The end of the year is looming — a year during which the economy has continued to struggle and many businesses have chronically felt the strain of the recession.

While it may be premature to start making those New Year’s resolutions, now's a great time to take a moment, sit down, and evaluate your practice.

What are your personal and professional goals? Where do your marketing efforts stand? Are you staffed properly and, if not, what should you do about it?

It is these and a slew of other questions that can make the difference between an office that ekes by in 2011 and one that grows. We consulted some experts who have weighed in on what you could — and should — be doing to make your practice run smoothly, remain financially viable, and attract new clients.

Case the space

One thing you can do to evaluate your practice is to take a close look at it.

Michelle Geller-Vino, owner of MGV Marketing, recommends taking stock of the space — inside and out.

Have your staff take a notepad and walk outside, look around, and write down their impressions. Are all of the lightbulbs in the sign working? Is the paint faded? Are there enough parking spaces? How well-kept is the landscaping?

Then go inside and look at the waiting area. What does it look, smell, and feel like? Is the wallpaper circa 1980 or current? Is it tidy? Are the bathrooms clean? What condition is the carpet in? And what kind of music is playing?

“There were times when I wouldn’t shop in a store because I hated the music they played,” Geller-Vino says. “Don’t let that happen in your practice.”

Finally, go into the treatment rooms and look around. When you close the door, has someone vacuumed behind it, and when you lay on the adjusting table and  look down, is it clean?

Another thing to consider is the practice’s hours. Peter Drubin, co-founder and managing partner of ProPractice Partners, says many chiropractors have fallen into the time frame of 8 a.m. to noon, and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. — hours that are essentially convenient for no one.

“When you go to buy groceries, the longest lines are from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., so why is a chiropractic office only open when people are at work?” he asks. “You want to see more patients, so make it possible for them to come in.”

Drubin suggests moving lunch back and closing the office from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., so people can come in during the noon hour. Some of his most successful clients work in shifts and are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It is also important to know the schedule of the local workforce, which can vary in different regions. Drubin says lunch is the busiest time in New York because many people work from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then leave the city.

Beth Golden, educator and product formulator at Weight Loss Products LLC, comments that all chiropractic offices are closed on Thursday in her area, so if one office were to open that day, they could “get tons of work.”

One way to find out what your clients want is to ask them. Laurie Mosier, director of education and marketing for Harkcon Inc., recommends taking a survey of your patients over a two-week period. Place a note in everyone’s folder and ask them what the best time of day is for appointments.

Staffing matters

When it comes to evaluating your staff, Geller-Vino suggests you start at the top and work your way down.

The doctor should be a leader and practice what she or he preaches — if office hours start at 9 a.m., the doctor should not show up at 9:15 a.m.; if a chiropractor sells nutritional supplements, he should take them; and if she tells people to exercise, she should walk the talk.

Geller-Vino also says it is important to be positive. She recommends having weekly meetings, which do not become gripe sessions.

“I love to start meetings with acknowledgments,” she says. “Talk about the good first instead of the negative.”

One key to successful staffing, according to Mosier, is knowing exactly what everyone’s job entails. It is easy to say you have a front-desk person, an office manager, and an insurance coder, but the goal is to create job descriptions for each position.

These descriptions can be used to advertise for openings, interview prospective candidates, and train and evaluate staff. They should be broad, but not overly generic. A marketing description could include someone with public speaking experience on three or four specific topics; one for the front-desk attendant could include any languages they may need to know or specific software they will be using.

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