The Changing Role of Dental Reception

22 Aug The Changing Role of Dental Reception

We Hired a Receptionist. Then We Asked Them to Represent the Whole Practice.

The front-of-house role has changed. The way we educate, involve and support the people doing it needs to change too.

Think about what we now ask of the people at the front of a dental practice. They still answer the telephone, manage the diary, greet patients, take payments and keep the day moving. But somewhere along the way, the role became much bigger. We now expect them to understand our treatments, represent our values, reassure an anxious patient, work confidently with clinicians, explain what happens next and create an experience that reflects everything we say the practice stands for.

That is an extraordinary position of trust. Yet many of those people were recruited and introduced to the practice as receptionists. We changed the expectation without always changing the education around it.

You cannot advocate for something you do not understand

Too often, front-of-house teams are expected to speak confidently about treatments that have never really been explained to them. They are asked to answer questions about a patient journey they have not experienced, or to communicate the value of an approach when their knowledge extends little beyond the appointment type and the fee and then we are surprised when they do not sound confident. But confidence without knowledge is usually a script, and patients can hear the difference.

An advocate does not need to know how to perform the dentistry. They do need enough understanding to help the patient make sense of the journey. Why might someone be considering this treatment? What might worry them? What is the consultation designed to achieve? What happens afterwards? Who should they speak to if they are unsure?

Education changes the conversation. Instead of simply repeating information, people can begin to understand what it means to the person asking the question.

Trust is built in small moments

Healthcare talks a great deal about trust. We want patients to trust our expertise, our recommendations and our team. Sometimes, though, we behave as if trust should arrive automatically with the title above the door. It does not. Trust is built in dozens of apparently small moments: being listened to, having something explained without being made to feel foolish, hearing someone say, ‘I’m not sure, but I’ll find out’, and seeing that the people within the practice communicate with each other.

That is why I do not believe the answer lies in teaching front-of-house teams to sell dentistry. The better question is: ‘how do we help them become people whom patients trust to guide them through the practice?’

From receptionist to advocate

An advocate is not a salesperson, nor a clinician. They listen, ask useful questions, know when to explain and when to find someone who can. They understand the boundaries of their role and enough about the wider practice to connect the dots for the patient. There is no manipulation in that. There is knowledge, empathy and good judgement.

But we cannot simply tell reception to become advocates. If we want them to represent clinicians confidently, clinicians need to educate them. If we want them to explain the patient journey, they need to understand what happens beyond the desk. If we want them to make good decisions, they need context, not just instructions.

Front-of-house should not be the last place where information arrives. They should be part of the conversation.

The question behind the role

There is one question I think everybody in a dental practice should be encouraged to ask: ‘How does this improve the patient experience?’

Not, ‘Is this how we have always done it?’ Not, ‘Is this easier for us?’ And not simply, ‘Will this make more patients say yes?’ That question changes how the diary is managed, how the telephone is answered, how information is shared and how patients are followed up. It moves the role away from processing people and towards understanding them.

Perhaps the future of front-of-house is not really about reception at all. It is about advocacy.