Hiring a Great Front Office Staff at Your Dental Practice

Hiring employees for your dental practice is a necessary and important investment of time and money, but if you hire a successful staff, it will be well worth it in the end. Your receptionist, office manager, and billing clerk will all perform essential tasks and spend time interacting with your patients. In a very real sense, your employees can either make or break your dental practice. This is why it’s important that you hire a front office staff who will be professional, friendly, and able to best represent you and your dental practice!

Hiring a Great Front Office Staff at Your Dental Practice

Below are a few tips for hiring the best front office staff possible:

• Create an Appealing Job Listing – Create a job listing that is specific about the job requirements and responsibilities. Make sure the listing has a simple and straightforward title and summary of the qualifications, work schedule, and compensation. Qualifications should always include communication skills, negotiating skills, calm and friendly demeanor, and tech skills. 
• Solicit Referrals – Ask current employees if they know anyone who would be good for the position you’re trying to fill. It’s been found that getting a referral is cheaper, faster, and can produce a better hire. Referred hires also tend to stay longer at your dental practice than traditional hires.
• Generous Compensation – Invest well in your staff, and your profits will rise. Make sure you’re compensating well and investing in cross-training for your employees. This will ensure higher levels of productivity in your office. It’s less expensive to retain a happy, appreciated staff than it is to deal with lost productivity due to high turnover rates.
• Interview Properly – Because personality cannot be trained, it is more valuable than skill sets and experience. When interviewing prospective employees, make sure they are personable, friendly, outgoing, and able to best reflect your office. He or she can learn the rest!
• Take Your Time – Finding and hiring a quality staff member can take months to get right. Rushing the search may cause you to end up hiring someone you don’t click with. Take the time to get it right!

At CTC Associates, we know how important it is to have the right staff. Your employees provide your patients with the first impression of your dental office, so make sure it’s a good one! For your questions about dental office acquisitions and management, please give us a call.