. Both Mary Beth and Missy have unique stories to share with us! We hope Mary Beth will tell us more about starting Dental Support Specialists with her husband Joe and later co-founding Dental Survival Guides with Missy Fryer (one of our own ZenFamily) . Tune in here to watch the full webinar: During each webinar, we covered numerous topics on surviving through COVID-19 and staying strong during the times of the unknown! There were quite a few interesting resources, books and recommendations made during each webinar so I’d like to share them with everyone here: 4/6 Dental Assistant Survival Guide During Quarantine with Julie Varney & Ronda Holman: -Map of when States are opening back up: -DANB.org - excellent resource for assistants to be able to get educated on their state requirements. -ADA Dental Boards: https://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/licensure/licensure-dental-students/state-dental-boards -CDC Updates: https://bit.ly/cdcdentalassistant -Dental Instruments Book: https://www.amazon.com/Dental-Instruments-Linda-Bartolomucci-Boyd/dp/0323474055/ref=sr_1_2?crid=BZIEVQ2AP4QM&dchild=1&keywords=dental+instrument+book&qid=1586700392&sprefix=dental+instrument+%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-2 4/7 Inventory Workshop Marie Kondo Style with Tiger Safarov: -Our very first Article on Installing Tip out Bins: https://www.zensupplies.com/blog/ready-set-get-your-dental-supplies-organized-with-tip-out-bins/ -Our First Webinar on Inventory and Ordering: https://www.zensupplies.com/blog/dental-inventory-makeover-webinar/ 4/9 Mary Beth and Missy Fryer on Preparing Yourself for What Life Throws At You -Mary Beth’s & Missy’s website/bio: www.BuckeyeDentalProductions.com (where Zen Users can find out more about Missy and Mary Beth and their Dental Survival Guides and use the ZEN code at check out for 10% off!) -www.DentalSupportSpecialties.com is Mary Beth’s company website And here are the details on the upcoming live events for the week of April 13th: 4/13 Live 2:30 pm CST: Vivek Kinra on Collecting 30K in Insurance from Home (CE). Follow this link to join: https://livewebinar.com/959-682-600 4/15 Live 2pm CST: Zen Offices Share their Inventory and Ordering Process. Follow this link to join: https://livewebinar.com/331-404-582 4/17 Live 3 pm CST: An International Reflection on the Coronavirus. Follow this link to join: https://livewebinar.com/411-977-897 We hope everyone is enjoying Zen's live events!
Working Through Change CHANGE! AHHH! I always think of Kevin from Home Alone with his hands on his face, screaming in the mirror. Yes, very few like to hear the word, “Change”. ESPECIALLY during these times of uncertainty. Change can be scary for most people. When you have worked for an office, or on a team for so long, you adapt to processes and personalities. The last thing we want to hear is “We are going to CHANGE the way we do things.” Lets discuss a few tips on how we can effectively and confidently implement changes within the dental dental practice management system 1st-What we know….. What we know is people are afraid of change. 2nd-What can we do? So, What can we do to get our team onboard? Successful change consists of Awareness, Buy-In, Skills, Desire, Proper Resources and an Action Plan. In order to achieve the necessary change we are looking for, we must have all of those in place. Or else….. Awareness-How do we keep our team aware? I would like to stop right here and remind ourselves of what we ARE in control of: Our Communication Skills. I do not believe there is such a thing as over communicating in a dental office. With all the daily whirlwind, we just cant seem to communicate enough! Keep your team in the know. We discussed in another blog about regular team meetings. IF you are not currently having these, I highly recommend them! They are a NECESSITY! In our team meetings it is important to be transparent. I don't mean you have to disclose your yearly income to the team:) However, you can be very open on what you are working on, and what is in the pipeline. Let them know. Your team is SUPER creative, and may just have that one tidbit of advice that may shoot your dreams into another world! J/K, but you know what I mean! Utilize the knowledge that they have, and keep them involved! Buy-In What if our team doesn’t have the buy-in. One thing I have learned over the years from my time in the office on different levels is: What was good for the team yesterday, may not be good for the team today. This was very powerful. Some of you will be growing and adding offices, so keep that in mind. I'm not saying go out and let your team go if you are expanding, but think clearly about where you are going, and who is going to be onboard for the new look. When implementing new systems, or programs within your office, there will always be that team member that will drag their feet. Why do we have to do this? What we were doing before was working just fine. I don’t want to change. Its not going to work”. We have heard all of these, right?!? Get a COMMITMENT from your team. Example: Implementing end of day checklists into your office. Ask your team to give you 4-8 weeks of a commitment to completing their end of day checklist. See how it goes. Schedule a follow up meeting and let the team be open about their thoughts. If the team member creates it, the team member will own it. Let the team make their own checklists. The dentist can edit/add/delete and follow up. This creates buy-in. Your team member is now in control of her own end of day tasks that SHE created. I'm telling you...IT WORKS! Always stay positive when discussing these changes with your team. Its easy to say, “You're right, we really don’t need them.” Instead try “You know what? Lets try these for the next month, every day and see how it goes.” YOU are listening to your team!! Skills One of the biggest challenges I have faced in my dental career was not having the skills needed for the position I was given. You guys, this happens EVERYDAY! There was no doubt I was capable of teaching myself, but how? Going from a Dental Hygienist to Office Manager was the biggest change for me. I quickly realized, I need to learn, and learn QUICK, and develop better skills in order to be an effective leader in my office. When we roll out an on-boarding process, hiring process, or simply a new third party dental software we are using, they don’t always come with the best training. It is our responsibility as a leader in the practice to learn those skills needed to implement, or find our right hand man to learn the skills needed, in order to reach successful implementation. Set your team up for success! NO ONE likes to fail! Figure out how you are going to learn and teach the skills necessary for the changes taking place. That could even be an assistant in your office teaching the maintenance program you have set up. OR creating the program, learning herself, then teaching the team what maintenance should be completed, and when. Desire Resources Action Plan ~Kellie Black, RDH Disclaimer: This article is the sole opinion and research of the writer and doesn’t reflect the opinions of ZenSupplies.