Critical Office Staff

Every doctor in private practice knows how important their Practice Manager is to the overall business vitality of their medical practice, but I’d argue that maybe the next most important person you hire is your receptionist. Your patients may love you but if they are not warmly and professionally received in your office or when they call, they will paint your whole practice as “rude” and may eventually decide to look elsewhere for their care. If you have a big office with many staff, then the person who answers the phone and schedules your patients’ visits is equally as important as your receptionists.

In most smaller offices the receptionist and scheduling person are often the same person, making the decision about who to hire even more critical. You should expect the receptionist to be top-notch in customer service and in fact, hiring someone with previous experience dealing with customers would be the best approach, in my opinion.

These front-line staff members directly bear the brunt of patients’ frustration and anger when your schedule is too tight to allow same-day service, or when they are told the lab results are still not back, and they buffer you from the noise that would increase your own blood pressure and distract you. So you need to be sure to reward them when they do a good job. Too often the front desk staff are overlooked for extra training, or get smaller bonuses than the nursing staff or office manager at the end of the year because in general their pay is much less. That’s a mistake, I believe. Treat them well and they will return the favors. You’ll have less staff turn-over and your patients will appreciate the continuity of regular staff in your office. Your receptionists and schedulers may be the most important staff you hire! Let them know that fact.