Having a qualified and effective dentist is necessary for a successful dental practice. However, the dental office administrator is vital to the overall success of the dental office. This can be tricky for someone looking to enter the role of a dental office administrator, as the mark of a great administrator is one who performs their role so well that you can’t see what’s going on behind the scenes. If the office is well run, patients will inherently think they’ve had a better experience than if the office appears chaotic, even if their experience with the dentist was the same. But how do dental office administrators who run successful offices do it?Female dental administrator explaining a form to a female patient.

The Multifaceted Role of a Dental Office Administrator

A dental office administrator is more than just a receptionist who answers the phone and checks in with the patients. A dental office administrator is a multi-faceted role that requires a supremely organized person. Dental office administrators need to handle the following:

  • Greeting and checking in patients
  • Appointment scheduling
  • Handling communication with patients on the phone, as well as other methods
  • Processing payments
  • Processing insurance claims
  • Setting up follow-up and referral appointments
  • Maintaining an organized reception area
  • Maintaining patient records
  • Working with dental staff to ensure they have what they need
  • Handling additional tasks as they arise.

Dental Office Administrators are Masters at Handling Patient Flow

When a patient enters the dental office, they should be greeted promptly, and the dental office administration staff will then make sure that all the check-in procedures are handled, like updating forms, verifying insurance information, and fielding any questions or concerns the patient may have. Patients will feel confident in the dental practice when this process is set up to run smoothly. Dental office administrators are trained to master this patient flow, ensuring every patient feels they are given adequate attention without forcing another to wait too long. The most successful dental office administrators will organize their space to allow them to do this quickly and hone their interaction to maximize efficiency. Everyone managing the desk should be friendly, welcoming, and attentive, setting the visit up for success.

Dental Office Administrators Keep an Organized Desk

If your space isn’t organized, there is no way you will be able to run a dental office efficiently. You may have a knack for keeping your individual space organized, but as many office staff members will likely use the administrative space, the administrative team will need to implement a system that can handle multiple users without chaos. This means having specific locations for everything needed during the day, like referral forms, insurance forms, intake forms, and payment tools. Many successful dental office administrators will take time at the end of each day to set up for the next day by running through the patient roster of appointments, pulling all the necessary forms and records in advance, and looking for any potential issues that could arise. Electronic documents  and technology can streamline many of these processes and eliminate clutter. When training to work as a dental office administrator, you will be trained in many popular programs to make dental offices run efficiently.

Dental Office Administrators Coordinate Seamlessly Between Dental Staff and Patients

A dental office administrator needs to have strong interpersonal skills. As a dental office administrator, you will be communicating with patients in person or on the phone, as well as every dental staff member. This often includes taking information from patients and effectively passing that information to the clinical staff, as well as taking information from the clinical staff and communicating what that means to the patient. The better the staff can work together, the better the patient experience, as miscommunication will not be an issue.

Using the Tools Necessary to Streamline Processes

With the current technology, it is easy to streamline processes and make the front desk efficient. Many good dental offices use scheduling software, automated messages for verification, online booking systems, and online billing and payment systems that cut down on clutter. As a dental office administrator, it’s essential to make sure you are familiar with all the tools at your disposal.

What Makes a Good Dental Office Administrator?

Even with the newest technology and most organized desk, the secret to a well-run dental office is a good administrator with all the necessary soft skills to keep things running smoothly. A good dental office administrator is organized, excellent at multitasking, adaptable and flexible, can prioritize and reprioritize as issues arise, has patience with patients, works well with many different personalities, and has excellent time management skills. A good dental office administrator doesn’t wait for problems to arise but can anticipate situations and be prepared. While this may sound like an unattainable set of skills, anyone wanting to succeed can hone these soft skills through experience.

A patient will not have a seamless and positive experience without a well-run dental office front desk, and the success of the front desk relies on having a dental administrator who uses the tools at their disposal and can have control of the desk. This vital role can be incredibly rewarding. If you are interested in helping keep a dental office running smoothly, look for dental administration training classes to set you up for success.

Ready to Get Started?

Ready to kickstart your career in dental office administration? At South Florida Dental Assisting School, we offer hands-on training to help you master the skills needed to thrive in this rewarding field. Contact us today and take the first step toward a seamless patient experience!