Solving Puzzles is her Jam - and Not Just the One on her Coffee Table
...a conversation with Emily Harris, Analyst, Central Operations
Today we shine the Support Centre Spotlight on Emily Harris, Analyst, Central Operations, whose future could have turned out very differently had she pursued her first career as an elf at Santa’s Village.Tell me about your background – how long have you been with dentalcorp and what were you doing before you joined?
I’ve been with dentalcorp for a little under two years. Before dentalcorp, I was working in Operations at a commercial real estate company and studying Political Science at Queen’s University.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I’ve always been a very practical person and I love problem solving, but I never pictured myself as an Analyst. I grew up in a small town in Muskoka with little exposure to larger organizations. For a long time, I pictured myself owning a farm with lots of cows.
Can you tell me a bit about your role on your team? What does a typical day look like?
I started out in Central Operations supporting key initiatives such as practice database management, a new practice integration process and improving practice experiences through effective solutions. This prepared me for my latest challenge, deploying dc engage – a proprietary patient communication system – to our practices. We have onboarded 120+ practices from April to June and now we have over 150 practices live on the platform. I also support our practices to ensure that they can maximize the usage of the platform to help provide the best patient experience possible.
In short, my role helps develop processes, efficiencies, and technology for our network to drive sustained growth and optimal patient care. A typical day for me includes onboarding calls, support and product roadmap meetings with external vendors, training content development, and lots of laughs with my team.
Tell me about an experience you’ve had that’s really left an impact.
After moving to Toronto, my first volunteer experience was with Future Possibilities for Kids as a Kid Coach. This organization inspires and empowers children from diverse communities to practice “Possibility Thinking” and become leaders by creating meaningful goals of contribution. My assigned mentee wanted to improve their school’s library book collection by creating a donation bin and increasing student awareness. I helped her achieve this goal by encouraging her on our weekly calls and helping her stay on track. Our conversations taught me to ask more questions and empower others to have confidence in their decision making.
Tell me something about yourself that your co-workers would never guess?
This is a tough one - my team knows me alarming well by now and regularly teases me about my quirks – one of which is my irrational fear of movies with haunted boardgames, specifically the original Jumanji movie. I’m also a national jujitsu champion, and my first job was an elf at Santa’s Village.
What are your aspirations for personal and professional growth? Do you have a 5-year plan?
I was recently gifted an extremely intricate puzzle that has become a permanent fixture on my coffee table. If I can finish it within 5 years, I will have surpassed all personal and professional plans for growth. Alongside this puzzle completion, I aim to be working towards and completing my MBA.
What advice do you have for new team members joining dentalcorp’s Support Centre?
When I first joined dentalcorp, we were moving from the previous office at St. Clair to Brookfield Place, so many of my introductions were made while packing boxes. Technically, it was my first “cross-functional project” and it was a great way to forge lasting relationships with people from across the organization. As a naturally introverted person, my advice to anyone joining our Support Centre is to make the most of every interaction.
