Distractions at the Dental Office Front Desk
Distractions at the front desk in dental offices can be common. Since this area is responsible for creating and maintaining a full and productive schedule for the practice, it is important to not have other team members pulling front desk staff away from their work. Feel free to share the following with your team.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye! It looks like it’s time to muster the troops and expound upon a worthy virtue! The subject of the day is the old adage—“Silence is golden.” An adage, of course, is a simple truth. And the truth of the matter is, the front desk personnel can be more effective with phone scheduling and recalls if the rest of the staff “tread a little lighter” and keep noise and distraction down when approaching the front desk.
There are a number of things that could distract front desk personnel, though they might not seem so to others approaching that area. These are some examples of distractions that shouldn’t occur:
1.Staff borrowing supplies, like stapler, pens, paper clips, etc. from the front desk. These should be obtained elsewhere.
2.Staff getting together and getting very loud when talking, or talking about personal things.
3.Staff making personal phone calls and tying up lines, thus causing the front desk to have to wait for a line out to call. There is a policy about personal phone calls.
4. Staff hanging around the front desk when they don't have a patient.
I’m sure every staff member has some task they do that needs concentration in order to do a good job. Some people need to concentrate less than others. This distraction in all its variations is coming up as something that needs to be handled.
All staff are expected to assist in this. This policy should not be rebuffed. It definitely is not intended to reduce any attention that should be given to a patient, and its purpose is not to stifle friendliness or spontaneity.
Enjoy yourselves. End of adage!