In this last segment, I want to address a technique that requires more planning and communication between you and your frequent email recipients.  It’s a little more effort to setup but worth it once the system is in place.

Keywords in the subject line are a great way to streamline your email management. This helps the receiver determine the urgency of your message. You (or they) can create rules that automatically route your email to different folders if you define a common set of keywords with your team for different topics or levels of urgency. (‘TODAY’, ‘THIS WEEK’, ‘PROJECT X’, ‘NOT-URGENT’,’APPROVAL’, etc.)

Ask our Service Desk (or your local geek) if you’d like assistance in setting these rules up. Once you have folders to sort your email into instead of one giant dumping box (IE: “InBox”), you’ll be able to digest those that matter most, first, and save the non-urgent stuff for a less critical time.

Email used to consume an average of two hours every day of my life. I hope for most of you it’s much less.  I finally decided this was far TOO MUCH time to be wasted! I knew there had to be a greater balance between the email Monster and face-to-face time, phone calls, or focused work time.

In addition to the tips above, I started having a trusted assistant help. She sorts and filters my email by urgency, even forwarding or replying to some. This has cut my time down to an average of an hour per day, and allows me to relax more during vacations or hectic trips, knowing that I can quickly address the more critical items and save the rest for later.

I hope these tips help you to save time handling emails. If we all work at reducing unnecessary messages, and “educating” others with these techniques, each of our personal Email Monsters will slowly shrink.

If you have other tips you’d like to share, please do.  This is an important issue and your feedback is always welcome. 

Your mailbox may never again become that cute, furry little puppy that it started out as, but at least you can trim it down from a T-Rex to a healthy (and helpful) Labrador.

Hopefully in the last week, you’ve tried some of the tips from my last post, and spent more face-to-face time talking with people, instead of defaulting to email. This round, I wanted to address more ways to shrink the Email Monster – one of which might even help your personal relationships.

Another problem we often see is the lengthy CC list.  It’s too easy to burn hours of someone else’s week up by carbon copying them on every topic you think they might be remotely interested in. This is very frustrating for the recipient spending time every day receiving a lot of messages that they don’t really want.

Sometimes, this is done as a type of indirect coercion or name-dropping.  (“If your boss sees this too, you’ll know I’m serious about it). There are more honest, direct ways to communicate.

If the reason for copying is positive – to really assist a group of people in collaboration, staying in touch with critical info they really need to know, then great! Just reevaluate your reasons and make sure the list is no longer than it NEEDS to be. Alternatively, you can use a different tool - something that’s really designed for group posting – Yammer or a SharePoint Project Portal, for instance. These really excel at rapid, efficient group communication and easy, fast reading. Email is lousy at this – slow for the senders and the recipients alike.

Nope – I’m not swearing. I’m referring to the audible or visual indicators many people use for incoming messages - a desktop popup window, beep, Blackberry tone or vibration, etc.

We actually have a company policy requiring that these indicators be turned off. If your laptop, desktop, Blackberry, iPhone, or whatever is taking your attention away from a conversation, meeting, or project when SOMEONE ELSE sends you a message, you’re killing your productivity and that of others.

Time management experts recommend you set aside two times during the day to check and reply to emails; mid-morning and mid-afternoon, for example. By doing this, you are controlling your own time and mental focus – not the several thousand other people around you who happened to hit “send” at any given moment of the day.

There are exceptions – some roles that mandate monitoring email constantly. If this is the case for you (Sales, Service Desk , Maintenance, etc.), then it’s fine. For you, email is a tool that’s time-sensitive, and you have to pay attention. HOWEVER, know when to turn it off! I’ve heard from a few people of Blackberries thrown out of the dining room during dinner, or the bedroom at night.

I am lucky to work with amazing, quality and caring people around the globe.
Chantell in South Africa is one of them.
I like to call her Maya the bee - humble, low profile and ever so dedicated and hard working when it comes time to roll up the sleeves.

I recently received this message from Chantell and I want to share with you (with her permission).

“Hi Nicolas,
I am so excited, I just had to share this with you now.
We have a University in the Limpopo province, where we have been very involved. Last year I did a lecture there for 5th year students, and we went back in May (this year) for another lecture on tooth whitening but we decided to do it in a different way. They have a large amount of fluorosis patients in the area. We asked for 2 patients as volunteers. They came in on a specific day and we started off by taking impressions of the patients. Then, we did a demo on the UltraVac Vacuum Former - the casting, blocking out, making bleaching trays. We made bleaching trays for our volunteers. Then we went and gave the lecture on the different options of whitening, including Opalustre. We told the students that it will take some time to see results, fluorosis & tetracycline are more difficult to treat. Then we took the patients to the dental clinic, where we started our procedure.

We used a Rubber Dam & Opalustre procedure, followed by Opalescence Boost. We established that there was no sensitivity at this point.  Then, we used Opalescence Quick 45%, placed it in the trays for the patients and they waited for 2 hours. In the meantime, we answered questions.  I must admit, some of the students were very skeptical because they could not see a big difference after the Boost. We gave the volunteer patients Opalescence 20% and UltraEz, explained exactly how to use it and they left.

Today, we returned to follow-up on the patients and WOW - see for yourself. I have photo’s here of one patient. This is after using 4 syringes of 20% at home. They are going to continue for another 2 weeks, and we will see them again. I will send more photos when we have the end results.

The patients are so happy, this lady in the pictures is 20 years old, she said it has "changed her life”.

Thank you Chantell.
And thank you to all our gorgeous distributors around the world who are sharing and spreading our values.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty * Winston Churchill

Email is one of those indispensable tools that many of us both love and hate.  Over the last thirty years, we’ve moved from an environment where email didn’t exist, to a place where it has easily overtaken all other types of communication, in quantity at least – though definitely not in quality. Are you in control of your email, or is a monster that runs your life?

The Associated Press called me for an interview a couple of weeks ago. Allegiance, who powers our customer feedback system, referred them to me for a story about how companies use technology to save money during the downturned economy.  I was expecting a few questions about how we use Allegiance, but the reporter was really interested in EVERYTHING Ultradent is doing to save money this year.

I must admit, I wasn't prepared for the type of questions the reporter fired off; I was not exactly the right person to interview for this story.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to brag about our great company, though, so I told her I'd go on a fact finding mission.  I met with Dirk Jeffs, Kris Beynon, Mark Brinkerhoff, and even briefly with Dr. Fischer.  What I learned was enough to make anyone proud to work here.

First of all, it's probably important to define the impact this economy is having on us -- we're certainly better off than many companies in the country or even in our industry.  Dirk Jeffs told me that the overall dental consumables market is down by 5-7% due to the economy, but Ultradent’s domestic sales are relatively flat.  He said the biggest drag on our top line has been the increased strength of the U.S. dollar this year compared to last year. The currency exchange has impacted our international sales to some degree.

Since we're so fortunate, we haven't had to take drastic measures like large-scale layoffs.  Any company would be irresponsible not to consider the current economy, though, so it was nice to hear our leaders talk about internal mentality shifts. The general consensus was that we now think of costs in terms of people when weighing decisions, e.g. “This expense would pay the salaries of three people.”

Our 30-year-old company has had the advantage of being a privately held company with a visionary leader, so our priorities have always leaned toward progression and improving oral health care globally. Not being beholden to stockholders, there have been times we have considered 5-10 years an acceptable length of time to recoup our investments. Now we are looking at things in terms of “needs” instead of “wants.”  We continue to invest in strategic projects, though the payoff time line is more closely considered now and we tend to focus on investments that have a quicker or more dramatic impact on revenue.

We have also reconsidered our shipping options. In the past, we have paid our shipping company for delivery within a 3-5 day window. We now save half of our shipping costs by paying for ground shipments instead of air shipments; our shipments are guaranteed to be delivered in five days. Of course, if a customer wants an order more quickly, they can pay for expedited shipping, but we have chosen to eliminate expensive shipping where less expensive shipping will suffice. There is no reason for us to pay double the freight charges for orders unless our customers need the materials immediately.

We've started using cost-saving technology, as previously mentioned with Allegiance. This customer feedback system helps us collect, respond to, and track customer feedback efficiently and without paper.

Another cost-saving technology, Webex, is an online conferencing tool we now use to save expenses for training our outside sales staff.  Dr. Fischer said the technology helps us to be better stewards of our capital by meeting online instead of flying all reps to corporate headquarters multiple times per year. Between online meetings and smarter staffing of trade shows, we have been able to reduce corporate travel by 25%.

We also use Webex to help our customers save money.  So far, we have hosted two continuing education Webinars, for which the dental staff members were able to earn three CE credits each. We pay a nominal monthly fee to use the system, plus a per minute charge for each conference attendee who dials into the toll free Webex line. Most conference attendees have opted to listen to the audio over their computer speakers or headphones instead of dialing in, however, so our cost is minimal and the benefit to the attendees (our customers) is great. We always schedule the Webinars on Fridays when most dental offices are closed, so they don’t have to rearrange patient schedules. The attendees are able to earn continuing education credits for their state license renewal from their own home or office instead of incurring costs of travel, days out of office, etc. Also, we usually charge around $395 per dentist to attend a live continuing education event, but the Webinars have been free to this point.

Within the company, we have formed two committees:

$1 Million Club
Has a goal to save $1 million this year through initiatives that present a low impact on employees. Examples: 

• Negotiating lower fees with the vendors who take care of the plants inside our building - Adjustment of travel policy, which still fits within IRS and DOL guidelines but reduces overtime, etc.
• Leveraging technology we already own that hasn’t been fully taken advantage of (e.g. Setting up an automated, direct connection between our bank and the Oracle system we use for operations has saved ½ person’s time. We always had this capability, but never made the time to configure it.)
• Coordinated purchasing effort – After investigation, we found that having multiple administrative assistants throughout the company order their own supplies has contributed to over-purchasing and varying price models for the same types of items. Coordinating these efforts more tightly is saving us over $200,000 per year in office and event supplies.

Operations Excellence
All employees from the Operations team are working together to make our systems more efficient and save money. The internal philosophy is to work smarter and encourage an atmosphere of change. Employees receive bonuses when they come up with true cost saving ideas. We are trying to encourage the area/department experts to think about cost savings in their own areas and then share a piece of the corporate savings as a reward. Employees have come up with ideas big and small that they have to map out and justify. This has saved us in labor and system costs, with employees contributing valid, implementable savings ideas of up to $60,000 per year.

So, after all this fact finding, a tiny blip about our company was mentioned in a few publications (and I was unfortunately misquoted about the extent of our layoffs), but I think they did their best to convey our message. You can read this story in a lot of regional papers across the country or on Yahoo.com. 

I'd like to applaud everyone at Ultradent who is working so hard to be financially responsible in this time of economic difficulty.  I'm always grateful to work here and this year, that point seems especially poignant.

Last week I traveled to India with Jim (Intl Sales Director) and Girish (Indian Country Manager).

Jim, myself, Girish and his family.

As we were going around the country to visit several of our dealers, Jim and I discovered some unbelievable facts and stories about India.

In Mumbai, We met with the Jehangir’s brothers. top notch dental professional who have been promoting Ultradent for over 20 years. They told us about an interesting religion. They are Zoroastrians (Parsis), a religion which started in Persia. They are famous for being highly ethical and excellent business person: and they confirmed it. When the first Parsis ancestors came from Persia to India several centuries ago, the Indian governor didn’t let them in. “India territory has no space for your community” and so he showed a jar full of milk to illustrate the saturation of population. The Parsis leader pour some sugar in the jar and replied “our community will sweeten and enrich the Indian culture just like this sugar in your milk”. and so they live in harmony since that time with the other ethnics in Gujarat. I love the picture!

One particular detail about their religion is that they believe that a corpse is a host for decay. Consequently, death shall be followed by the "safe" disposal of the dead in a manner such that a corpse does not pollute the "good" creation. On of the ritual still practice in India is to deposit the corpse in the "Towers of Silence" and so exposed to the sun and to birds of prey...

As each day brought some new stunning discovery, we learnt next about the “aghori sadhus”; they are a small sect of people who still practice cannibalism eating meat rotten dead and meditating on human corpse... Thanks God, Girish didn’t introduce us to them!

Animals are everywhere; from gigantic bats to sacred cows in the middle of the road. As we were navigating on our rickshaw in the middle of the chaos, we even discovered that hand cart needed a plate registration to be able to circulate! Unbelievable but true India.

The most extraordinary story was definitely this one:

Did you know that some Indian have lived for 65 years without having any food or drink during their entire life, only surviving with a few leaves and sun rays... Want to know learn more? visit that link

Giri, as his mother likes to call him, is a sweet loving person, who always strive to get things done the right way. He has showed so much enthusiasm and passion for his job. In less than a year, he already achieved so much for our business development in India. I am proud and blessed to work with such an humble and yet ambitious human being. Always going the extra mile with a large smile on his face. Thank you Girish for all you do and good luck with the newborn!

It's that time of year for our future dentists; State boards and graduation. Many of you may have already used the InterGuard by Ultradent in dental school.  If you haven't, then I highly recommend you give it a try when taking your boards.

InterGuard is a durable stainless steel preventative aid that will help prevent iatrogenic damage during Class II preps, and it is great for tunnel preps by protecting the adjacent tooth! It is reasonably priced as well.

In working with dental schools over the past 5 years, I've had numerous comments from graduates stating that the InterGuard really helped them with the board exams.  So make a small investment in your future and give us a call at 800-793-5215 to order.  And, while you are talking with our fabulous University Assistants, ask them about the "Student Board Kit" we offer as well.

Best of luck and have a blast with your dental career!

Victoria

As a long time chairside assistant, it was my sworn duty to do the best job I could to help increase patient retention and office productivity. With today's technology changing, well on a daily basis, it is our duty as dental professionals to stay on top of new improvements and changes.

As a advocate of continuing education for the entire dental team, I wish to thank the state dental associations that are starting to provide CE specific to each member of the team.  Because I am a dental assistant and a product educator, I find that when dental assistants are handing chemistry to a doctor to place in a patient's mouth, the dental assistant should know the proper placement technique and handling issues associated with that specific chemistry.

I'm a hybrid layer freak.  As I say when doing lectures and educating our future dentists..."The hybrid layer can make or break your practice".  We are all so "rushed" and seem to take it (the hybrid layer) for granted.  Now is the time to slow down and apply your products according to the manufacturer's recommendations.  It is also the time to sit down and discuss the instructions and storage recommendations with every member of the team that might come in contact with that said product.  We must also stop assuming that all products are created equal, so please take time to read the instructions.

You can also pat yourself on the back if you go to regular continuing education programs...and doctors, if it has to do with a clinical procedure, take your dental assistant along with you.

I just returned from speaking at the Connecticut State Dental Association meeting.  Kudos to CSDA for having such nice auxiliary track programs, and thank you doctors for attending my adhesive program.  I might not have a DDS, or a DMD, but I do have tons of experience and I work for Ultradent...a education and research based company. I read, read, read and use the World Wide Web to find out just about anything on all different types of products.

If you have questions or concerns because a product doesn't seem to be working right for you, you can always go to the company website and look up FAQ's...frequently asked questions.

Increased productivity, happier patients with long lasting dentistry, and better educated team members are only a click away.  Webinars and Podcasts are also available...inexpensive and easy.

I would also appreciate the support of dentists across the country by asking htem to send their chairside assistants to CE.  I will be lecturing on May 31st in Loma Linda, CA...Secrets to Successful Dental Assisting.  The FNDC in Orlando in June is offering a wide variety of programs for team members as well.  I am fortunate to do 2 days on adhesive dentistry and 1 day on whitening.  In July I will also be at the PNDC in Seattle, Washington.  Great things are happening and you can be part of it!

I would like to thank Ultradent and Dr. Dan Fischer for being such a great mentor and educator in my life for the past 13 years, and I would love to thank all the state associations that are starting to promote excellence in education as well.

Be the sponge...soak up as much knowledge as you can.  Your practice will be happy, as well as your pocketbook.

Happy Education!

Victoria

I had no idea what an honor the Charles A. Caine Award was until Rachel Lewis, Communications Director for Worker’s Compensation Fund, paid us a visit.  Rachel enthusiastically toured our building paying special attention to areas such as our first aid room and manufacturing floor.  Along the way, she shared a few facts on how companies become Charles A. Caine nominees.  It may seems obvious for a company to have a “zero-accident” goal but it takes a concerted effort to actually achieve the objective.  For the past ten years, Dave Nuttall, Ultradent’s Safety and Security Manager, has worked towards this objective by decreasing the number of reported injuries with a few primary measures – an onsite first aid room to evaluate injuries, a first–aid response team which consists of employees to help with treatment of medical emergencies and most important, a strong company-wide safety mindset.  Dave encourages sharing of safety concerns so that potential accidents are addressed and prevented.  If a workplace injury does occur, the details of the incident are reviewed by managers to address any necessary changes to prevent future mishaps.  One of the measures used for workplace safety is called an e-mod rating.  Basically, the higher the e-mod number, the higher the number of reported injuries.  Ultradent’s e-mod has been reduced from 2.92 in 1995 to a very low .76 rating today!

Ultradent is among 12 companies out of 24,000 to receive the honor of the Charles A. Caine Award for Workplace Safety this year.  The award will be presented on Thursday, June 4^th at the Little America Hotel.

A big congrats to Dave and the first aid responders for making this a safer place to work.

It is so exciting to see how Ultradent’s mission to “improve oral health globally” really does stretch to all areas of the globe. I am so appreciative of the opportunities Ultradent has given me to experience interactions with wonderful, caring and sharing people around the world.

In January and February I was in South Africa for 2 ½ weeks. While there, I had the opportunity to visit two universities and talk with approximately 75 fifth year students and 30 hygienists. I was in six different regions and had numerous meetings with about 200 dentists, mostly in small groups of 15 – 25. We had some excellent interaction with some very kind and interested dentists.

I just returned from the Ukraine and Azerbaijan in March; it is always nice to hear the sincere and loving thoughts our distributors have for our founder, Dr. Dan Fischer. Our distributor in Azerbaijan was proud to show me that his screensaver features a picture of himself with Dr. Fischer taken in Italy during a past conference. While I visited there, I was able to spend about six hours training the sales reps and on the second day, we had two discussion groups with dentists for about 3 ½ hours each. Our distributor from Azerbaijan will also be coming to Utah in April with a group of 18 dentists for our Russian Key Educators Conference.

Anytime I travel for these training sessions, I make everyone place the Treswhite in their mouths while I talk about our whitening product line. I have been having them leave it in their mouths for about 1 to 1 ½ hours! Out of the 12 salespeople, 10 had some whitening results during their first use -- FANTASTIC results! I made them commit to me that they all would continue to whiten only their upper arches for the next five or so days and then not whiten their lower arches for at least one year. They were ecstatic! In fact, during the break, one of the salespeople was down in their dental depot showing a dentist the difference between upper and lower arches -- after only 1 hour of treatment! You could see the excitement on his face. Many of the dentists had similar results.

In these tough economic times, I have been encouraging the salespeople to highlight the Treswhite to their dentist customers as an inexpensive alternative to custom trays. This allows patients an affordable option with some profit for the dentist, whereas otherwise the patients may walk away due to costs.

I will again leave this Sunday for a crazy trip to Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Zagreb. The main topics I want to share with the salespeople are:

• Product benefits in view of economy
• - Tips on how to communicate the benefits of buying premium products as opposed to cheap competitors
• - Demonstration techniques to help new customers feel comfortable trying our products