What does a dental receptionist cost your practice?
Most practices think “salary.” That is incomplete. When you do the full math, the total cost surprises people.
The Official Numbers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and dental industry data confirm:
Average US dental receptionist salary: $2,000-2,400 per month base.
Where Total Cost Explodes
Base salary: $2,000-2,400 per month.
Payroll taxes (FICA, unemployment insurance, workers comp): Add 10-15%. That is $200-360.
Health insurance (if you offer it): Add $400-600 per month (practice pays 50-75% typically).
Retirement contribution (if offered): Add $100-200 per month.
Training and onboarding: $500-1,000 one-time (your time + systems access + PMS training).
Turnover. Front desk turnover is 29% annually. That means you replace nearly one-third of your staff every year. Each replacement costs $2,000-4,000 in lost productivity, training, and hiring.
The Full Picture
Base salary: $2,200 per month
Taxes and insurance: $600
Benefits (health insurance): $500
Retirement: $150
Total monthly: $3,450
Per year: $41,400
If turnover hits your office, you pay $2,000-4,000 in replacement costs once per year.
Add vacation days (10 days = $4,000 in lost productivity). Add sick days (5 days = $2,000). Add training time for new systems (40 hours = $3,200).
Real all-in cost: $3,840-4,200 per month, or $46,000-50,000 annually.
What Reach Costs by Comparison
Full-time Reach remote team member: $1,995 per month. That is $23,940 annually.
You save $23,000-26,000 per year, per VA, by using Reach instead of hiring in-house.
No vacation days to cover. No sick leave. No turnover replacement costs. No benefits administration. No payroll tax burden. No hiring and training.
The Hidden Productivity Loss
When your receptionist is out (sick, vacation, training), your office loses productivity. With Reach, your remote team member stays consistent. No coverage gaps.
Reach Academy Training
Reach handles all training. Your Reach Success Manager ensures your remote team member is trained on your PMS, your scheduling system, your communication standards. Your office provides 1-2 hours for workflow overview. That is it.
Compare this to hiring: you spend 40-60 hours training a new receptionist on your systems alone.
Performance Visibility
With Reach, you see exactly what your $1,995 per month buys. Performance Tracker shows calls answered, appointments scheduled, revenue generated, and time saved. With an in-house hire, you do not have that clarity.
FAQ
**Q: Do in-house staff cost more than $3,840?**
A: For small practices, possibly not. But once you add in turnover, benefits, training, and overhead, $3,840 is conservative.
**Q: What about part-time staff?**
A: Part-time receptionist (20 hours): $1,200-1,400 per month base. Add taxes and benefits (30%), you reach $1,600-1,800. Reach part-time remote team member: $1,000 per month (20 hours). Still cheaper and with no turnover risk.
**Q: Does Reach offer health insurance?**
A: No. Reach VAs are based in Latin America and the Philippines where benefits are different. The cost savings reflect this reality.
**Q: How do I compare Reach to my current receptionist cost?**
A: Add your receptionist base salary plus taxes (15%) plus benefits cost (25-30%) plus annual turnover costs divided by 12 months. That is your true monthly cost.