A high-quality dental office administrator is the benchmark by which your dental practice will be judged. After all, a dental office administrator is responsible for carrying out numerous duties to keep your practice operational and successful. It’s not an exaggeration to say that they’re the glue which holds your organization together. But what are the personal qualities which make a dental office administrator stand out? And could a dental healthcare virtual assistant push these qualities to even new heights?
What is a Dental Office Administrator?
A dental office administrator is central to the daily operations of a dental practice and its staff. Supporting both dentists and dental nurses, a dental office administrator typically takes on responsibilities such as scheduling appointments, billing and invoicing duties, and patient records management. These duties are completed daily and contribute significantly towards patient-centered care.
And when it comes to the patients of a dental practice, a dental office administrator is often the first person they will speak to. Ready to assist with patient queries, a dental office administrator will use their communication skills to inform and assist in a professional and effective manner. Combined with checking patients in and out, the importance of a dental office administrator is undeniable.
The Must Have Personal Qualities of a Dental Office Administrator
The responsibilities of a dental office administrator are numerous, and these all need to supported by the perfect combination of personal qualities. These provide an excellent foundation to succeed in any area of healthcare, so it’s vital that you look out for the following:
Organizational Skills:
Dentists can easily see upwards of 50 patients per week, and this means good organizational skills are paramount. A dental office administrator will, firstly, need to take control of the appointment schedule to ensure appointments are correctly entered to maximize the number of patients seen, and minimize empty appointment slots. Secondly, they will need to be able to organize patient records and ensure these are available when needed and, most importantly, updated accurately.
Professionalism:
One of the key qualities for a successful dental office administrator will always be professionalism. Regardless of the situation, they need to present themselves with an understanding and courteous manner when assistant patients and colleagues. And, to demonstrate integrity, they must always handle patient confidentiality in a professional manner to underline your dental practice’s commitment towards its patients.
Communication Skills:
Whether they’re a dental office administrator or a dental healthcare virtual assistant, good communication skills are the key to success in dentistry. One of their main duties will be communicating with patients and between dental staff. Therefore, an excellent dental office administrator will have the skills to engage others, remain calm under pressure, and understand how to turn negative situations into positive ones.
Attention to Detail:
When it comes to patient records, ensuring good documentation helps to promote quality of care and keeps patients safe. Accordingly, attention to detail is crucial, and a world-class dental office administrator will deliver this time and time again. By taking a professional approach towards record keeping, they will never rush their work, always double check any queries with your team and, most importantly, proofread any new entries before saving them.
Time Management:
Dental practices can be very busy environments, with a dental office administrator often asked to take on multiple and complex duties throughout the day. This is why a dental office administrator needs to have a keen awareness of how to use their time throughout the day. They need to be able to weigh up the importance of specific duties, prioritize the most critical ones, and accommodate unexpected changes, such as cancelled appointments and emergencies.
Software Expertise:
IT skills are incredibly useful in the dental industry, and this is especially true for a dental office administrator. Most modern, forward thinking dental practices will use dental management software such as Dentrix, Open Dental, and Denticon to help run their practice. As such, a dental office administrator will need to posses the expertise and confidence to work with different software packages. This will empower them to deliver all the best benefits on offer from dental software.
Problem-Solving Skills:
Dental practices face numerous challenges in the 21st century, and it’s down to a dental office administrator to resolve these. As a result, excellent problem-solving skills are a valuable commodity. So, if a dental office administrator wants to be successful, they need to demonstrate that they can counter any challenges. These skills could involve conflict resolution, being able to think outside the box, and analyzing situations correctly in order to make the right decision.
The Ultimate Solution: Dental Healthcare Virtual Assistant
The presence of a dental office administrator in dental practices is the traditional solution when it comes to staffing. But there’s now an additional and enhanced option: a dental healthcare virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants have experienced a rise in popularity with employers over the last decade, with the impact of the pandemic strengthening this surge even further. However, for many businesses, they remain a new and uncertain proposal. In-house assistants have been the norm for decades, so why change now? Well, it’s because a dental healthcare virtual assistant promises to transform your business.
First off, let’s take a quick look at what a dental healthcare virtual assistant is and how they operate. Much like a dental office administrator, they can take on duties such as calendar management, handling customer queries, and assisting your dental professionals with their administrative workload. The key difference between a dental healthcare virtual assistant and a dental office administrator is that the virtual assistant doesn’t need to attend your workplace.
High-speed internet connections have made it possible for virtual assistants, based anywhere in the world, to log into IT infrastructures with ease. All they need is a PC, an internet connection, and a set of login credentials for your servers. This allows a dental healthcare virtual assistant to handle videoconferencing, file transfers and cloud access effortlessly. Best of all, it opens your dental practice up to some attractive benefits:
Cost Effectiveness:
A dental healthcare virtual assistant offers an amazing range of cost savings. Not only is there no need to invest in equipment for them, but there’s no need to outlay on holiday or vacation pay. Combined with the fact that they’re available on an ‘as necessary’ basis, a dental healthcare virtual assistant has the potential to save you up to 78% in operating costs.
Access to Global Talent:
When you choose to work with virtual assistants, you open your dental practice to a much wider range of talent. Rather than having to rely on a small pool of local talent, you can, instead, choose from a global pool of talent. This significantly increases your chances of securing that world-class talent with the skills to propel your dental practice forwards.
Improve Core Focus:
Burnout in the dental industry is a very real phenomenon, and this is often caused by dentists being burdened with additional duties on top of their core focus on patient care. Thankfully, your dental professionals can reclaim their focus when a dental healthcare virtual assistant comes into your team. Relieving your dentists of their administrative backlog, a dental healthcare virtual assistant allows your dentists to concentrate their focus in areas where only they can perform.
Increased Flexibility:
Working remotely means that many virtual assistants are based in different time zones, and this is a major benefit for dental practices. This means a dental healthcare virtual assistant can easily work outside of regular office hours. Accordingly, your patients can benefit from round-the-clock support such as booking emergency appointments, querying treatment plans, and settling invoices.
Revolutionize Your Dental Practice
A dental healthcare virtual assistant is the epitome of everything your practice needs to enhance its service. Taking all the best personal qualities of a dental office administrator and welding them to an undeniably amazing set of benefits, they represent a win/win situation where cost is not an issue. All you have to do is find a dental healthcare virtual assistant.
Luckily, you don’t have to look far as Hello Rache are the VA agency with a solution. With a wealth of experience operating in the virtual assistant industry, we have the contacts to connect your dental practice with the dental healthcare virtual assistant you need. Available at a highly competitive rate of just $9.50 per hour, our virtual assistants will enhance your competitiveness and increase your profit margins.
Interested in hearing more on how we can help? Just click here to get started on one of the best business decisions you’ll ever make.