Owning a dental practice is no easy task. Although you excel at providing your patients with superior oral health care and educate them on the importance of good oral hygiene, it’s easy to become so caught up in the day-to-day operations that you forget about the other vital element of a successful dental practice: an exceptional patient experience. That said, it is quite possible, that on start-up of your practice, one of your first staff members will probably be an office assistant or receptionist.
So why not a Virtual Assistant?
A great assistant can make all the difference to a manager or organisation. Commence by establishing your needs and requirements and be clear and realistic about your expectations. Be prepared to give this employee the permission to speak up, contribute, and offer ideas and suggestions. The way you manage your dental office leaves lasting impressions on your patients and significantly impacts your retention rates. It’s imperative that you remain organized, stay on top of best practices, and learn how to run a dental practice with patients at heart.
Openly encouraging independent thinking and creativity will bring out the best in your assistant and ultimately, serve your goals and needs. Be prepared to support your assistant in training and professional development, as this is an investment that will not only strengthen his or her skill set, but will also build confidence and self-esteem, and ensure a thorough understanding of your industry and practice. A Virtual PA will give you the gift of time, to focus on what you do best in your practice.
This person is often the first contact for your customer or patient, so you really need him or her to have impeccable personal skills and make a great first impression. He or she should also express empathy, compassion, and patience with your clients, ensuring that the process is as painless as possible for them (when not in the chair).
What systems could a Virtual PA put in place to optimize your productivity?
- Assistance with email management and client correspondence.
- Scheduling appointments and meetings, both for yourself and your patient traffic flow.
- Basic bookkeeping, administration and invoicing
- Maintaining client records
A Virtual PA can also assist with a multitude of other tasks:
- Patient care, via email or other platforms, following up on patient recovery, check-ups, and progress
- Establishing a working database of your patients and developing marketing and sales communication with this information
- Patient communication, establishing return clients, referrals, and recommendations from existing patients
- Staff recruitment assistance within your practice, sourcing and screening candidates and setting up interviews for your practice
- Assistance with general accounting and administrative principles and procedures
- Management and assistance of insurance plans and claims processing
- Preparation with yourself of patient treatment plans and presenting to the patient
- Organize and oversee supply purchases, equipment upgrades, and operations expenses
- Manage business correspondence and reports
- Be proactive in the marketing and promotion initiatives
- Creating a user-friendly website and establish a social media presence for your practice
A Virtual PA for your dental practice will be an investment, and you can be assured of:
- Superior communication skills
- Meticulous planning and organizing
- In-depth problem analysis and problem-solving
- Good judgment and decision-making skills
- Integrity and honesty on all levels
- Customer service orientation
A virtual assistant (VA) is a person who provides support services to other businesses from a remote location. The term originated in the 1990s as the ability to work virtually due to technology improvements, such as high-speed Internet, document sharing, and other advancements, made working remotely a reality.
Virtual assistants are especially in demand by entrepreneurs and online businesses that need help but don’t want to bring on staff in their location. However, many small and mid-size businesses use virtual support, especially for specific tasks such as social media management.
Theoretically, a Virtual Assistant can do anything any other support staff does, except bring the coffee, however, virtual support duties are not limited to clerical work. Many Virtual Assistants provide sales and marketing assistance, web design and social media development, and a broad spectrum of other services.
If you’d like to work with a Virtual Assistant, but you are not sure how it could work for you then why not try us for free? We’ll give you five hours of our time 100% free. No credit card, No sign up required. Get started today.
