049: Starting Strong: First Day Advice for Front Office Roles

In this Episode. Sarah Beth Herman shares practical advice on avoiding common mistakes during your first day in a front office role, particularly in a dental practice. She emphasizes the importance of mental preparation and professionalism, offering tips like how to present yourself positively and avoid unprofessional behaviors such as eating at the desk or using your phone. Through personal stories and practical suggestions, Sarah highlights the significant impact front office staff have on patient experience. The episode also touches on available mentoring and training opportunities to support your growth in this crucial role.

Transcript

Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. I'm your host, Sarah Beth, and today we're going to talk about what not to do as your first day in the front office role of any business, but specifically I'm talking dental today. Any industry, any business, all of this will apply, but if you've worked in dental for any length of time, you totally know the struggles that come with this role on their first day.

Now, let me say this real quick. If someone sent you this episode to listen to, take a moment to thank them later. Seriously. They didn't do it to call you out or to make you feel bad. They did it because they care about setting you up for success. And trust me, what we are talking about today isn't just some helpful quick tips.

It truly will change the way that you approach your first day and your career moving forward.  And if you're here because you found this episode all on your own, maybe you are brand new in dentistry or you've been here forever.

 This is you taking a huge step towards being the best version of yourself in this role.

This episode is great advice for anyone starting in the front office. It's not just in a dental office, but in any business. So whether you're working in healthcare, customer service, a corporate environment, these principles that we're covering today will help you navigate your first day with professionalism and confidence.

We're going to talk about the mindset mistakes to avoid, what not to do at the front desk, and why your role is so important in the business that you are leading. And yes, as a front office team member, you are leading. I'm also going to share a story from my own career that highlights some small things that can make a big difference in how patients.

and your team perceive you. But before we jump in, I want to remind you about the mentoring opportunities and virtual training sessions I offer. And it's not to sell you anything new, but I truly think that so many of us just need to know where to go, how to find someone that does mentoring. How can I just hop on a call with someone and get advice about something?

That's me. I am your bestie in business and in leadership and in life, and I would love to have the time with you to chit chat about things you're challenged with.  You can check the show notes for links to my mentoring and different programs I'm offering right now.  Let's talk about what not to do on your first day. 

Your first day starts long before you sit down at the front desk. It begins with how you mentally prepare yourself to step into this role.  I'm going to list off a few things in just a moment, but I learned something long ago when something's really important, don't assign a number to it. 

They're all important. So I'm not numbering them on purpose. We'll just call them all number ones. Don't just think of this as just a job.  You might think it's just answering phones. It's just scheduling appointments. It's just being at the front desk.  But let me tell you, it's so much more than that. 

As a front office team member, you are the first and last impression every patient has of this business, of this practice that you're sitting in. You set the tone for how they feel about their experience.  Instead, I want you to approach this role with pride. I want you to walk in thinking, I'm the face of this practice, and I'm here to make a difference.

Maybe you think I'm cheesy. Maybe you think, really? Like you want me to think that way? For a job paying me X dollars an hour? Yeah, I do. Because I think that when you are perfectly designed to be who you are, there is such a bigger plan for you that exists that you can't even see right now.

And who you choose to be right now, this day, this brand new job you're getting into, it's gonna change everything for you. It's going to allow you to assume the role you were designed for.  Number one, don't try too hard to fit in immediately.  I know you want to. And I want to, too.  Building relationships is really important,  but I want you to feel like you have to become everyone's best friend on day one. 

Focus on showing that you are dependable, professional, and ready to learn. Friendships will come with time.  Number one, don't assume you know everything. Even if you've worked in a similar role before, Every practice, every business, they have their own systems and their own culture. Walk in ready to observe and ready to learn.

Not to overhaul or compare to where you've worked before. It is really easy to do that. It's really easy to say things like,  at my last job, we did this. Where I worked before, we did this.  You don't work there anymore. You don't have to bring them up anymore. If you loved working there and that was the best job you ever have, go back to that job and go work there.

But you are in a new phase, a new chapter, a new space, a new place that you're going to learn things you never knew before.  Start your day with this thought today. I am here to learn.  I am here to contribute and I am here to represent this practice with excellence.  The front office is a highly visible role.

Everything you do or don't do affects how patients perceive the practice and how your team works together.  I'm going to give you another list. And again, these are all number one. Because they're all equally important.  Just because one comes before another doesn't mean I don't want you paying attention to the one that comes after. 

Please don't eat at the front desk.  Look, I get it. You're busy and finding time to eat isn't always easy.  But eating at the front desk sends the wrong message. It looks unprofessional and it is not a great experience for your patients who walk in and see you munching on chips or smelling someone's leftover lasagna. 

If you've got to eat, step away and find a designated space to do so on your break, not while you're on the clock. I promise if you think about going into a place where you're about to spend a minimum of 100 and the person greeting you was ruffling through a bag of ruffles, you would think that was unprofessional. 

If they were swishing around the ice their caramel macchiato, you would think it was unprofessional.  There is never an appropriate time for food to be at the front desk. This is a business and it's a professional environment. And if you owned the place, you wouldn't want people to be unprofessional and you wouldn't want to have that conversation about them not being professional. 

Number one,  don't be on your phone. Yes, I know it's your phone. I know you pay the bill. I know you have family that needs to get in touch with you. I know that you might have a child or you might have a really important thing going on that you need to get a message for right away. I know that. And I believe that you should have the ability to do all of those things and have all those things.

But when you are at the front desk, you are the face of the practice and being on your phone, even for a second, can make patients feel like you're not their priority.  Save your personal messages and browsing for breaks.  If you need to check on something urgently, step away. Make sure your family has the phone number of the front office. 

If you need to keep your phone in your pocket so that you can feel it vibrate, so that you can go grab it when you need to, or you can step away and say, you know what, can you excuse me for a moment? And step away and go look at it. But don't pull it out of your back pocket or out of your scrub pocket with a patient in front of you.

 Ask to be excused, ask to separate yourself, and leave the situation.  Number one,  don't bring negativity to the front desk.  Patients can sense your energy. If you're frustrated, annoyed, uninterested, it shows. Your goal is to make your patients feel welcomed and cared for from the moment they walk in. 

It really does matter.  Number one, don't overshare or gossip.  Talking about your personal life or office gossip at the front desk is a no go.  Patients can hear more than you think, and it can damage the professional atmosphere of the practice. 

Let me tell you a story. In fact, I'm probably going to have a couple of stories in this episode.  It was my first day. I was working with a large group practice out of Phoenix, Arizona,  and I was in a new role where I was going to be overseeing 30 practices at this group.  The COO took me out for lunch. 

When we went out for lunch, she told me how her husband hated that she had this chief operating officer role. I'll never forget this conversation because I was so shocked that she felt comfortable enough to talk to me about her husband. On the very first day I started my job, we were standing in line at Chipotle.

I remember what I ordered. I remember what I was wearing. I remember the whole conversation and just feeling like, this is wild.  She told me how her husband really just wanted her to leave. And he didn't like how many hours she spent working at this job and all of the time it took from her. And that he made plenty of money and so she should quit her job and stay at home with her son and she didn't need to work. 

She went on and on about their marital problems and asked me how my husband felt about me working. And if he appreciated the fact that I was in such a high position and how I handled that kind of conversation, and I've never had anything other than a supportive husband,  he's always encouraged my dreams.

And when I had advancements at work and when I made things happen and all of the things that I had to do, he respected that because that was the role that we had.  It was my first day and the gossip train was going to start, right? Because she was telling me about her husband and her personal life and her personal problems. 

Don't do it. Don't take the temptation. No matter how comfortable you think you are. I'll never forget that conversation. And what later ended up happening at this job. makes total sense because  a total holy cow storm ended up coming out of this position that I had it for about three and a half, four years.

And what ended up happening is so wild because of where it started on my first day. And it was like the writing was on Don't  take the bait.  Don't overshare.  Don't gossip. Don't do it.

Let me tell you one more story.  Years ago, I worked with a front office team member who had all the skills to be amazing. She was efficient. She was personable. She was great with patients  when she wanted to be,  but she always had a habit of having snacks at the front desk  and she didn't think we could see her, but scrolling on social media. 

She was always chatting about personal stuff with an earshot of patients and with patients. Like if she had a rough night, she was telling the patients she had a rough night.  One day a patient pulled me aside and said, I love this practice,  but I feel like your employees here don't take me seriously. 

It's like they're too distracted to focus on what's going on.  And I've been coming here for a long time.  And I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you that  this was a wake up call.  I realized that our front office wasn't just checking people in and out.  It really was about creating a professional and welcoming environment that made patients feel valued because how many patients came before her that didn't share with me what they saw in my front office.

And because I was close with them, cause they had worked for me for so long. I just was willing to overlook it because they filled the schedule. They did the job really well. I had a conversation with our team  about what it meant to represent the brand.  And I said , yes, you're a person with your own life and your own priorities.

But when you're here at the front office of this dental practice, you're the face of the practice and everything you do reflects on all of us.  Over time, that team member did change her habits.  She started to step away to eat only at designated break times.  Her phone was kept out of sight. 

And she was fully present for our patients.  What was the result of that? Patients were commenting,  that patient came back.  And she said, wow, it's totally different in here. I didn't have to fire someone because they were doing the wrong thing.  I didn't have to reprimand her. What I did need to do is get together as a team and then make sure we were all on the same page.

We were all talking together and we were all on the same mission, which was the patient experience.  As a front office team member, your role is about so much more than answering phones and scheduling appointments.  Your role matters because you set the tone. Patients decide how they feel about the practice within seconds of walking in.

Your demeanor, your energy, your professionalism. It shapes their entire experience. You're the bridge. You're the link between patients and the clinical team. Your ability to communicate clearly and efficiently keeps everything running the way it should.  You represent the brand. Everything you do reflects on the practice.

Patients don't just see you, they see the values and the culture of the practice through you.  If you are looking to elevate your role,  I would highly recommend you and everybody on your team to read the book, The Energy Bus by John Gordon.  This book talks all about how positivity and energy can transform your work and your life. 

And one of my favorite quotes from the book is, You're the driver of your bus. Don't let anyone else take the wheel.  As a front office team member, your attitude sets the tone for the entire practice. When you bring positivity and focus to your role, it creates a ripple effect that benefits your team and your patients. 

Before we wrap up, I want to tell you about the virtual training sessions I offer for dental teams. These sessions cover everything from front office professionalism, patient experience, practice efficiency, dental billing, eligibility, phones, credentialing, you name it.  These sessions are highly sought after and we do currently have a wait list.

If you're ready to take your skills to the next level, check the show notes for the link to join the wait list. Don't miss out on a chance to grow in your career and contribute even more to your practice.  Your that's good moment for today.  Don't eat at the front desk and be on your phone. Patients are watching and your actions represent the pack. 

A summary of what we've talked about and everything you need to remember. Avoid treating this role like just a job.  You are the first and last impression of your practice and your impact matters.  Focus on creating a welcoming and professional atmosphere for every patient. 

Remember that your attitude sets the tone for the entire team and go read The Energy Bus by John Gordon. Learn how positivity and focus can transform your work and your life.  Thank you for joining me on this episode of the show. If today's episode resonates with you, share it with anyone starting in the front office of a dental practice or any business.

This advice is universal and it can help set the tone for your entire team and set you up for success. Don't forget to check the show notes for mentoring opportunities and virtual training sessions. Until next time, remember you've got everything you need to succeed. Show up, lead with heart, and represent your team with excellence.

I'll catch you  📍 on the next episode.