What are your thoughts on cross training your team?

Is it worth it?

Good idea? Bad one?

This is a subject I’ve been regularly asked about throughout my career. And my answer is always the same:

Cross-training can be a great idea when you do it right, or a really horrible idea that negates all sense of accountability in your practice if you do it wrong.

And what do I mean by this? Well, read on and I’ll explain.

We’ll look at:

• The conditions that should be present before you cross-train
• What you should (and shouldn’t) cross-train on
• The right way to implement it
• What to watch out for

Done properly, cross-training improves service, flow, and team cohesion. Done improperly? It creates chaos.

Before You Cross-Train: Get Organized

The first question isn’t how to cross-train.

It’s: What does your organizational structure look like right now?

Take any job in your practice. If you want someone to succeed in that role, it should have:

• A clear purpose
• Defined deliverables (products, expected results)
• Specific duties and areas of responsibility
• Ideally, a statistic to measure productivity

This usually isn’t a problem in the back office.

For example, a hygienist normally has:

• A clear purpose for their position,
• Defined clinical expectations.
• Production targets.
• Patient volume expectations.

Even a dental assistant, though sometimes more difficult to assign a statistic, can reasonably be measured against doctor production. A strong assistant makes the doctor more productive. That’s the point.

But in the average practice, where do things get murky?

THE. FRONT. DESK.

In many practices, the “front desk” isn’t a job. It’s a location.

You have three people “up front,” and they all do a little bit of everything:

• Answer phones
• Schedule and confirm patients
• Check patients out
• Verify insurance
• File claims, etc. etc.

But if this is your situation, let’s look at something: If there’s a two-hour opening on your (the doctor’s) schedule during “primary” or “production” time.

Who’s accountable? Who do you talk to about it?

If three people are responsible for everything, who’s responsible for anything?

Yeah, you get it: Nobody.

And that’s where cross-training becomes dangerous.

If you cross-train in a practice where nobody owns specific zones of responsibility, you don’t create efficiency. You further “diffuse” accountability.

What Proper Front-Office Structure Looks Like

Instead of “front desk,” think in terms of roles:

• Receptionist (phones, greeting, patient flow)
• Schedule Coordinator (this and the reception job may be the same person in a smaller practice, with the roles splitting as you grow)
• Financial Coordinator
• Treatment Coordinator
• Office Manager

In smaller practices, one person may hold two roles. That’s fine.

But the key is this:

Each job should have a defined purpose and zone of control.

For example:

A Schedule Coordinator doesn’t just “fill the schedule.”

They produce:

A productive and efficiently filled schedule, done in accordance with office scheduling policy.

That’s different.

And that role can be measured: Overall production.

When structure exists, cross-training has somewhere to land.

Without structure, it’s just chaos with good intentions.

Cross training without assigned/defined roles or areas of responsibility can create a mess. Conversely, if everyone has an area, they are accountable, cross training can be a serious boost for your practice!

Why Cross-Train at All?

If your only reason for cross-training is:

•  “In case someone quits”
• “For vacation coverage”

That’s helpful but limited.

The better reason to cross-train is this:

To handle temporary logjams and keep patient service flowing.

Dental practices operate in waves.

• Five new patient calls in ten minutes
• Three rooms need turnover at once
• Two patients waiting to check out
• Phones ringing off the hook

This is where cross-training shines.

Not to blur roles.

But to maintain flow.

What Should You Cross-Train Your Team On?

When I look at cross-training opportunities, I look for functions that meet at least two (preferably three) conditions:

1. Vital to the organization’s survival
2. Can become backlogged during busy periods
3. Not highly specialized or ultra-complex

Here are examples that usually qualify:

Front-End

• Answering the phone
• Handling new patient calls
• Scheduling patients
• Checking patients out
• Confirming appointments
• Handling smaller financial arrangements

Back-End

• Seating a patient
• Turning over a room
• Basic assisting support
• Possibly x-ray support (if properly certified)

Here’s what you’ll notice. Every one of these:

• Is vital
• Can bottleneck
• Isn’t extremely complex

These are perfect cross-training targets.

The Standard You Must Maintain

Here’s something critical.

If on a scale from 1-100, your main receptionist answers new patient calls at a “95,” your cross-trained backup cannot perform at a “30.”

The worst drop-off you want to see is from a 95 to maybe a 75.

Whoever’s doing it still has to handle these tasks competently, confidently and professionally.

Because blown new patient calls cost real money.

And I’ve seen practices where the “backup” answering the phone sounds like they just woke up.

That’s not cross-training. That’s brand damage.

The Most Important Rule of Cross-Training

If I temporarily perform someone else’s job…

I must turn it back over to them as soon as possible.

Example:

Let’s say I’m the receptionist and I help check out a patient because the financial coordinator is tied up.

When they return, I don’t just move on.

I say:

“Here’s what I did. Here’s the payment. Here’s how I handled it.”

Why?

Because ultimately…They own that job, they are accountable.

If I make an error, they are the ones who have to fix it, and I learn from it so I don’t make the same mistake next time checking out a patient!

Cross-training like this does not eliminate accountability.

It supports it.

That’s the difference between a high-functioning team and a free-for-all.

What Happens When You Do This Right?

When cross-training is done properly, with structure and accountability, you get several powerful benefits.

1. Better Patient Flow

• Patients don’t stack up.
• Phones get answered quickly and handled well.
• Patients flow rapidly through the practice and don’t logjam in the front or back.
• Customer service improves.

2. Stronger Team Cohesion

People stop thinking:

“That’s the front’s problem.” “That’s the back’s problem.”

Instead, they think:

“We’re servicing patients.”

It creates a shared objective.

3. Accountability Remains Intact

Even when others help, each person still owns their role. That clarity prevents resentment and confusion.

4. Talent Discovery

This one’s interesting.

You may discover:

• A receptionist with natural sales ability
• An assistant with scheduling talent
• A scheduler who’s great at financial conversations

That opens doors for promotion and growth. Especially in expanding practices.

5. Built-In Coverage

Lastly, if an employee leaves unexpectedly, you’re not paralyzed.

You have temporary functional coverage while hiring.

Not perfect. But stable.

How to Implement Cross-Training (In Order)

If you want to do this correctly, here’s the sequence.

Step 1: Organize the Practice

• Define roles.
• Define zones of responsibility.
• Define accountability.

Do not skip this step.

If you cross-train before organizing, you’ll end up with a bunch of people who know how to do a bunch of things And nobody responsible for anything.

That doesn’t work.

Step 2: Identify What to Cross-Train On

List specific functions:

• Answering phones
• New patient calls
• Scheduling
• Checkout
• Room turnover
• Seating patients

Be specific.

Step 3: Assign Who Trains on What

For example:

• Two assistants learn how to handle the phones,
• Two front staff learn room turnover,
• The Receptionist or Scheduler learns how to handle smaller case financial arrangements

Be intentional.

Step 4: Schedule It

Carve out time.

An hour or two per week. Make it systematic.

This is not random shadowing. It’s structured skill-building.

Step 5: Frame It Correctly

The purpose is not:

“So everyone can do everything.”

The purpose is:

“So we can serve patients better.”

When that’s the framing, you avoid turf wars and ego issues.

One Final Warning

Cross-training without organizational clarity creates a mess.

Cross-training with structure:

• Improves service
• Preserves accountability
• Strengthens culture
• Creates resilience

So yes.

Cross-training is a good idea.

When you do it correctly.

If you want help organizing your structure first, I’ve provided a downloadable organizing board you can use to visualize roles and responsibilities in a dental practice.

And if you want structured positional training for front office roles, as well as a real command of how to organize (and expand) your practice, I’d recommend the MGE Power Program.

You can find out more about that at MGEOnline.com or call us at (800) 640-1140. I hope this helps. And feel free to email me at jeffb@mgeonline.com if you have any questions!

Have a great week.