One of the biggest shifts for me going from a larger clinic to solo practice?
Losing my reception team.
And Iāll be honest, this was not really something I was excited to "lose"
For years, I had built my schedule around it:
- Back-to-back patients.
- Someone else answering calls.
- Someone else handling payments.
Reception was essential to my practice.
And I used to justify it as:
āIt lets me focus on treating.ā
But when I went soloā¦
Reception no longer made sense (despite wishing I had it some days)
And I had to figure out, pretty quickly:
What actually replaces that? š¤
Now, to be fair, I wasnāt starting from scratch.
Iāve been using Jane software since 2014.
Back when most people werenāt even using online booking yet.
I remember seeing a bougie Toronto clinic using it for the first time and thinking:
"Oh, whatever this is - I WANT it!"
The asethetic was gorgeous.
They had better features (and pricing) than what I was using at the time.
And... I loved that it was Canadian. That felt like a win right away.
So although Jane had been my co-pilot for over a decade
Going solo forced me to actually use it differently.
Hereās what changed.
1. Payments became non-negotiable (and automated)
I fully moved over to integrated payments in Jane and stopped accepting cash.
I kept an external terminal for a while because I thought it was saving me money.
But even though the processing rates were "cheaper", the monthly machine rental and fees actually made it more costly.
This became really apparent when I started to do my own bookkeeping.
It was so much more convenient to only have one source of truth and not needing to log into multiple different monthly statements - trying to match transactions to clients.
I even made fewer mistakes (like punching in an extra zero and needing to refund in a panic!)
Having everything in one place and streamlined wasnāt just convenientāit was essential.
2. I required a credit card on file
This one took a minute, emotionally.
Because we all want to be understanding. Flexible. Easygoing.
But I was also left holding the bag far too many times:
no-shows
last-minute cancellations
new patients not showing up
And once I implemented this?
I stopped absorbing the cost of missed time that wasnāt mine.
Because now I had a system to hold the boundary for me.
3. The waitlist became a revenue (and practice) saver
Having a waitlist that gets automatically notified when an appointment opens up?
GAME CHANGER.
I typically book out several weeks to months in advance but I do pride myself on having a very hands on practice.
When someone needs to get in ASAP - I want to get them in!
My solution to that has been optimizing my waitlist function.
I direct all my patients who need urgent appointments to make sure they put their name on my waitlist- and most of the times I can almost always get an acute case in within a few days.
No extra effort. No back-and-forth texting.
This means I don't over-schedule myself anymore...
and I know that when someone needs in - they'll likely get in in a timely manner.
And I feel good about that as a practitioner.
By having a software system like Jane in place, I've been able to take over reception - without actually taking on more work for myself!
What I thought reception was giving meā¦ was support.
But what I actually neededā¦ was systems and consistency.
Things being handled without me needing to remember, follow up, or circle back later.
Do I still structure my day a bit differently than when I had a front desk?
Of course.
- I leave a little more space (which I bill for).
- Iām more intentional with my flow (and energy).
But Iām also:
ā Not managing another person.
ā Not fielding constant questions.
ā Not dealing with the layers that come with running a team.
When I really look at it
These systems donāt just āreplaceā reception.
They give me something I didnāt fully have before:
a practice that runs effortlessly, even when itās just me.
If youāre in a phase where youāre simplifying your practiceāor even just thinking about itā this is one of the biggest mindset shifts:
- Your time is your greatest asset
- Only you decide where it goes.
šš» If you want to learn more about any of the tools I shared above, you can book a demo to see Jane in action.
šš» Or, if youāre ready to get started, use my code Wellthy1mo for a one-month grace period on your new Jane account.
Next week...
I want to zoom out a bit.
Because once your systems are actually supporting youā¦
you start redefining what success in practice even looks like.
And thatās where things get really interesting š¤©
GeneviĆØve šæ
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