Behind the scenes of “hello, how are you today?”Let’s discover what importance they hold in a healthcare establishment. In havens of life and death, where people are whispering prayers, holding onto dear life, or are pitifully mourning their loss, what is formidable to note is how significantly insignificant these front desk executives seem. Where doctors are deities and their devotees follow them like the earth to the sun, it is almost catastrophic to see how conveniently these executives are ignored.

Let’s have a look at this list of duties that they perform day to day, even when they go unnoticed.

Building a Good Rapport

When you first enter a healthcare establishment, the first person you meet is a front desk employee, generally called a receptionist that meets and greets you. Without them, a hospital is incomplete and unimpressive. Thus, it is the duty and responsibility of the front desk personnel to create a good rapport with the individuals walking in. A long lasting impression would bring in more footfall to the organisation, thus bringing in business.

Filling Forms

There are a variety of distinct forms to be filled in healthcare. From blood-group to insurance, there are a lot of information checks that go into getting to know the patient. Things like family history or medical conditions often confuse the people at large.

With a lot of patients and relatives, comes certain language barriers or sometimes the information isn’t clear. This is where the front office employees come in handy. They are well-versed with the forms and thus understand what goes where. This in-turn gives the customer a better understanding of the form.

Prompt Solutions to Customer

It is like second nature for a front office associate to handle customer grievances. The personnel at the job knows the place in and out. Thus it is easy for them to guide the customer immediately. They are the ones with perfect insight about the establishment and are thus perfect navigators of the organisation.

Fixing up Appointments

Besides maintaining a sunny smile, their job also includes maintaining a calendar. They are like PAs to each and every doctor. Scheduling the right time with the right doctor is a tad bit like management. So they understand the patient’s problem, come up with a doctor’s name and schedule the time that suits the customer. It may seem like a cake-walk, but it’s a bit like math.

Issue Invoice and Collect Payments

It is one of the most important jobs of the front desk executives to collect payments. First and foremost an invoice is generated, which allows the customer to know what costs how much. The treatments and medications are clearly mentioned on the invoice so formed. The personnel compile all the services provided by the organisation and then focus on getting payment.

Confidence building &Comfort Induction

The front desk executives are the first impression of an organisation. Thus, they are the confidence generators that boost a sense of comfort and relief. If the first impression is lousy, nobody would want to be treated in that place. More than the patient, it is important to nurture the relatives because they shall be able to trust you with the lives of a close one. Comfort is automatically induced if the patient is treated well.

Link-Pin between Patient and Doctor

The front desk executive is the key link-pin between the doctor and the patient. The personnel in question jots down appointments for the patient and forwards the patient’s profile to the doctor. It is because of the front office employee that the patient is prioritised. It gives the doctor more treatment time rather than first familiarising, entertaining and then treating.

Saving Time

It is because of the front office personnel that the patients head in at the prescribed time. The patients know where and when to visit which doctor only because of the front desk workers.

On the other hand, it also saves the doctor’s time as the doctors also know when and who to attend with what diagnosis.

Maintaining Paperwork and Keeping Record

The front office employees keep background histories clearly stocked under the patient names. Their work includes maintenance of treatment history of recurring patients or creation of a new database for the new ones. These records are of utmost importance to the doctor because it mentions the medical history of the patient for diagnosis and prognosis.

The paperwork may or may not be physically written. So lately, with technology supporting us, Excel spreadsheets are the new requirement for maintaining such paperwork. Thus these employees are academically adept with skills like Microsoft Office and Excel.

Distributing Mail

A front-desk employee is the one that sorts mail directed towards different departments. They eliminate the ones that don’t need attention but are quick on their feet incase of an emergency crops up. It is purely their job to distribute the mail to the right person in the right department, thus running things smoothly in order.

Customer Satisfaction

It may seem that it is the doctor’s duty to satisfy the patient, but what is always never seen is the fact that how the front desk executives are the one that make the whole process a lot easier. They create a comfortable vibe for the patient, they create positive energy for the relatives, and they create a humble aura amongst the individuals. It is because of them that the close ones are calm and at peace. They make the nightmare almost pleasant.

Conclusion about the Sunny-Smile

Front-desk Executives have a huge role to play. They are the backbones of the organisation which allows the whole body to function properly. Besides having Rose-Cheeked smiles and a pleasant personality, their job is a bit tough. They have to be the bright sunshine for others even if they might be going through turmoil inside. They need to work like a clock for the doctor and the patients. They are almost like mathematicians trying to fix appointments and maintaining Excel spreadsheets.

They are the ones with the insight of a genius and the warm touch of an angel.