Hiring from Scratch? Helping New Employees Master Their Dental Receptionist Duties When you’re looking to fill the role of dental receptionist, candidates with prior experience in the dentistry field are always ideal. Unfortunately, there may not always be a large pool of applicants with this type of background from which to choose. As such, you may find yourself having to hire from scratch. The good news is, it’s entirely possible to recruit someone with no industry experience and train them in the required dental receptionist duties. To get you started, let’s take a look at a few dental office receptionist tips below. Know what to look for First and foremost, the employee you hire to run your front desk should possess the basics: friendliness, professional appearance, good communication skills, positive attitude, etc. Ideally, you’ll want to look for someone who already has some administrative or front desk experience, even if it’s not in the dental industry, as many of these skills are easily transferrable. The additional dental receptionist duties can then be taught once the new hire comes onboard. Starting off on the right foot If you do hire a receptionist with no prior dental experience, there are certain ways to bring them up to speed and get them set up for success quickly. Start by making a list of all of the dental receptionist duties the new hire will be responsible for. For instance, this list might include the following: Answering the phone (i.e. learning/following a script, scheduling new patients, fielding insurance questions, etc.) Gathering patient information and completing appropriate forms Entering patient/insurance/payment information into practice management software program Managing the appointment calendar (rescheduling cancellations, booking emergency appointments, filling in open time slots with last-minute requests, etc.) Calling patients for follow-ups Working with daily scheduling targets and a strategy for achieving them Of course, you may have additional dental receptionist duties to add to this list that are specific to your practice. Feel free to use this as a template or guideline for building out your own checklist of training requirements.
Another important dental office receptionist tip is to prepare your new hire training as much in advance as possible. This will enable your new staff member to hit the ground running quickly and prevent you from scrambling around unorganized on his or her first day. For instance, if one of your primary dental receptionist duties involves memorizing a script, be sure it’s ready to be reviewed as soon as your new team member arrives for his or her first day of work. Rolling out the welcome wagon In addition to learning the new dental receptionist duties on your list, your new hire will also need to be properly assimilated into the office. This includes showing them their work station and where they’ll keep their belongings, introducing them to the rest of the staff, advising them on who they will be working with and reporting to, going over practice policies and procedures, discussing expectations and answering any questions or concerns they may have. Don’t move too fast As your new employee gets settled in and begins to go through the checklist of required dental receptionist duties they must learn, it’s important not to overwhelm them by rushing through things too quickly. Prioritize the list and give your new team member time to become proficient at each step. Avoid training on too much at once, but rather break it down into digestible pieces. For instance, take your new receptionist through the first step of answering calls. Provide the script and allow for some practice, first with the trainer and then on a few live calls while under supervision. Once each step is mastered, move on to the next until you’ve worked through the list. Remember to be patient and spend as much time as needed, and you’ll end up with a confident, capable employee who is proficient enough in all the necessary dental receptionist duties to truly make your practice shine. Be sure to follow the UPbook blog for more dental office receptionist tips. And if you need help mapping out a training strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team is ready, willing and able to assist!