Elkins Dental May 2019

‘HEY, ALEXA!’

3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Get Your Kids Ready for School

Even though parents and kids everywhere are getting close to celebrating the last day of school this year, school day mornings are difficult no matter what season it is. Do you feel like you’ve run a marathon by 9 a.m. every day? Rest assured that you’re not alone. Mornings are often the most hectic and stressful part of a parent’s daily schedule. Fortunately, there is an inexpensive and popular device that can help take some of the pressure off your morning routine and get your kids to the bus on time: Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa! ALARMS OF ALL KINDS You can place an Echo Dot in your kid’s room and set an alarm that wakes them up to the weather report, a standard alarm sound, or their favorite tunes. You can also program Alexa to turn on a compatible bedside lamp so they wake up to light instead of sound, which offers a more calming way to wake up. If your kid decides to catch a few more z’s and ignore their alarm, you can use some of Alexa’s other features, like Drop In and Intercom, to start a two-way conversation or send announcements to all the kids’ rooms in the house.

REMINDERS AND LISTS Alexa can also help you check off items from your family’s morning to-do lists to minimize the chaos of weekday mornings. You can create reminders to pack lunches or grab homework, and then all you have to do is ask, “Alexa, what are my reminders?” She will run down the list, so you can hit the road early without the nagging feeling that you left something behind. MAKE IT A GAME “Out the Door” is an interactive Alexa game that turns getting ready for school into an adventure for younger children. Each day, kids are given a new superpower and have to defeat a different creature as they complete “missions,” which include tasks like brushing their teeth and getting dressed. It makes the process of getting ready for school exciting and gives kids an incentive to fulfill their responsibilities. If you don’t already have an Echo Dot, you can find them at most major retail stores. Make your mornings less stressful by starting with “Hey, Alexa” and going from there.

Sara’s Down-to-Earth Approach to Customer Service How She Contributes to Our Welcoming Atmosphere

-Kalie and Caryn that. Emma and Charlie like riding scooters and bikes.We just put our trampoline back up, but it’s been raining, and the kids are having the hardest time,” Sara says.They’re looking forward to warmer weather and getting outside. When they can, she and Jonathan head to the mountains to go on longer hikes, “6–12 miles at a time.”They have plans to go to Blue Lake in Cascade this summer to camp and go on shorter hikes the whole family can enjoy. Sara, we love having you on our team! Thanks for all you do to make our patients feel welcome! so enjoyable that they want to come back and bring friends and family with them!” she says. Outside of work, Sara enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband, Jonathan, and their three kids: Tanner, who’s 12, Emma, who’s 8, and Charlie, who’s turning 5. “We like to go swimming and hiking,” Sara says. “Jonathan and Tanner do archery and golf, so I like to support

takes her patient-oriented role seriously. “I meet and greet patients and give new patient tours. My role is all patient-oriented. I enjoy people. My main skill is customer service, so this is the perfect job for me,” Sara says. She understands that the key to excellent customer service is being real. “I try to be down to earth, to talk to patients like I would my neighbors,” she explains. Sara has a background in customer service, but it was the people at Elkins Dental who made this the right place for her. “This is one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. From the moment I got this job, I was in love with it.The people are amazing,” she says. Sara adds that “I enjoy my coworkers — all of them are just like family,” and the team welcomed her as one of their own from day one. On the job, Sara looks forward to meeting new patients and “making their first time here

Sara and Jon hiking to 20-mile Lake in McCall

As a patient coordinator at Elkins Dental, Sara’s role is all about making you feel welcome and comfortable from the moment you walk through the door. “I’m the first one to see you when you come in, and the last one to see you when you leave,” Sara says. She

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