Amanda Kaminski
Amanda Kaminski
Facility and Supply Manager Bubon Orthodontics
Client Background:
Amanda Kaminski is the Facility and Supply Manager at Bubon Orthodontics, a group of 15 specialty locations in the Midwest with 60 staff members and most of them being with the company for almost 15 years.
Challenges
- Negotiation pricing and requesting discounts: Amanda acknowledges that sometimes it is intimidating to ask for discounts and lower pricing due to the sensitivity of financial matters.
- Managing vendor relationships: Amanda emphasizes the significance of maintaining a partnership mindset with vendors. While having a personal rapport with the vendor is valuable, she recognizes that it’s essential to remember that both parties have something the other needs.
- Implementing changes and adapting to new technologies: Amanda acknowledges the challenges of introducing changes in dental offices, particularly in smaller practices that might be resistant to change. She emphasizes the importance of proper training, providing suggestions, and setting clear expectations for the staff to adapt to new software and technologies.
When you’re implementing something new, a lot of times you think like, this is gonna be the answer to all our problems, this is gonna be perfect, efficient, everything’s gonna go smoothly and great. And that’s just not reality. There’s no magic pill that is efficient, easy in every way. And there’s always gonna be challenges that come up.
Amanda Kaminski
Implementation:
To address the challenges, Amanda employed the following strategies:
- Seeking products with the lower pricing in Zen and communicating the finding to the suppliers. Amanda suggests starting a communication with vendors by asking questions about their pricing policies and whether they offer negotiated prices or discounts based on specific factors. ZenSupplies offers price transparency and aggregates lots of products in the catalog to make sure the clients can make informed decisions.
- Vendor relationship management: Amanda maintains a long-term relationship with her representatives by keeping regular communication and addressing any specific needs or situations that arise. Although the personal interaction has decreased after using Zen, she appreciates the improved efficiency in ordering and the availability of the representative when needed.
- Implementing changes of old processes and ZenSupplies adoption: Amanda conducted comprehensive training sessions with her staff to familiarize them with new software and procedures. She took the lead in organizing and demonstrating the system and set clear expectations for her staff to meet her standards.
In my experience,it’s important to be patient when getting your inventory set up, as it can take some time to organize and keep track of everything. In my situation, with multiple providers using different materials, it can be more challenging, but I’m always open to learning and improving.
Amanda Kaminski
Outcomes:
- Saving money on supplies due to price comparison in Zen: By adopting a respectful and strategic negotiation approach and being able to compare the prices in the platform, Amanda has achieved positive outcomes in getting discounts and favorable agreements with vendors.
- Maintaining strong vendor relationships: Despite the reduced personal interaction and switching more to the technology use, Amanda’s relationship with the distributors remains solid and efficient, ensuring smooth communication and streamlined ordering processes.
- Effective implementation of changes: Amanda’s training sessions and proactive approach to change management have resulted in successful adoption of new technologies and improved efficiency in her dental practice. It’s important to note that the process of adopting new technology is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey.
I must say, your staff, particularly Lana, Anastasia, and Delaney, have been amazing in managing my account and providing excellent customer service. It’s clear that Zen staff and customer service are top priorities, and it shows in the quality of support I receive.
Amanda Kaminski