Business of all types are adjusting the way they perform during the COVID-19 pandemic, and veterinary practices are no exception. Every member of your team has a role to play in this new normal, and front desk receptionist duties are as important as ever. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key duties of your front-desk team as we continue to navigate the pandemic together.
Explaining Updated Procedures
Just about every veterinary practice has implemented some sort of modified business model with updates procedures as far as patient care. So, a big part of front desk receptionist duties during this time is explaining those procedures to customers.
Many practices have implemented curbside service, meaning that clients don’t come into the office at all and staff members retrieve patients from the parking lot instead. (Receptionists themselves are often the employees doing that!) Telemedicine and hands-free medication pickup are other modes of operation that may fall under front desk receptionist duties. Make sure that each and every client on the phone understands how things will work once they pull into the parking lot.
Maintaining Sanitation Practices
It falls to every member of the team to maintain proper sanitation practices during these strange times. Part of front desk receptionist duties will probably include sanitizing the waiting room and front desk area, at least in clinics without a janitorial staff. It’s not convenient, but maintaining a regular cleaning schedule is essential right now until this all blows over.
If your practice does have a system in which customers enter the clinic to some level, you’ll want to have proper sanitation practices and tools in place to keep things clean, like hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, cleaning wipes, etc. Modify your front desk receptionist duties as necessary depending on your practice’s particular arrangements.
Keeping Customers Calm and Happy
Last but not least, a big part of front desk receptionist duties during the COVID-19 pandemic is maintaining some semblance of normalcy. It’s the responsibility of your front-desk staff to keep customers calm and happy, just as it always was — it just might be a little tougher right now as we’re all adjusting to a new way of doing things. Have your front desk staff use the same customer-service techniques that have always worked to keep customers satisfied.
Front desk receptionist duties have shifted as veterinary practices navigate this uncertain time. And they’re an essential part of keeping things running smoothly. It’s safe to say that our front desk teams are as indispensable as ever!
