Are you about to buy or start a new office? Do you wonder if the way your current office operates needs to be adjusted (changed) to meet the changing needs or focus of your office? These are questions many people lay awake at night wondering about. The following information is not presented as the best way to run an office but may give you ideas that will fit your needs.
One company I have visited in the mid-west has over thirty offices and service centers spread over several states. It can be a daunting task to ensure that everything is running smoothly. There are several ways this can be achieved:
1. Constant attention to every detail by the owner, never allowing him time to see clients, which is something he truly enjoys.
2. Employ a number of regional managers to oversee groups of offices, increasing the company’s payroll expense and creating a seperation between the owner and his employees.
3. Give each office a high degree of autonomy to pay bills, manage their own budgets, decide on some advertising, etc., and make sure the employees are aware of the owners high expectations.
The owner of this company decided on option number three. He made a point of hiring and training competent people, Dispensers and Audiologists, many of whom he knew personally, and paying each of them an amount commensurate with his/her responsibilities. The company has been in business for more than thirty years and continues to grow.
Hiring people who are willing to do things the way the “boss” wants them done and are competent is always a challenge. One office in Iowa has found a good way of answering these challenges. Among the owner’s children, he has a son and a daughter, both with Au.D. degrees working/running his offices. At this very moment he is looking forward to retirement secure in the knowledge that his offices will be well run, and profitable. And another office I have visited this one in Arizona, was started by a woman who trained her two married daughters in her deep commitment to client care. When you enter their office, it almost seems as if you are becoming part of their family. However, not every family is cut out for this type of relationship. Some offices I have visited have had horrendous experiences with disagreements or misunderstandings that resulted in deep family wounds that may never heal.
Office sharing is another model that can work, with the “right” people. Two, or more, separate practices can occupy the same office and depending on the size of the facility, work on different days or in different consult rooms. They may even share a receptionist while each maintains its own methods and style of doing business. This is different than a partnership, although an umbrella company in which the parties are partners may need to be established for the purpose of sharing the rent, utilities, etc. and requires a significant amount of cooperation and trust between the parties. The particular office I have in mind that fits this model is also in Arizona.
Do you have any other suggestions – questions?
