The pros and cons of hiring a virtual dental assistant

With the dental industry swiftly moving toward digitization, many practices hire virtual dental assistants for administrative and operational support. 

Virtual assistant services are performed remotely, and the most common are appointment scheduling, insurance verification, and patient communication (you know, the things that are super time-consuming yet necessary for a dental practice to run smoothly). 

This makes them a potentially cost-effective alternative to hiring the kind of in-office staff that historically has performed living, breathing versions of these same functions. Hiring a virtual dental assistant is a solution, and we’ll discuss its pros and cons in this article.

Pros of hiring a virtual dental assistant

1. Cost Efficiency

This is the most apparent justification. Hiring a virtual dental assistant as a remote staff member through a company like Reach allows us to spend less on staff and make more profit. We train VAs to start operating efficiently in your business from day one.

2. Increased productivity

An online dental assistant can manage any number of administrative responsibilities, such as patient scheduling, billing, verifying insurance, and performing follow-ups. When a dental office uses a virtual assistant for these kinds of tasks, it can increase its productivity.

3. Scalability and flexibility

Dental practices can scale quickly with virtual dental assistants. They can provide part-time or full-time help as needed, and with them, the scheduling of dental practice staff is far more flexible. Yet the kinds of scales these assistants can help with are not just for practices going up and down in terms of need. They also help practices that are growing.

4. Improved patient experience

Using a VA to manage calls, emails, and appointment reminders can improve healthcare customer service. The most important way it can help is by providing prompt, around-the-clock patient responses. That is a good start.

Cons of hiring a virtual dental assistant

1. Limited hands-on support

Virtual dental assistants cannot perform physical duties like assisting in the dental chair. These tasks must still be performed in-house. They are limited to strictly administrative and clerical functions. If you are thinking of hiring one to help with those functions, read on.

2. Communication barriers

Although technology makes it possible for people to communicate with one another from anywhere in the world, now more than ever, we can establish business relationships with people across the globe. On each of these occasions, when we try to relay an idea to someone else, we run the risk of having our intended meaning misinterpreted. 

3. Onboarding and training

Although VAs have industry experience, they may require training to align with your practice. You may have specific protocols and software systems. The initial onboarding process can take time and resources, no doubt. This may temporarily affect your workflow efficiency.

Conclusion

Fortunately, Reach has already thought about these adversities and created solutions. We have carefully selected personnel with proficiency in English who can handle administrative procedures effectively. They have been trained to adapt to the specific demands of each dental practice.

When hiring a virtual dental assistant, consider cost savings and increased revenue. Studies by the American Dental Association (ADA) found that outsourcing administrative tasks can reduce operational costs by up to 30%. 

From Reach, we can help you. Book a free consultation to learn more about our services. 

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