Monday Morning Meeting: 5 Chances to Make a Good First Impression – The Receptionist

Monday Morning Meeting: 5 Chances to Make a Good First Impression – The Receptionist

Have you ever walked into an office and thought, “These guys get it”? Their reception area is up-to-date, clean, fresh. Their receptionist is personable, friendly and helpful. Their office materials are professional and organized. Those are the offices where the staff and doctor “get” that making a good first impression is everything.

However, there are many offices out there that either don’t care or don’t think about making a good first impression. What a waste! Making a good first impression can make or break a patient’s experience in your office. And you only get five chances to wow a new patient.

Chance 3: The Receptionist

Once your patients enter the office, they’ll be first greeted by your receptionists. They have already talked to them on the phone but this is their first face-to-face meeting. Do you think it will go positively? If you have any trepidation in answering that then you’ve got a problem…

Receptionists should be courteous, friendly, and organized. A messy desk reflects poorly on your office. They should be able to do service recovery (on the spot problem solving) if a patient is unhappy. They should be able to answer phones politely, manage multiple things at once, and do so with a delightful demeanor. But most importantly, your receptionist should know EVERYTHING about the office. If she has to go ask someone in order to answer a patient’s questions, that’s a problem.

If your patients are seeing someone paint their nails at the desk, answer personal calls (you wouldn’t believe what some people talk about at work!), read a book, or gossip with the other staff members… Well, let’s just say it’s time for either a staff overhaul or a serious training session.

Some things to consider:

• 1.     Is your receptionist friendly?
• 2.     Do your staff members gossip in the office?
• 3.     Do your staff members know about the office and are they able to answer questions?
• 4.     Do your receptionists do personal things at work?
• 5.     Do your receptionists follow your dress code (if you don’t have one, get to work!)?
• 6.     Do your receptionists eat or chew gum at the front desk?