Exclusive in-depth look into the Dental Fix RX training program
Dental Fix RX, a mobile, dental equipment repair company, likes to take a hands-on approach when equipping its franchise owners and operators with the necessary skills to repair, maintain, and rebuild dental equipment. Andy Cohen, Dental Fix RX’s director of sales and marketing, gives more insight and answers a few questions regarding the company's extensive training program.
Who attends the training program, who are the trainers, and how many people are trained at one time? Also, who de
signed the curriculum, and what was it based on? Our program is mandatory for new franchise owner/operators. We try to keep the class size limited to four, but we do allow up to six trainees to provide a more hands on training experience. The program was based on Dental Fix founder’s 12 years of experience in the industry, and it was designed by Paul Sost, one of the original franchise owners whose experience in the field helped mold the curriculum, and Matthew Lau, our director of training and retired functional manager for Space Command’s Biomedical Program and former Instructor for the Department of Defense’s Biomedical Engineer Course, who is responsible for conducting the trainings.
The Dental Fix RX training program is nine weeks. Why was this chosen as a sufficient amount of time for the program, and what do participants learn at this time?
Based on feedback from our franchisees, we recently increased our training course from six weeks to nine weeks, where we provide one month of self-paced computer-based pre-training, which is mostly an introduction to the dental industry, and three weeks of hands on equipment and business management training. Franchise owner/operators also receive one week of apprentice training with one of our five-star training vans, where the trainer turns over their business to the trainee and guides them through “a week in the life.” In addition, they receive one week of marketing training in the franchisee’s actual market. With a commitment to positioning our owner/operators for success, we also provide 42 weeks of continuing education.
Can you give us two examples of a particular skill the participants learn? Also, what skills are most easily picked up, and which are more difficult?
Our franchise owner/operators learn high-speed handpiece maintenance and repair, as well as how to troubleshoot and repair almost anything in the dentist’s office. For most, once they truly understand how to use the handpiece press, they usually can pick up high-speed repair using the manuals we provide. Electrical is usually the area that most people have little experience with, and due to the learning curve of this area, we spend a full week to ensure that our owner/operators understand all the complexities involved.
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Owners and operators for your company likely have varied backgrounds. How did you design the program to make sure everyone who attends gets what they need out of it? We emphasize on day one that we are here to help and will provide any extra training that our owner/operators need. Our “no one leaves until they are ready” policy allows us to give them the best possible training, and if a trainee is passing all the requirements but does not feel ready, the
y are allowed to repeat the training at no extra cost.
Where does training take place, and is there a cost to the participant?
Our hands on training takes place in Davie, Florida, with an apprenticeship program being provided in Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, Florida, San Antonio, Texas, and West Bloomfield, Michigan, at a cost of $15,000 to the trainee.
Is training a one-time occurrence, or is there ongoing training / advanced training?
Continuing education is a top priority for our company. Many of our vendors offer training, and in order to advance through our certification program, franchisees must keep learning. In our field, things change fast. If you are not constantly learning, you cannot improve the level of service you provide, which is why our 42-week continuing education program is so vital.
Tell us how the training program is unique compared to your competitors.
While other companies focus on sales, we focus on helping the doctor keep the equipment he already has lasting longer. We teach our franchisees not only how to maintain the doctor’s equipment but how to truly become a part of the office’s team.
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What changes have you made to the training program over time based on feedback from attendees? Can you give us an example? We take feedback from our franchisees very seriously, so we survey everyone who participates in our program and revise our training program as a result of that feedback. Our last survey revealed some of our franchisees weren’t comfortable with the more advanced features of our software, and they were unsure who to call for technical support. In the very next class, w
How has the program been received by your owner/operators?
The vast majority of our owners/operators say our training program has exceeded their expectations, and it has given them the knowledge to provide exceptional service to their clients.
As it relates to this subject, is there anything you’d like people to know about the Dental Fix RX that they might not know?
We have set up our training program so that anyone who wants to be a part of this business has every tool necessary to be successful, regardless of their professional background or skill level. We are the only company that has a Certification Dental Equipment Technician (CDET) Program. Our franchisees must meet technical and business standards in four key areas to advance through the program, which ensures that not only their technical skills are improving, but also their customer relationships are growing stronger. We take great pride in knowing we have the best-trained franchisees in the business!
