Your front desk staff create the first impression for your patients. Make sure they play the role well.
Friendly employees beget happy patients. Consider hiring front-end staff based on personality as much as experience. We know some practices who actively sought out former airline employees, waitresses, even people they met in retail shops.
A jaded person from another practice won't be nearly as good as a fresh, eager-to-learn employee who loves to smile.
It's well worth paying a decent salary or hourly wage to an employee who will solve problems, suggest workflow fixes, and juggle the multiple demands of the front desk with grace.
Check out our Staff Salary Survey, but keep in mind that too many practices hire the cheapest front desk person, not the best one.
It might help to remember that a great employee will improve your time-of-service collections, and might very well pay for herself in the end.
How did you find your best front desk person?