Organize your Outlook Inbox

Ever get overwhelmed by your Outlook Inbox? Try to use this filtering tool to help you organize your mail into search categories. This will help you focus on which e-mails you need to act on right away, and which ones you can come back to at a later date.

Get a free MBA on your own time!

Have you ever thought about going back and getting your MBA? For most entrepreneurs running a million dollar business getting an MBA is a no brainier. However, for most dental professionals there is just not enough time to go back to school and get an MBA.

If you like to read books a GREAT alternative is the personal MBA reading list. It is composed of ~ 80 of the best business books ever. As an MBA myself I find these books to be every bit as good, if not better than my college experience. I'm about half way through the list and loving it!

What Does Google Say About You?

Many doctors worry about how their practice information is portrayed on Google. Check out this new feature that Google has called Google Me where you can setup your own profile on Google and be in control of what people read about you. Take a look. It could be a great lead in to your website!

Chill Out!

Do you have a computer in a cabinet or an area with poor ventilation? In the pursuit of a clean looking install we often put computers in cabinets. The problem is that they often get very hot. Most of the high end dental cabinet makers are now offering fans inside their cabinets, but here is a simple and inexpensive option if you do not have new cabinets.

Thermaltake A1888 Mobile Fan II External USB Cooling Fan

The nice thing about the A1888 is that it has a rheostat so that you can adjust the speed of the fan so that is not too loud. If sound is not an issue you can really crank it up! Great little fan solves a big problem.

Happy Tax Day

So hopefully you have filed your taxes by now, and are awaiting your refund! If you haven't filed yet, here are some tips to help you finish up. If you have, then it's time to celebrate April 15th with a scoop of ice cream.

Free Dentrix Training!

When you first start using your practice management system you usually have several days of intense on-site training. This is a good thing but it's a little like trying to drink from a fire hose. What happens when 6 months later you realize you were not paying attention to the correct way to set a patient complete or the proper way to create a treatment plan? The answer is you either pick up the manual or you continue to do it incorrectly.

The truth is a few little tips can save you a minute here and there and sometimes they can revolutionize they way you use your software. The problem is that once that initial training is up most offices dont take the time for CE on thier software. Dentrix has come up with a cool way to do free tutorials on the web. They take between 10 minutes and 1 hour each, which is perfect for a staff meeting or for a missed appointment slot. Just go to http://www.dentrix.com/resourcecenter/login.asp and enter your customer number and zip code. Then click on on demand training at the top and choose what topic you want to learn about! And best of all it's FREE!

What if you dont use Dentrix? More cool resourses in the days ahead..

Track yor time online.

Have you ever wondered how much time you are spending on line? I found a great little add-on for Firefox that tracks how much time you are spending on the internet each day. TimeTracker will track when you are actively using Firefox and will stop counting after sixty seconds of inactivity. You can also add filters if there are sites that you do not want to be counted. It is a great way to be aware of how much time you are really spending on-line.

Updating Your Website

It seems like the hardest part of having a website is the design and development process. In actuality, that is only the beginning. The most trying part of the process is keeping your content fresh and up to date. Here are some reasons why you should update your website on a regular basis:

(1) Updated information increases traffic to your site. By adding fresh new content on a regular basis, you are going to increase return visits to your site and it increases the value of your website to web surfers. You can do this by adding latest news information about your practice, updating team member information, adding before and after photos of cases, and posting new frequently asked question and answers. Your website is a great tool to get information to new and current patients so don't let it go to waste.

(2) Web design technology is always changing. By adding new web features to your site, you are showing your clients that you are on the cutting edge. There also may be some issues with web browser compatibility if you do not keep your site up to date with the latest technology.

(3) Search engines are constantly changing the way the index websites. By updating your site, you can assure that the directories are seeing that your site is not old and irrelevant. There are also certain areas that may need to be updated on your site if it is not being indexed properly. This can be done by updating your meta tags and making sure there are no errors in your code.

(4) If you forget to check on your website you may be missing something. It is important to check up on the site to make sure all the links are working properly and there are no major problems with the way it is running. It is important to understand what your patients are seeing when they visit the site. It is also important to review your web statistics on a monthly basis to see if there are any patterns that may show problems with the structure of your site. It is a good idea to set your default home page to your web address on all of your office computers This will force someone in your office to check on the site daily.