Thinking of Hiring an Offsite Receptionist For Your Aesthetic Clinic? Read This First

The phone is constantly ringing, the email inbox is full and on top of that, a patient has forgotten about their appointment leaving you with a hole in your daily schedule.

To handle all these aspects and at the same time take care of patients and carry out treatments is a lot of work. For this reason, it is essential to get an offsite receptionist to handle the operations of your clinic effectively. 

This way, communication with patients is carried out in real-time, clients receive reminders about treatments, deposits are collected promptly, and more. As a result, your clinic is better organised, patients are looked after, and you can focus on what is important – delivering first-class treatments. 

The job of an offsite receptionist requires a combination of many qualities and skills; these days, you hear more and more about outsourcing front desk assistants and remote receptionists. 

But is selecting a virtual receptionist really a good decision? And if so, how does working with an InDesk Agent differ from hiring a traditional receptionist? Read on as we answer all these questions and more – or, if you’re ready to deploy InDesk agents and free time in your clinic, don’t hesitate to reach out now. 

1. The role of an offsite receptionist

An offsite receptionist is a highly skilled customer service professional who works remotely, handling the day-to-day communication, and scheduling the appointments that are essential to your clinic’s smooth operation. 

Unlike an in-house receptionist, a virtual receptionist performs all the key duties from a remote location; answering calls, transferring calls, and managing enquiries, without the need for a physical presence. They handle everything from scheduling appointments to answering incoming calls and responding to basic enquiries about treatments, services, and availability.

Offsite receptionists offer a personal touch similar to an in-house team, ensuring your patients speak with a real person who understands the nuances of the clinic and the treatment they’re interested in. With InDesk’s remote receptionists, you get the added benefit of specialists familiar with aesthetic and dental practices – greatly reducing the need for extensive training while maintaining the professionalism and efficiency expected by your patients. 

A virtual receptionist vs a telephone answering machine

A virtual receptionist service offers far more value than a telephone answering machine. 

While an answering machine simply records messages and maybe serves callers a generic, unpersonalised message,  a virtual receptionist delivers a professional, real-time response that improves patient care and business efficiency.

Here’s how a virtual receptionist outperforms an answering machine:

1. Real-time responses: A virtual receptionist answers calls immediately, addressing patient needs on the spot, unlike an answering machine that forces patients to leave messages.
2. Scheduling appointments: Virtual receptionists can book appointments, prevent double bookings and resolve scheduling conflicts, which an answering machine cannot handle.
3. Personal touch: Patients appreciate speaking to a human being who offers care and attentiveness, improving customer satisfaction and fostering loyalty.
4. Reduced missed opportunities: An answering machine may lead to lost business if patients don’t leave messages or are frustrated with the lack of personal interaction.
5. Handling enquiries: A virtual receptionist can manage enquiries and answer any questions the caller may have about the clinic or service, offering a more seamless patient experience. Where an InDesk agent is unsure about a more technical enquiry, they will contact you as the clinic owner and notify the caller when possible – so you never need to worry about misinforming clients or prospective customers.

In contrast, an answering machine may leave patients feeling neglected, leading to lost revenue and reduced customer engagement.

2. 5 things to think about 

OK, so that covers the basics. However, understanding the role of an offsite receptionist is just the tip of the iceberg – going deeper, there are a few further things you’ll want to keep in mind, in order to make a success out of your virtual receptionist project. 

1. Onboarding a new receptionist

When hiring a traditional receptionist, you have to consider that the operation of your clinic – and sometimes the whole aesthetic medicine industry – might be a mystery to this person. It will be on your shoulders to introduce them to everything and arrange their training. 

This means you’ll need to invest precious time to prepare the new employee to start working and, as a result, have fewer patients treated… which may have an impact on your clinic’s revenue. 

But an offsite receptionist can resolve these issues. It’s a far better option for you and your clinic to choose a remote receptionist who specialises in the aesthetic field, like the InDesk Aesthetic Receptionists. That way, you will spend much less time training your new employee. 

As remote receptionists work with clinics similar to yours, they know what it is like to work in such a place. You will need only share with them the specific details of how your clinic works, such as prices and treatments.

You also don't have to worry about organising the whole onboarding process. A dedicated account manager will take care of all the details, arrange meetings with you, and make sure Agents are ready to provide the highest level of service to your patients. With InDesk, you enjoy maximum results with minimum hassle – learn more about us now. 

2. Communication skills

Talking to a potential client in the aesthetic industry requires a lot of tact, poise, confidence, knowledge… and that’s just for starters. After all, health-related issues can be touchy. 

All receptionists, including remote ones, should have high-level communication skills and know how to handle sensitive information. Ideally, they should also have a natural talent with soft skills and the opportunity to develop further – this is what makes communication with patients effective and enjoyable. 

When you opt for InDesk, your contact with patients will be handled by experts in communication who have undergone a series of training sessions before starting to work for your clinic. In addition, remote receptionists from InDesk have valuable experience because they work with a wide range of similar clinics; this kind of background is extremely valuable, given that some things can only be learned through practice. 

3. In-house vs outsourcing

Hiring an in-house employee involves a series of costs. A clinic has to pay for additional tools for the receptionist, financial benefits, paid leave, take care of health insurance, taxes, and more. 

But, by outsourcing your receptionist, you get a series of benefits along with quality service and expertise. What are the advantages of getting an offsite receptionist? Glad you asked:

1. You reduce the employment costs compared to regular in-house hiring. Remote agents cost less due to economies of scale.
2. Cooperation with a remote receptionist is more flexible. They will take care of your calls when you are focused on carrying out treatments, spending time with loved ones, or relaxing. 
3. Remote receptionists specialise in the aesthetics industry and have experience working with similar clinics, which shortens the onboarding stage. 
4. Depending on the plan you select, your patients can also contact your clinic after your regular opening hours, so you have the potential to create an extended working schedule. (Please note though that InDesk receptionists do not operate 24/7). 
5. You don't have to worry about unexpected absences, sick leave, or holidays. You'll always have a receptionist ready to help your patients. 

4. Savings

According to recent industry research, the average wage for a medical receptionist is around £10/h. However, due to our optimised pricing plans and in-built cost-efficiencies, the cost of employing a remote InDesk receptionist is almost five times lower. 

The services of a front desk assistant is infinitely valuable and definitely improves the day-to-day running of the clinic, saving you a lot of time – it’s demonstrably worthwhile to invest in a receptionist, to make the running of the clinic smooth. For new clinics that have a limited budget, a remote receptionist may very well be the best choice.

5. Flexibility

Responding to patient enquiries only when a team member happens to be by the phone isn’t likely to fully meet the needs of your clinic. A survey we conducted showed that many potential clients also call during the evening hours, and on Saturdays – that’s why our Agents are available on Saturday (9am - 4pm), as well as on weekdays (8.30am - 7.30pm). 

The traditional receptionist is probably away from the desk  during some of these times – and you're left with the phone ringing and countless patient enquiries to deal with. 

Working with InDesk gives you the comfort of being able to choose which hours and on which days a remote agent's assistance will be most beneficial to you. Whether you need a receptionist for 20 or 80 hours a week: our agents operate:

1. Monday to Friday: 08.30 – 19.30
2. Saturday: 09.00 – 16.00

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3. What it looks like – an offsite receptionist in practice

So what does (or at least, what should) all this look like in a real-world scenario?

Let’s imagine an aesthetic clinic: NuGlow Skin & Beauty, based on the outskirts of the city. Despite the clinic’s great reputation, the admin is getting out of control, with team members struggling to manage the daily influx of calls, bookings, and patient enquiries. 

The clinical staff are completely overwhelmed, leading to missed calls, double bookings and frustrated patients. Realising the need for change, the clinic owner decides to implement InDesk, using a virtual receptionist to streamline operations and improve patient care.

With InDesk, all patient calls are now answered within three rings. The offsite receptionist schedules appointments in real time, resolves scheduling conflicts, handles online bookings, and provides personalised, patient-first, professional service to all clients, via their chosen medium: over the phone, WhatsApp, SMS, or email.

Best of all? When you and your team are busy delivering treatments, patients can still reach a live, knowledgeable person who answers questions, collects contact details, and books consultations.

Within weeks, NuGlow Skin & Beauty sees a significant improvement:

1. Zero missed calls
2. Reduced double bookings
3. Improved patient satisfaction from timely and professional responses
4. More time for the in-house team to focus on treatments

With InDesk, the clinic’s efficiency soars, revenue grows, and patient relationships thrive.

See what our clients think about InDesk → 

4. Ready to deploy a virtual receptionist? 

As you’ll already know, aesthetic medicine is a dynamic and ever-evolving industry. Even for a traditional in-house receptionist – let alone your clinical staff – managing bookings, patient care and communications in such a specialised field can quickly become overwhelming… especially without proper training. 

In most cases, you'd need to personally handle all aspects of onboarding and training a new hire.

However, with InDesk's offsite receptionist service, specifically designed for aesthetic clinics, you're working with a team that already understands your clinic’s unique needs. Our virtual receptionists are experts in handling patient enquiries, managing online bookings and ensuring seamless communication.

By choosing InDesk, you free up time for the most important aspects of your clinic – and your personal life. Whether it's optimising your scheduling process or handling customer calls after hours, we help you reclaim your workdays, your evenings and your weekends. 

Contact us today to see how InDesk’s offsite receptionist service can revolutionise your clinic.