Signal Plan Builder: a free paging plan for your office
Answer a few questions about your dental or medical office and get a printable signal plan: which signals your team sends, who sends them, who should receive each one, and how urgent each is. It also adds up how much time your team spends walking to find each other, using your own estimates. It works with lights, radios, or any app.
Your office signal plan
| Signal | Who sends it | Who gets it | Urgency |
|---|
Walking time, by your numbers
Ground rules for every signal
- Send each signal to the people who need it, not the whole office.
- The first person to respond says so (tap, light, or "got it"), and everyone else stays put.
- Logistics only. Room numbers and tasks, never patient names or clinical details, unless your tool has a signed Business Associate Agreement and your policy allows it.
- Emergencies use your written emergency protocol. Call 911 for a medical emergency. No messaging tool replaces that.
- New hires learn this sheet on day one.
The urgency levels are suggestions. Change them to fit how your office works. Walking-time numbers come only from the estimates you entered above; they are not a promise of savings from any product.
How to use your plan
Print it and walk through it at your next morning huddle. Ask each role whether the list matches their day, then cross out what you never use and add what is missing. Most offices end up with eight to twelve signals. More than that and people stop remembering them.
The plan works with any system. If you use a light panel, give each signal a light or color. If you use radios, give each one a short phrase. If you use an app like DOC, each signal becomes a button.
Why urgency levels matter
When every signal sounds the same, people learn to ignore all of them. Splitting signals into routine, urgent, and emergency lets the team respond to the right ones first. Keep the emergency tier small, ideally one or two signals, so it never gets ignored.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Signal Plan Builder free?
Yes. There is no signup and nothing is sent anywhere. The plan is built in your browser and you can print it.
Does the plan only work with DOC?
No. The plan is a list of signals, senders, receivers, and urgency levels. It works with a light panel, walkie-talkies, an intercom, or any app.
How is the walking time calculated?
It multiplies the number of team members by the trips per day and minutes per trip that you enter, then by your clinic days per week. The result is only as good as your estimates.
How many signals should an office have?
Most offices do well with eight to twelve. Keep the emergency level to one or two signals so it is never ignored.