Characteristics to Look for in a Good Medical Business Receptionist

The receptionist of your medical setting is the first person your patients or customers interact with via phone call or in person. This is the reason, you should hire the right personality with the right skills and experience. The role of a receptionist is multifaceted and challenging as it involves a high degree of duties and tasks towards patients and the medical setting itself.

In this article, we will discuss some important things and traits a medical business owner or manager should keep in mind when hiring a front desk manager (receptionist).

Qualification

Most medical facilities need front desk managers to have just a high school diploma or equivalent. Higher education is a must-have for the job of a receptionist. However, some medical settings want candidates to apply for the position with a professional certification in the field. This is the reason, the demand for medical receptionist courses is higher than ever before. Certifications in other administrative and clinical works like typing, document controlling, and computer operating can move a candidate upwards on the list of shortlisted candidates.

Effective Communication

A medical receptionist must have great communication skills. Active listening and good customer services are also important to look for in a front desk manager of a medical setting. An experienced applicant is better able to attend and connect customers to the right individuals so they can get their queries resolved efficiently.

Vocal clarity is also a must for medical receptionists to answering phone calls, as well as to briefly explain complex services, procedures, or guidelines to the patients. He/she also be able to update the team and keep other employees regarding any changes in the appointments, services, or procedures.

Professionalism

As a receptionist is the first person your patients or medical customers interact with, he/she needs to make a great first impression. Whether you are a medical business manager or owner, you should hire someone who has a good and professional appearance with the right attitude. Also, consider the professionalism and self-confidence of candidates when interviewing them.

Interpersonal Traits

Apart from the nature and type of a job, good interpersonal traits always go beyond the basic requirements and communication capabilities. A medical receptionist should be able to collaborate with other employees effectively and accept or convey criticism gracefully. He/she should also prevent workplace politics to create a good and friendly work environment while keeping his/her peers happy.

Multitasking Abilities

Since front desk managers have several responsibilities and tasks to deal with, a medical receptionist must be able to juggle with them all without facing performance issues. Duties of a receptionist may include attending incoming calls and transferring to the right professionals, managing call traffic, effective notes, and message keeping, and visitors’ management, etc. He/she may also need to assist other office staff with office workflow and other administrative tasks.

A great receptionist also assists his peers in different clerical jobs like word processing, typing an official letter, data entry, or online research, etc. This means a medical receptionist you are about to hire should be able to manage multiple tasks without experiencing a decrease in efficiency and performance. You can ask the candidate during the interview that what type of tasks and duties he/she can handle effectively.

Organizational Skills

Candidates with exceptional organizational skills are better able to perform greatly even when they encounter the unexpected. Medical receptionists with great organizational skills can quickly find the required medical files, contact details, and other data within a matter of moments. They keep their documents and files in an organized manner for easy and quick retrieval in the future. You can ask the candidate for explaining an effective filing system to assess his/her organizational skills.

Technical Expertise

We are living in a digital world where computers and other tech devices are important for performing several office-related tasks and keeping a good track of work records and files. This is the reason, a potential medical receptionist must have the basic technical expertise to use and troubleshoot office devices and machines like computers, printers, and phone systems, etc. A front desk manager should also be able to install and operate a variety of software like MS office, industry-specific software, social media apps, and other online software to get things done efficiently.